One thing that never fails to excite me is banchan at a Korean restaurant. Banchan are those little side dishes that come with your meal at a Korean restaurant. It’s similar to the idea of bread and butter that may be brought to your table at an American cuisine restaurant. But banchan is so much better because it’s not just one little side dish but many!
While banchan may seem intimidating, some of the dishes are really simple to make. I share with you three banchan dishes: mung bean sprouts, spinach, and cucumber salad. These dishes are easy to make and are absolutely delicious.
Notes:
Garlic: For each of these recipes, you can optionally add minced garlic. The minced garlic adds a raw garlicky bite to the dishes. If you don’t like that bite then omit.
Sesame Seeds: I love the visual contrast that sesame seeds bring to a dish. If the food is dark in color, I like to add white sesame seeds. And if the food is light color, I like to add black sesame seeds.
Gochugaru: Gochugaru is Korean red chile flakes that has fruity and smokey notes. The heat is not too overpowering. If you can’t find gochugaru, I found that togarashi, a Japanese chile pepper seasoning, is a good substitute.
Ingredients:
Mung Bean Sprouts Banchan
- 1 package (9 oz) bean sprout
- 2 tsp sesame seeds (preferably black for visual contrast)
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 garlic clove minced (optional)
- Chopped green onion for garnish
Spinach Banchan
- 1 package (10 oz) spinach
- 2 tsp sesame seeds (preferably white for visual contrast)
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 garlic clove minced (optional)
Cucumber Salad
- 1 large cucumber (~10 oz)
- 1 tspn gochugaru (togarashi works well)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1.5 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (preferably black for visual contrast)
- 1 minced garlic clove (optional)
Steps:
Mung Bean Sprouts Banchan
- Blanch bean sprouts for 6-8 minutes or until tender. Drain.
- In a mixing bowl, mix bean sprouts with the remaining ingredients.
- Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with green onion. Serve cold or at room temp.
Spinach Banchan
- Blanch spinach for 1 minute or until tender. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid.
- In a mixing bowl, mix spinach with the remaining ingredients.
- Transfer to a serving dish. Serve cold or at room temp.
Cucumber Salad
- Milk the cucumber to remove bitterness. Optionally, peel off some strips of cucumber for visual interest.
- Cut cucumber in half moon shaped slices.
- In a mixing bowl, mix cucumber slices with remaining ingredients.
- Serve cold or at room temp.
Three Korean Side Dishes (Banchan)
Ingredients
Mung Bean Sprouts Banchan
- 1 package (9oz) mung bean sprouts
- 2 tsp sesame seeds preferably black for visual contrast
- 2 tsp sesame seed oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic minced optional
- chopped green onion for garnish
Spinach Banchan
- 1 package (10oz) spinach
- 2 tsp sesame seeds preferably white for visual contrast
- 2 tsp sesame seed oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic minced optional
Cucumber Salad
- 1 cucumber large
- 1 tsp gochugaru (togarashi works well too)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1.5 tsp white sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sesame seeds preferably black for visual contrast
- 1 clove garlic minced optional
Instructions
Mung Bean Sprouts Banchan
- Blanch bean sprouts for 6-8 minutes or until tender. Drain.
- In a mixing bowl, mix bean sprouts with the remaining ingredients.
- Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with green onion. Serve cold or at room temp.
Spinach Banchan
- Blanch spinach for 1 minute or until tender. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid.
- In a mixing bowl, mix spinach with the remaining ingredients.
- Transfer to a serving dish. Serve cold or at room temp.
Cucumber Salad
- Milk the cucumber to remove bitterness. Optionally, peel off some strips of cucumber for visual interest.
- Cut cucumber in half moon shaped slices.
- In a mixing bowl, mix cucumber slices with remaining ingredients.
- Serve cold or at room temp.
