Food

9 I Live Alone Recipes To Try At Home Even If You Don’t Live Alone

I Live Alone recipes


I Live Alone is a well-loved reality show that features the daily life of Korean celebrities who live alone. Over the course of eight years, numerous stars have made guest appearances on the show, and they gave the viewers a reason to laugh every Friday night. The guests and hosts even shared recipes that are easy to follow and delight our taste buds.

Some of these recipes first went viral online a few years ago, yet they remain popular nonetheless. 


1. Hwasa’s truffle oil chapagetti



Image credit: @ppyiseul__

Truffle oil chapagetti took the internet by storm after Hwasa, a member of the girl group Mamamoo, made it on episode 282 of I Live Alone.

This recipe went viral and became so popular that Nongshim launched a truffle chapagetti in early July 2019. Many Korean netizens have tried following this recipe, and there’s even an Instagram hashtag named after this dish. 

The truffle oil adds another dimension to the flavour of the chapagetti, making the simple dish more aromatic and sophisticated.

Watch Hwasa make the truffle oil chapagetti here:

Video credit: KOCOWA TV

Ingredients: 

  • 1 pack of chapagetti
  • 1 tbsp of truffle oil or more, to taste
  • An egg yolk

Steps: 

  1. Add enough water to a pot to cover the ramen noodles.
  2. Boil water over high heat. When the water begins to boil, add the instant noodles.
  3. Add the black bean sauce. Cook the instant noodles over high heat until there is almost no water left in the pot.
  4. Drizzle truffle oil over the chapagetti and mix it well.
  5. Crack an egg and separate the yolk from the white.
  6. Top the chapagetti with the egg yolk and serve.

2. Uee’s spicy toast



Image credit: @mukjachi

Uee, a member of the girl group After School and an actress, showed her love for spicy food on episode 349 of I Live Alone. Koreans love their spicy food, so this recipe naturally appealed to many netizens.

The term “maep-bu-shim” is used to describe someone who takes pride in eating spicy food. It was used to describe Uee when she shared her spicy toast recipe.

This recipe will captivate the attention of spicy food lovers, as well as those who are on the hunt for simple recipes to follow.

The clip of Uee making this spicy toast garnered more than four million views on YouTube. You can watch the video here: 

Video credit: 나혼자산다 STUDIO

Ingredients:

  • 1 slice of bread
  • 1 sausage
  • 1 slice of cheese
  • 1 spicy chilli
  • A few pieces of chicken nuggets
  • Samyang hot spicy chicken noodle sauce

Steps: 

  1. Place a slice of cheese on a slice of bread.
  2. Microwave the bread with a sausage on the side for about 30 seconds.
  3. Cook the chicken nuggets with an air fryer at 190℃ for five minutes.
  4. Cut up the spicy chilli into small pieces and mix it with Samyang hot spicy chicken noodle sauce.
  5. Place the sausage, chicken nuggets, and pre-made spicy sauce on the microwaved cheese bread. Voilà, the spicy toast is good to go.

3. Kim Ji-hoon’s pizza toast



Image credit: @dalsdaily

Kim Ji-hoon shared his love for food on episode 370 of I Live Alone. Many viewers were impressed by Ji-hoon’s culinary skills as he prepared a variety of meals such as steak, carbonara, and pizza toast.

Among Ji-hoon’s several recipes demonstrated on the show, the pizza toast won the heart of viewers as this recipe is equally easy and tasty. It’s also a great recipe to follow when your pizza craving strikes at three in the morning, or when you want to use up leftover ingredients that have been sitting in your fridge.

Watch Kim Ji-hoon make the pizza toast here: 

Video credit: KOCOWA TV

Ingredients:

  • 1 slice of bread
  • An egg
  • A small handful of cherry tomatoes
  • A small handful of olives
  • Tomato paste or tomato sauce
  • A drizzle of honey
  • A generous amount of mayonnaise
  • Mozzarella cheese

Steps: 

  1. Spread tomato paste or tomato sauce on a slice of bread.
  2. Create a mayonnaise wall along the edges of the bread.
  3. Drizzle honey on the bread.
  4. Crack an egg on top of the bread. The mayonnaise wall will prevent the egg from spilling over the edges of the bread slice.
  5. Microwave the bread until the egg is half-cooked.
  6. When the egg is half-cooked, take the bread out and top it with a small handful of cherry tomatoes and olives.
  7. Place the pizza toast in an air fryer at 180℃ for about 10 minutes, and you’re done!

