These days, turn a corner in India, and you end up somewhere near a Korean joint - either a restaurant or stall. If nothing, then you end up in a restaurant selling Indianised Korean delicacies - Korean Burger at McDonald's, Korean Cheese Dosa at Vaango, Indianised Corn Dogs, Tandoor Kimbap, and Kimchi Paratha sold by street food vendors, and whatnot.
With the growing popularity of K-pop and K-dramas, Korean cuisine has gained a new fanbase across the world, including India. Restaurants started cropping up like mushrooms.
In fact, according to a Times of India report, Swiggy, an online food aggregator, saw a 50% increase in customers ordering Korean dishes from July 2024 to July 2025. And Gen Z is a significant part of this trend, making up almost 27% of the application users.
But here is a thing about Indians, much like other Asian communities, our palate enjoys spices and regional delights so much that it takes time to get accustomed to delicacies from different countries. Hence, many restaurateurs and vendors create Indianised versions of global delicacies to appeal to a wide range of customers.
This has its advantages and pitfalls. The popularity of Korean cuisine is soaring high, but people are not really eating Korean food; in fact, many don't even make an effort to visit a Korean restaurant to get a taste of authentic cuisine, which transcends beyond spicy gochugaru and gochujang blends and fermented kimchi. Or your Korean Idli and Korean Burger.
We spoke to Indian chefs about the growing trend and takeover by Korean food.
Indianised Korean Food: Justice To Authentic Flavours Or A Trending Marketing Gimmick?
How would you identify whether someone is experimenting with Korean food because they are inspired by the new flavours or following a marketing gimmick to attract new customers? Chef Avinash Kumar, Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach, says, "Authentic Korean cuisine is deeply rooted in fermentation, umami balance, and subtlety, think kimchi, gochujang, or bibimbap."
"Commercially, these cuisines are often simplified to make them more appealing and accessible to diners; however, this approach doesn't always capture their authentic flavours and cultural depth," he adds.
Karan Tanna, Founder of The Badbody Pizza, Mumbai, says, "'Korean' has become a buzzword used to market spicy-sweet adaptations instead of genuine fermented and umami-rich flavours."
"While such adaptations drive curiosity, very few manage to honour the cuisine's soul," adds Chef Nishant Choubey, Co-founder, Bhaanas, Dwarka, and Chef Consultant, Organic Bistro, Khan Market, New Delhi.
Swiggy saw a 50% increase in customers ordering Korean dishes from July 2024 to July 2025. Photo: McDonald's
Is The Korean Food Trend Sustainable?
When any trend goes viral, the question is not how long it can sustain, but whether it is sustainable. A cuisine (any for that matter) is timeless, but when it is being adapted in a foreign land, it has to appeal to the current generation without losing its OG touch.
Chef Choubey feels that the adapted Korean dishes in India are mostly about aesthetics for social media, and they speak directly to Gen Z and Gen Alpha. "But sustainability will come only when there's deeper education about the cuisine's roots - fermentation, balance, and technique. The fad will fade; the appreciation will stay if restaurants move from replicating to truly understanding the cuisine."
"Sustainability also depends on whether we move from novelty items to authentic dishes. When restaurants introduce classics like bibimbap, kimchi jjigae, Japchae, Tteokbokki, or bulgogi with integrity, the trend matures into long-term acceptance. When it stays gimmicky, it fades," adds Chef Babu Nagarajan, Director of Culinary Arts, Indian School of Hospitality, Delhi, in a conversation with NDTV.
Has Indianisation Of Korean Food Been Blown Out Of Proportion?
You might eat biryani once a week or on special occasions, and therefore, it's a delicacy. If you eat it every day, it loses the hype. Similar is the case with Korean food. Restaurants are cropping up every day, and popular chains are introducing Korean variants of their dishes, thereby blowing the trend out of proportion (or so it looks like).
But experts believe that Indianisation of any foreign cuisine or dish is inevitable. Just look at what we did to Chinese food!
Experts think some level of adaptation is necessary and makes sense. "While fusion builds familiarity, overdoing it like 'Korean dosa' risks eroding the cuisine's true identity," clarifies Chef Tanna.
"Indianisation shouldn't mean oversimplification. Using gochujang in biryani and butter chicken or kimchi in samosas is a confusing task," says Chef Choubey, adding, "The problem begins when every second dish is called 'Korean', merely because of chilli flakes or sesame oil. We need to respect boundaries even while innovating."
"The industry needs to strike a balance between creativity and credibility," explains Chef Kumar, adding that only this balance can keep cuisines evolving without losing their identity.
On the other hand, Chef Vijay Pandey, Corporate Chef, Rebel Foods (Indian online restaurant company), believes, "Fusion makes the cuisine way more approachable for folks. Some purists argue that it dilutes the real authenticity. Still, these adaptations help spread Korean flavours across India."
Experts believe that Indianisation of any foreign cuisine or dish is inevitable. Photo: McDonald's/Instagram
Where Does The Craze For Korean Food End And Obsession Begin?
Have we become obsessed with Korean food? This question often leaves one baffled, especially when they taste something fusion, and all it had was spicy gochujang paste or gochugaru powder in the name of being 'Korean'.
"The craze is healthy experimentation; the obsession begins when authenticity loses meaning. Constant rebranding of anything spicy as 'Korean' dilutes its heritage," says Chef Tanna.
This is when a person stops experimenting with the dishes and starts mocking the cuisine. It's no less a stereotype than saying Bengalis eat fish with everything, Biharis eat litti-chokha every day, or South Indian cuisine is nothing beyond idli-dosa.
"Experimenting feels exciting. But eventually, it can turn shallow. Or even disrespectful to the cuisine's real history," concludes Chef Pandey.
But this does not mean that Korean restaurants can be blamed for experimenting while keeping the core intact. In fact, you would agree with Chef Nishant Choubey when he says, "India's palate is evolving rapidly, and if handled responsibly, Korean food can find a permanent, respected place, Korean food is surely tasty and carries a lot of variety."
Final Verdict
For anyone looking to get acquainted with Korean cuisine (or explore it after K-drama marathons), the best place to start is the authentic spots, where you can actually savour the fermented dishes and umami notes.
But the Indian adaptation of Korean dishes is getting out of hand right now. The day is not far when you will have a reel going viral of a vendor selling Korean gulab jamun or jalebi (or worse, Korean chhole bhature and pav bhaji).
While Indianisation is inevitable and necessary to an extent to appeal to a wider population, one must note that experiments should reflect the heritage of a cuisine rather than water down its signature notes.
Who knows, an Indo-Korean dish might top the global trends someday!
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