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Korean Side Dishes I Wish I Knew About Before My First Trip
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items Landing in Seoul without knowing banchan culture means staring at eight tiny plates wondering what just happened. If you're planning a Korea trip or you've fallen for Korean food and want to recreate that spread at home, this is everything I figured ...
Sections
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Banchan Basics That Blew My Mind at Every Meal
Kimchi Varieties Beyond the Classic Napa
Fermented and Pickled Sides That Need Time on the Table
Street Food Sides You Can Only Get Walking Around
Korean Cookware That Makes Banchan at Home Actually Possible
Korean Ingredients That Turned My Pantry Into a Banchan Station
Banchan Basics That Blew My Mind at Every Meal
Nobody warned me that ordering one main dish would result in a dozen little plates showing up for free. I sat there afraid to touch them. These are the ones that converted me from confused tourist to banchan fanatic.
Try this before you touch the regular kimchi. The crunch hits different, and it cuts through greasy stews like nothing else. Perfect for anyone who finds napa cabbage kimchi too intense on the first bite.
Kkakdugi (Cubed radish kimchi)
Grab a side of this at literally any Korean restaurant. I ignored it my first three meals and then realized it was the thing balancing out every heavy dish. Light, nutty, slightly crunchy. You'll crave it at 2am.
Kongnamul Muchim (Soybean Sprout Side Dish)
Picture a savory egg soufflé that arrives bubbling in a stone pot. I burned my tongue every single time and kept going back. For anyone who thinks side dishes can't be comfort food, this will change your mind fast.
Steamed egg in an earthenware bowl
Keep this on your radar if you want something green that actually tastes good without drowning it in ranch. Sesame oil and garlic do all the work. I started making it at home within a week of getting back.
Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
Sweet potato noodles with vegetables and a little soy-sesame situation going on. I thought it was a main dish until I saw it casually sitting next to six other plates. For the friend who always orders pasta, this is your gateway.
Japchae, Stir-fried Glass Noodles
Tiny potatoes glazed in soy sauce and corn syrup that taste like candy but savory. Brought some to a potluck back home and three people asked for the recipe before I sat down.
Gamja Jorim (Korean Braised Potatoes)
Ditch your fear of tiny fish. These are crunchy, sweet, salty, and weirdly addictive. I went from horrified to eating them by the handful in about 48 hours. Stock up on dried anchovies at any Korean market before they sell out.
Stir-fried dried anchovies and peanuts (Myeolchi-bokkeum
Kimchi Varieties Beyond the Classic Napa
Before Korea, I thought kimchi was one thing. Turns out there are literally hundreds of types. My hotel breakfast alone had four different ones. These are the varieties that stopped me mid-bite.
Whole baby radishes fermented until they're tangy and slightly fizzy. The texture is nothing like regular kimchi. For anyone who loves pickled anything, this one will wreck you in the best way.
Ponytail kimchi (Chonggak-kimchi) recipe
Cucumbers scored and packed with spicy filling. Refreshing and fiery at the same time, which shouldn't work but absolutely does. Pair it with grilled meat and you'll understand why Koreans eat it all summer.
Spicy stuffed cucumber kimchi (Oi-sobagi)
Think of it like a kimchi burrito. Napa leaves wrapped around nuts, fruits, and seafood. I found this at a traditional restaurant in Jeonju and honestly haven't stopped talking about it since. Worth seeking out.
Korean recipes: Bossam kimchi (보쌈김치)
Long green onions fermented whole. The flavor is sharper and more pungent than regular kimchi. Toss it next to any grilled protein. For the person who puts green onions on everything already, this is your final form.
Green onion kimchi (Pa-kimchi: 파김치) recipe
Slightly bitter mustard greens with that classic fermented kick. I'd never even heard of it until a grandma at a market stall handed me a sample. One bite and I bought two containers. Seek it out in Gwangju especially.
Mustard Leaf Kimchi (Gat Kimchi) 26oz(737g)
Lighter and less funky than aged kimchi. Koreans eat it with cold noodle soup in summer and the combo is genuinely life-altering in July heat. Snag some from any banchan shop if you're visiting between June and August.
Yeolmu Kimchi (Young Summer Radish Kimchi)
No chili flakes, so it's mild and almost refreshing. Use this as your starting point if spice isn't your thing. I gave it to my dad who swore he hated kimchi and watched him finish the entire bowl without a word.
White Kimchi (Baek-kimchi) recipe by Maangchi
Fermented and Pickled Sides That Need Time on the Table
Some of the best banchan I tried had been sitting in a jar for weeks or months. The patience is the ingredient. These are the ones where slow fermentation makes everything better.
