Where to Find Real Korean Food in New Hampshire

New Hampshire is not where most people expect to find good Korean food. That is exactly why the ones who know about Concord keep it to themselves.

Here is what to look for, and what to order if you are new to it.

What makes it the real thing

Korean cooking is built on fermentation and balance. Kimchi that has actually aged. Gochujang with depth to it. Banchan that is not an afterthought.

The shortcut version skips all of that and leans on sugar and heat instead. It tastes fine. It does not taste Korean.

Chef Susan Chung grew up with the real version and has been cooking for over 20 years. She started by making kimbap for her son's wrestling team, and that turned into 603 Meal Prep.

Dishes to try first

Kimbap. Rice, vegetables and protein rolled in seaweed. Looks like sushi, tastes nothing like it. The rice is seasoned with sesame oil, not vinegar. This is where Chef Susan started.

Bulgogi. Thin-sliced beef marinated in soy, pear and garlic. Sweet, savoury and the easiest entry point if you are unsure.

Japchae. Sweet potato glass noodles stir-fried with vegetables and beef. Chewy in a way no other noodle is.

Bibimbap. Rice topped with seasoned vegetables, protein and gochujang, mixed together at the table.

Kimchi. Fermented cabbage with chilli, garlic and ginger. Sour, spicy and funky. It goes with everything.

What "authentic" tastes like

Balanced, not sweet. Korean food uses sugar, but it sits behind the salt, the garlic and the fermentation.

Sesame oil is the other thing that gives it away. It is what makes kimbap taste like kimbap. Leave it out and the dish is not the same.

Portions are generous, which is why 603 meals come in 24oz containers.

Korean flavours built for a normal week

The thing about Korean cooking is that it takes time. Marinades, fermentation, banchan prepared separately.

Nobody does that on a Tuesday. That is what meal prep solves. Chef Susan cooks it properly, you heat it for 2 to 3 minutes.

The menu also pulls in flavours from across Asia and Latin America, so it is not the same plate every week. See what is on now in the 5 meal plan.

Where to get it

603 Meal Prep delivers across Concord, Pembroke, Bow, Hopkinton, Loudon, Hooksett, Canterbury, Chichester, Allenstown, Boscawen, Epsom and Manchester.

Order online or read how it works.