4. Kim Ji-hoon’s version of Isaac toast



Image credit: @88andrewms

After Kim Ji-hoon’s appearance on episode 370 of I Live Alone, where he showed the viewers how to make pizza toast, there was an explosive response from Korean netizens.

Kim Ji-hoon reappeared on episode 407 with another toast recipe. Netizens even came up with a title for him – “the master of toast”.

In episode 407, Ji-hoon shared his version of Isaac toast. Isaac toast is also the name of a popular Korean toast chain. Similar to his pizza toast recipe, the Isaac toast recipe was also sensational.

Watch Kim Ji-hoon make his own version of Isaac toast here:  

Video credit: 엠뚜루마뚜루 : MBC 공식 종합 채널

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices of bread
  • 1 piece of cabbage
  • 1 piece of lettuce
  • 1 small cube of butter
  • 2 slices of mozzarella cheese
  • 3 slices of luncheon meat
  • A dash of pepper
  • Mayonnaise
  • Condensed milk

Steps: 

  1. Cut the cabbage into fine pieces and place the cut cabbage in a bowl.
  2. Squeeze a generous amount of mayonnaise and condensed milk into the same bowl. The ratio of mayonnaise to condensed milk should be 1:1.
  3. After mixing the cut cabbage with mayonnaise and condensed milk, add a dash of pepper and mix them all together.
  4. Spread a small cube of butter on a heated pan. When the butter is melted, place a piece of bread on the buttered pan.
  5. After the bread is toasted, take it out of the pan and place three pieces of luncheon meat on the pan.
  6. When they are nicely cooked, place two slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the luncheon meat. You know it’s done when the mozzarella cheese begins to melt.
  7. It’s time to assemble all the ingredients. Place a piece of lettuce on the toasted bread, followed by the finely chopped cabbage mixed with mayonnaise and condensed milk.
  8. Finally, add the well-cooked luncheon meat and melted mozzarella cheese, and cover it with another slice of bread.

5. Park Na-rae’s peach greek yoghurt



Image credit: @im_a_ggong

For those looking for a healthier alternative to snacks and supper, this is it! On episode 408 of I Live Alone, comedian Park Na-rae and Mamamoo’s Hwasa enjoyed this simple yet glorious plate of peach greek yoghurt.

The best thing about this recipe is how quick and easy it is to make. Anyone can follow and recreate Na-rae’s peach greek yoghurt. It takes you less than five minutes to prepare this dish, which means it’s a great breakfast choice for hasty mornings when you’re rushing to school or work.

 For those who are lactose intolerant, you can switch out the greek yoghurt for almond or coconut yoghurt.

Watch Park Na-rae make the peach greek yoghurt here: 

Video credit: MBCentertainment

Ingredients:

  • 1 peach
  • Greek yoghurt
  • Granola
  • A drizzle of honey

Steps: 

  1. Cut the top portion of the peach with a knife.
  2. Scoop out the seed of the peach with a spoon.
  3. Peel off the peach skin.
  4. Fill the peach pit hole with greek yoghurt.
  5. Wrap the peach with a clear plastic wrap and freeze it for an hour.
  6. Lay out the granola on a plate.
  7. After freezing the peach, place it on top of the granola.
  8. Top it off with a drizzle of honey and serve.

6. Woo-young’s honey hotteok burger



Image credit: @bacoraeng

Although the idea behind honey hotteok (sweet pancake) burger belongs to Woo-young’s friend, this recipe garnered the attention of many netizens.

On episode 364 of I Live Alone, 2PM’s Woo-young visited a friend’s place. They created this recipe together, and it was followed by Woo-young’s mouth-watering mukbang.

Regular hamburgers are savoury and spicy at times, but the honey hotteok burger has a touch of sweetness thanks to the honey hotteok

Koreans are all for the “단짠단짠” (dan-jjan-dan-jjan) flavour, which refers to a combination of sweet and salty. Woo-young’s honey hotteok burger is the epitome of dan-jjan-dan-jjan.