Vegetables soaked in soy brine until they're deeply savory and slightly sweet. I ate these with plain rice every morning in Seoul and never got tired of them. For the person who thinks pickles are just cucumbers, prepare to be corrected.
Jangajji (Korean Soy Sauce-Pickled Vegetables and Chiles)
A cold, brothy kimchi that's more like a chilled soup. Koreans drink the liquid straight. I was skeptical until a cold sip on a hot day hit like the most refreshing thing I'd ever tasted.
Dongchimi (radish water kimchi) recipe by Maangchi
Tiny shrimp or squid fermented with salt until they're intensely umami. A little goes a long way. Bring this out at dinner if you want to watch your friends' faces go through five emotions in three seconds.
Jeotgal (Salted fermented seafood)
Deeper and funkier than miso. Koreans use it in stews, but it shows up as a dipping paste alongside raw vegetables at almost every meal. Swap it in anywhere you'd use miso and notice the difference immediately.
Doenjang, a Fermented Korean Soybean Paste
Fair warning, this one smells strong enough to clear a room. But the flavor in a hot stew is unreal. For adventurous eaters who've already conquered blue cheese and durian, this is your next challenge.
Cheonggukjang
Plums fermented with sugar for months. Koreans add it to marinades, dressings, and drinks. I brought a bottle home and started putting it in everything from salad dressing to sparkling water. Worth the suitcase space.
Korean Green Plum Extract or Syrup (매실청 Maesil Cheong)
Technically a drink, but it shows up alongside banchan so often it might as well be one. Slightly sweet, slightly fizzy, pairs with pajeon like nothing else. Grab a bottle at any convenience store in Korea for under two dollars.
My Indonesian family's first impression of Korean rice wine
Street Food Sides You Can Only Get Walking Around
Not everything shows up at a sit-down restaurant. Some of the best sides I ate came from market stalls and street carts where pointing and nodding was the entire ordering process.
Chewy rice cakes in a sweet-spicy gochujang sauce. Every street corner in Seoul has a version. I ate it four days in a row and regret nothing. For anyone who likes chewy textures and doesn't mind a runny nose from the spice.
Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)
Fish cakes on sticks simmered in a warm broth. The vendors let you drink the broth for free. Standing outside in December sipping that broth might be my single favorite memory from the whole trip.
Korean Street Food Fish Cake Skewer Soup: Eomuk Guk
Crispy outside, molten brown sugar and cinnamon inside. Burned the roof of my mouth twice because I couldn't wait. For the friend who always orders dessert first, get two because one will disappear before you cross the street.
Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancakes)
Korean sushi rolls filled with pickled radish, egg, and vegetables. Cheap, portable, and genuinely filling. Pack these for a day of sightseeing and skip the overpriced tourist restaurants entirely.
Korean Bulgogi & Vegetable Gimbap Seaweed Rice Roll
Not the ice cream kind. Glass noodles and pork blood stuffed into intestine casing. Sounds intense but the flavor is mild and savory. Dip it in the salt-pepper mix they give you and keep an open mind.
Sundae-bokkeum (Spicy stir-fried blood sausage) 순대볶음
Battered and fried vegetables, shrimp, and sweet potatoes sold at market stalls. Crunchier and less greasy than most tempura I've had. Pair it with tteokbokki sauce for the full street food experience.
Resep twigim korea rumahan enak dan mudah
Thick, crispy pancakes made from ground mung beans with vegetables inside. I found the best ones at Gwangjang Market in Seoul. Dip them in soy-vinegar sauce and wash it down with makgeolli. That's the move.
Mung Bean Pancakes (Bindaetteok) recipe by Maangchi
Korean Cookware That Makes Banchan at Home Actually Possible
When I got home, I tried making banchan with regular pots and it just wasn't the same. These are the specific tools that finally got my home versions tasting right.
Use this for stews and steamed egg. It holds heat forever, which is why your gyeran jjim keeps bubbling at the table. I found mine at a Korean grocery store for eight dollars and it's the most-used pot in my kitchen now.
Dong Hwa Ttukbaegi - Korean Earthenware Pot
The heavy stone bowl that makes bibimbap crispy on the bottom. Heat it on the stove, add rice, and listen to the sizzle. For anyone chasing that restaurant crispy rice at home, this is the only way.
tiger dolsot korean stone bowl with lid (no trivet) (size 4) |gat
Get a set of small lidded containers specifically for storing banchan in the fridge. I used to shove everything in mismatched tupperware and it was chaos. These stack neatly and keep kimchi smells from taking over.
8 OZ 3-Compartment Reusable Snack Containers, 20 Sets
Airtight seal with an inner vacuum lid that lets gases escape without letting air in. Started my first batch of kkakdugi in this and it turned out better than half the restaurant versions I'd tried.
