Korean Side Dishes (Banchan): The Complete Guide
Banchan are the small side dishes served at every Korean meal. They are not starters or extras — they are fundamental to how Korean food works. Here is what they are, why they matter, and which ones to make first.
What Is Banchan?
Walk into any Korean restaurant and before your main dish arrives, the table fills with small plates of pickled, fermented, seasoned, and braised items. This is banchan — a collection of side dishes that are shared by everyone at the table and refilled for free in Korean restaurants. Banchan is not optional or decorative. It is how Korean meals achieve balance: if the main is rich, banchan provides freshness; if the main is mild, banchan brings heat or crunch.
The Essential Banchan
Some banchan appear at virtually every Korean meal. **Kimchi** is the most obvious — at minimum, baechu-kimchi (napa cabbage) will be on the table. **Kongnamul-muchim** (seasoned soybean sprouts) is light, crunchy, and takes five minutes to make: blanch the sprouts, toss with sesame oil, garlic, salt, and a pinch of gochugaru. **Sigeumchi-namul** (seasoned spinach) follows the same formula: blanch, squeeze dry, season with soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. **Danmuji** (pickled yellow radish) provides a sweet, crunchy contrast. All four of these are simple to prepare and keep well in the fridge for days.
The Namul Family
Namul is a broad category of vegetable banchan that are blanched or lightly cooked and seasoned. Beyond spinach and bean sprouts, common namul include gosari-namul (bracken fern), doraji-namul (bellflower root), and sukju-namul (mung bean sprouts). The seasoning is almost always the same base: soy sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, and sometimes sesame seeds. The vegetables change but the technique is consistent, which makes namul one of the easiest categories of banchan to master.
The Fermented and Pickled
Beyond kimchi, Korean meals feature a range of pickled and fermented banchan. **Jangajji** are vegetables pickled in soy sauce — onion, garlic cloves, and chillies are the most common. They keep for weeks and develop deeper flavour over time. **Oi-sobagi** (stuffed cucumber kimchi) is a refreshing summer banchan. **Kkakdugi** (cubed radish kimchi) is chunkier and crunchier than cabbage kimchi and pairs particularly well with soups and stews.
The Braised and Stir-Fried
**Myeolchi-bokkeum** (stir-fried dried anchovies) is a quintessential Korean banchan — tiny dried anchovies cooked with soy sauce, corn syrup, and chilli until glazed and crunchy. It is salty, sweet, and deeply umami. **Gamja-jorim** (braised potatoes) in a soy-sugar glaze is another staple — small potatoes cooked until tender and coated in a sticky, savoury-sweet sauce. **Eomuk-bokkeum** (stir-fried fish cake) rounds out the category — strips of Korean fish cake stir-fried with vegetables in a soy and chilli sauce.
Building a Banchan Rotation
The practical approach to banchan at home is batch cooking. On a Sunday, prepare three or four banchan and store them in small containers in the fridge. Most last four to five days easily, some (like kimchi and pickles) last weeks. Rotate your selection each week. Having even two or three banchan on the table alongside rice and a main dish transforms a weeknight meal into something that feels properly Korean. The effort is front-loaded but the payoff lasts all week.