Banchan

Korean side dishes

Banchan ('/b//ɑː//n//tʃ//ɑː//n/ BAHNchahn; hangul=반찬; ) are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. Banchan are set in the middle of the table to be shared. At the center of the table is the secondary main course, such as galbi or bulgogi, and a shared pot of jjigae. Bowls of cooked rice and guk (soup) are set individually. Banchan are served in small portions, meant to be finished at each meal and replenished during the meal if not enough. Usually, the more formal the meals are, the more banchan there will be. Jeolla province is particularly famous for serving many different varieties of banchan in a single meal. The basic table setting for a meal called bansang usually consists of bap (밥, cooked rice), guk or tang (soup), gochujang or ganjang, jjigae, and kimchi. According to the number of banchan added, the table setting is called 3 cheop (삼첩), 5 cheop (오첩), 7 cheop (칠첩), 9 cheop (구첩), 12 cheop (십이첩) bansang, with the 12 cheop used in Korean royal cuisine.

Namul (나물) refers to steamed, marinated, or stir fried vegetables usually seasoned with sesame oil, salt, vinegar, minced garlic, chopped green onions, dried chili peppers, and soy sauce. NameKorean nameDescriptionKongnamul콩나물Cold boiled bean sprouts with sesame oil. Sigeumchi namul시금치나물Lightly parboiled spinach dressed with sesame oil, garlic, and soy sauce. Miyeok muchim미역무침Miyeok (wakame, a seaweed) with sweet vinegar and salt. Musaengchae/Muchae무생채/무채Long julienned white radish in a sweet vinegar sauce, sometimes with ground dried chili peppers. Gosari namul고사리나물Prepared fern shoots that have been stir fried. Chwinamul취나물Stir fried and seasoned roots of Doellingeria scabra. Bireum namul비름나물Parboiled and seasoned amaranthus. Naengi namul냉이나물Parboiled and seasoned shepherd's purse. Dolnamul돌나물Raw sedum with pepper sauce dressing. Gogumasun namul고구마순나물Boiled and seasoned sweet potato shoots. Gaji namul가지나물Boiled eggplant. Doraji namul도라지나물Boiled Chinese bellflower roots.

Bokkeum (볶음) is a dish stir fried with sauce. Kimchi bokkeum (김치볶음) – Stir fried kimchi, often with pork (similar to jeyook bokkeum). Jeyook bokkeum (제육볶음) – Stir fried pork with gochujang (chili pepper paste) sauce and onions. Ojingeochae bokkeum (오징어채볶음) – Stir fried dried shredded squid seasoned with a mixture of gochujang (chili pepper paste), garlic, and mullyeot (syrup like condiment). Nakji bokkeum (낙지볶음) – Stir fried baby octopus in spicy gochujang sauce. Jang jorim (장조림) – Beef simmered in soy sauce, optionally with hard boiled eggs or hard boiled quail eggs.

Jjim is a steamed dish. Gyeran jjim (계란찜) – Mixed and seasoned eggs steamed in a hot pot. Saengseon jjim (생선찜) Steamed fish.

Jeon denotes a variety of pan fried, pancake like dishes. Buchimgae is a near synonym. Pajeon (파전) – Thin pancakes with scallions. Saengseon jeon (생선전) – Small portions of fish coated with eggs and pan fried. Donggeurang ttaeng (동그랑땡) – Patty made with tofu, meat and vegetables, coated with eggs and pan fried. Yukjeon (육전) – Bite sized beef coated in flour and egg and grilled in a pan.