Watch Woo-young make the honey hotteok burger here: 

Video credit: MBCentertainment

Ingredients:

  • 2 honey hotteok
  • 1 short rib patty
  • Lettuce
  • 1 egg
  • Mustard
  • Mayonnaise
  • Butter
  • A slice of cheese

Steps: 

  1. Melt a tbsp of butter in a frying pan.
  2. Place two honey hotteok in the frying pan.
  3. Add a piece of short rib patty and ensure that it is evenly cooked front and back.
  4. When the honey hotteok and short rib patty are done, fry an egg.
  5. Spread half a tbsp of mustard on one piece of honey hotteok, and spread half a tbsp of mayonnaise on the other piece.
  6. Stack the honey hotteok with the short rib patty, a slice of cheese, fried egg and lettuce.
  7. Once you have the burger ready, wrap it well with a piece of aluminium foil and cut the burger into half. This helps to create less mess.

7. Key’s soft tofu instant ramen



Image credit: @honey27jh

On episode 405 of I Live Alone, SHINee’s Key shared an easy-peasy instant ramen recipe that anyone can follow.

Instant ramen is one of the most straightforward meals to cook. SHINee’s Key spiced up the simple and basic instant ramen recipe and created something a tad more special just by adding three ingredients – soft tofu, pepper, and chopped leek.

Key’s soft tofu instant ramen reminds us of sundubu jjigae, which is also known as soft tofu stew. Piping hot soft tofu soup and instant noodles are a great combination for a rainy day. Also, you can consider making soft tofu instant ramen when you’re feeling peckish in the wee hours since it’s a simple and quick recipe. 

Watch Key make the soft tofu instant ramen here:

Video credit: MBCentertainment

Ingredients:

  • 1 packet of instant ramen
  • 1 packet of soft tofu
  • A generous amount of pepper
  • A handful of chopped leek

Steps: 

  1. Boil water over high heat. Check the recommended amount of water to use on the back of your instant ramen packet.
  2. Place a packet of soft tofu in the water, followed by the instant ramen seasoning.
  3. When your water begins to boil, add the instant noodles and mix well.
  4. Add a generous amount of pepper and top the instant ramen with a handful of chopped leek. That’s it!

8. Key’s black tea soju



Image credit: @v.vh__

Besides the soft tofu instant ramen recipe, Key also amazed the viewers with a unique beverage recipe on episode 405 of I Live Alone – black tea mixed with soju. 

The idea of mixing alcohol with tea is unfamiliar to many of us as mixing alcohol with soft drinks is more common. But Key confidently shared that the combination of black tea and soju is nothing short of tasty and trouble-free. 

Key also said that the black tea and soju mix made him an in-ssa among his friends because it’s that good.

Watch Key make the black tea soju here:

Video credit: 엠뚜루마뚜루 : MBC 공식 종합 채널

Ingredients:

  • A black tea teabag
  • A bottle of soju
  • 550ml of hot water
  • Ice cubes

Steps: 

  1. Place a bag of black tea in a jar.
  2. Brew the black tea by adding 550ml of hot water.
  3. Add ice cubes to cool the hot tea.
  4. Pour a bottle of soju, and mix it well with the black tea.

9. Han Hye-jin’s fig burrata salad



Image credit: @yeoneo_sweetmade

As a model with more than 20 years of experience, Han Hye-jin is constantly on a diet to maintain her health and figure. On episode 358 of I Live Alone, she created a visually appetising plate of fig burrata salad as a post-workout meal.

This recipe is a healthy choice for those who are on the lookout for a hassle-free and hearty meal. It’s also a great meal to have for breakfast, snacktime, or after your workout.

Watch Han Hye-jin make the fig burrata salad here:

Video credit: 엠뚜루마뚜루 : MBC 공식 종합 채널

Ingredients:

  • Fig
  • Olive oil
  • Burrata cheese
  • Cherry tomatoes

Steps: 

  1. Slice the fig and cherry tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Place the burrata cheese in the centre of the plate and fill the remaining space with the sliced fig and cherry tomatoes.
  3. Add a drizzle of olive oil over the salad, and serve.

Easy I Live Alone recipes you should try


Staying home has become our new norm, which means that more of our time is spent on whipping up meals than dining outside. We hope that these nine recipes will come in handy when you run out of ideas on what to have for your next meal! 

Also check out:


Cover image adapted from: @honey27jh and @yeoneo_sweetmade

Yoo Kyung

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