Banchan (side dishes) are an iconic part of Korean cuisine. They’re served with just about every meal, and they’re meant to be shared with everyone eating. They may seem insignificant at first glance compared to the rest of the meal, but they’re packed with flavor.
Today I’m sharing 5 of my favorite banchan that I’ve personally made. There are many more to choose from, but these are quite easy for the home cook to pull off.
Spicy Cucumber Salad
I probably should have saved my favorite for last, but why not start off with a bang? This Spicy Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim, 오이무침) is the bomb! Crispy cucumbers, spicy pepper flakes, and nutty sesame oil…it’s a good combo.
Here’s everything you’ll need: an English cucumber, green onion, garlic, gochugaru, toasted sesame seeds, sugar, toasted sesame oil, and soy sauce.
You’ll notice that many ingredients are repeated over and over in different side dish recipes. Garlic, green onions, sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil, and gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) are very common. My biggest tip for the best flavor is to make sure you buy toasted sesame oil. When I first started making Korean food I used regular sesame oil, and the flavor just wasn’t there!
Also, English cucumbers aren’t completely authentic, but locating an actual Korean cucumber can be difficult. English ones work well, or even regular in a pinch!
Slice up the cucumbers and green onions and mince the garlic. Put everything in a bowl.
Toss together thoroughly. Your hands work great for this job, but you could use a fork, spoon, tongs, or chopsticks instead.
A glove isn’t necessary for hand mixing, but it prevents stains from the gochugaru.
Cabbage Doenjang Soup
Up next we have a soup! This soup (Baechu Doenjang Guk, 배추된장국) isn’t technically a side dish since diners typically get their own bowl of soup. But soup is commonly served with meals, so I wanted to include it! Any Koreans can correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve heard that broth soups are served in place of water.
You only need 2 “specialty” ingredients for this recipe: doenjang and gochujang. Doenjang is a salty fermented soybean paste (basically Korean miso), and gochujang is a fermented hot sauce of sorts. If you’re going to be doing much Korean cooking, it’s worth it to invest in these two ingredients. And they last forever in your fridge!
In addition you’ll need broth, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, and Napa cabbage.
Now just bring the broth to a boil in a medium pot. Throw in the doenjang, gochujang, soy sauce, and cabbage. Boil for 10–15 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender. Add the garlic and green onions and cook for another 5 minutes. And that’s it!
This soup is slightly earthy from the doenjang and a bit spicy from the gochujang. You can always make it more spicy by upping the gochujang amount. I’m a bit of a wimp (as are my kids), so I kept it to a minimum.
Make a pot of it and reheat it throughout the week to accompany your meals.
Spicy Radish Salad
This Spicy Radish Salad (Mu Saeng Chae, 무생채) is probably my second favorite Korean side dish that I’ve made. I didn’t think I would like it as much, but it kind of grows on you. Then you get addicted.
It would be ideal if you could find a Korean radish, but a daikon radish is a good substitute. You’ll also need a green onion, garlic, salt, gochugaru, sugar, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, and fish sauce. If you don’t have or can’t stand fish sauce, you could always leave it out or substitute soy sauce.
First of all, shred your radish. I like using a food processor for this job.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of salt over the shredded radish and toss to coat. Set aside for 5 minutes.
When you come back to the radish, you’ll notice that it has started to sweat. Squeeze it really well to extract most of the liquid. Discard.
Add the other ingredients to the bowl.
Mix well with your hands or a utensil.
Just before serving, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top.
I wish I had a plate of this right now! Yes, I snack on it all by itself…
Egg Roll Omelette
Okay, this might tie for my second favorite side dish: Korean Egg Roll Omelette! There are different filling options for these rolled omelettes (Gyeran Mari, 계란말이), but this one is uncomplicated and scrumptious. My kids can’t get enough of it!
You only need 3 simple ingredients: eggs, a green onion, a carrot, and salt.
Chop half of the carrot very small, and thinly slice the green onion. Beat the eggs with a pinch or two of salt.
Preheat a skillet over medium-low to low heat and grease well. Pour half of the beaten eggs into the pan.
Once the eggs start to set a bit, sprinkle the veggies over the top.
When the eggs are set enough to flip, roll the omelette over itself twice.
Slide the whole thing to one end of the pan and pour half of the remaining eggs on the other end.
Once the eggs are mostly set again, give the omelette another couple of rolls and repeat with the remaining eggs. Roll the whole thing up and remove to a plate or cutting board. Let it cool for 5 minutes before slicing and enjoying!
Here’s a quick tip/hack: if you don’t want to mess with adding the egg in steps, use a larger pan and pour all of the eggs in at once. Sprinkle on the veggies, wait for the eggs to be mostly set, then roll the whole thing up. Super easy!
Spinach Side Dish
Lastly, we have a spinach side dish! This one (Sigeumchi Namul, 시금치나물) is a little more mild since it doesn’t contain any gochugaru or gochujang, but it’s still flavorful!
It has a bit of a zing from the garlic, and the toasted sesame oil is just lovely. Ideally you would use regular instead of baby spinach. I can’t find any organic regular spinach, so I use baby instead. It’s super convenient to get the pre-washed stuff!
Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute only. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve and run cold water over it.
Squeeze out as much of the excess water as you can.
Place in a bowl and separate the spinach leaves so they aren’t all clumped together.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Just before serving, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.
Bonus ridiculously easy side dishes:
You can actually purchase a few pre-made side dishes that are readily available in most supermarkets.
These little toasted seaweed sheets have become very popular, and for good reason: they’re yummy! They come in different flavors such as plain, sesame, and wasabi. Look for them in the Asian section.
Kimchi (fermented vegetables) is a must-have side dish. Homemade kimchi is definitely my favorite, but store-bought is also quite good! Since Korean food is trendy, more stores are carrying it. Check the produce section.
If you’re feeling lazy (or tired), you can make one of the above recipes and purchase these two ingredients. And just like that you have 3 Korean side dishes!
You can store these side dishes in the refrigerator and eat them throughout the week. Serve with a bowl of steaming rice and chicken, beef, or pork and you have a complete meal!
I like to eat them with my morning eggs as well. They make my breakfast exciting!
Which is your favorite banchan/side dish?
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