Banchan: The Art of the Side Dish

If you had to have only one side dish, it would be kimchee - but there are meals where up to forty side dishes are served. Their role is to encourage appetite, balance main dishes, or simply delight. It is possible to eat only rice and banchan, and eat very well.

Moochim - vegetables blanched or boiled then tossed in dressings from simple sesame oil and salt to complex flavourings. Jorim - vegetables, fish or meat braised in soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Juhn - coated in flour and egg, pan-fried. Bokeum - stir-fried with soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. JutGahl - salted seafood, eaten as a side or used to flavour vegetables.

Recipes for banchan are limited only by imagination - the only criterion is that they complement the rest of the meal.