Kimchi container - Crazy Korean Cooking
Heavier and flatter than wooden or bamboo ones. Picking up slippery banchan with regular chopsticks was a disaster. These grip better and feel more authentic. Took me about a week to adjust but now I can't go back.
Korean Stainless Steel Cup
Fresh-pressed sesame oil versus store-bought is a completely different ingredient. If you're making namul dishes regularly, this pays for itself in flavor. The smell alone when you press it will fill your whole kitchen.
How to Make Toasted Sesame Oil When You've Run Out
Swap out regular chili flakes immediately. Korean red pepper flakes are smoky, slightly sweet, and way less harsh. Every kimchi recipe starts here. Grab a big bag because once you start using it, it goes into everything.
100% Red Pepper Flakes for Korean & Asian Food
Korean Ingredients That Turned My Pantry Into a Banchan Station
Half the battle of making Korean side dishes at home is having the right stuff in your pantry. I spent three grocery runs figuring out what I actually needed. Here's the shortcut.
Regular soy sauce is too heavy for Korean soups and light banchan. This one is saltier but thinner, so it seasons without darkening everything. Took me two failed batches of miyeok guk to learn this the hard way.
SEMPIO Soy Sauce For Soup (Guk Ganjang) 860Ml/Kecap
Fermented red chili paste that's the backbone of half of Korean cooking. Spicy, sweet, funky. Put a spoonful in stews, marinades, or just mix it with rice when you're too tired to cook. Lasts forever in the fridge.
CJ Haechandle Saus Gochujang Halal MUI
Korean recipes call for this instead of sugar in a lot of glazes and sauces. It gives gamja jorim and myeolchi bokkeum that glossy, slightly sticky finish. Substituting honey or corn syrup never tastes quite right.
Ottogi Korean 100% Rice Syrup
Steep this in water for 20 minutes and you have the base broth for most Korean soups and stews. No bouillon cubes, no shortcuts needed. For anyone who wants homemade broth without simmering bones for six hours.
Wang Dasima-Dried Kelp _ 왕 맑은 바다 다시마 - 170g [50]
Nuttier and earthier than sesame oil. Koreans use it in namul dishes and it adds a flavor that sesame oil alone can't replicate. One drizzle on kongnamul muchim and you'll taste what was missing from your previous attempts.
Meet your new favorite Our new Perilla Oil Cake takes
Tiny salted shrimp that go into kimchi for depth and umami. A tablespoon changes everything. Keep it in the back of the fridge and try not to think too hard about what it looks like. The flavor is worth it.
Weee
Pre-roasted and ready to sprinkle. Koreans put these on almost every banchan and the difference between toasted and raw sesame seeds is night and day. Toss them on at the last second so they stay crunchy.
assi Roasted Sesame Seeds, 16 Ounce
Books and Guides That Actually Taught Me Korean Side Dishes
YouTube helped, but when I wanted to understand why Koreans make banchan the way they do, these books gave me the full picture. Recipes, history, technique, all of it.
Start here if you're making Korean food at home for the first time. Her banchan chapter alone is worth the price. Instructions are clear, ingredients are findable, and she explains what things should taste like so you know when you've nailed it.
Maangchi's Big Book Of Korean Cooking
More refined than a typical cookbook. She connects each dish to family memories and Korean food culture. Helped me understand why certain sides always show up together. For anyone who wants context with their recipes.
Cooking Korean food with Maangchi: Korean recipes, videos
Illustrated step-by-step guides that make intimidating recipes feel doable. Handed this to my roommate who'd never cooked Korean food and she made perfect japchae on her first try. Visual learners, this one's for you.
Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes
Part cookbook, part cultural deep dive into Korean food in America. The banchan sections explain how Korean restaurants in the US adapted side dish culture. Reads like a conversation, not a textbook.
Koreatown: A Cookbook - Deuki Hong
Written by the chef behind Danji in New York. His approach to banchan is meticulous but accessible. Taught me how to layer flavors in namul dishes instead of just tossing everything together and hoping for the best.
My Korea Traditional Flavors Modern Recipes - Hooni Kim
Dedicated entirely to kimchi varieties and how to use them beyond just eating them straight. Her kimchi fried rice method alone saved my weeknight dinners. For anyone sitting on a jar of aging kimchi wondering what to do with it.
The Kimchi Cookbook: 60 Traditional & Modern Recipes
Older book but still one of the most thorough introductions to Korean home cooking I've found. The banchan chapter covers varieties I haven't seen in any other English-language cookbook. Grab a used copy before they get hard to find.
About Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee