Korean Banchan Dishes

For me, the highlight of a Korean meal is all the little banchan dishes you get at the beginning. So when I cook Korean at home, this is the missing piece of the puzzle. I gave it a half shot at replicating some of these dishes, but honestly this recipe can use some perfecting. It will do for now though since it's easy and quick.

Before...

and After!

Spinach Banchan
Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:
Spinach - 1 bunch (cut off root and rinse thoroughly)
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Sesame Oil - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 1/2 tsp minced
Scallion - 1 tsp minced

Directions:
1. Add salt to hot water. Blanch spinach by submerging in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
2. Remove and drain. Squeeze out excess water.
3. Cut spinach into 2-3 inch bunches.
4. Mix in all ingredients. Let marinate and cool in fridge.


Enoki Mushroom Banchan
Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:
Enoki - 1 bag (7 oz)
Soy Sauce - 3/4 tbsp
Sesame Oil - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 1/2 tsp minced
Scallion - 1 tsp minced

Directions:
1. Add salt to hot water. Boil enoki mushroom for about 4 minutes.
2. Remove and drain. Squeeze out excess water.
3. Cut mushrooms in half lengthwise.
4. Mix in all ingredients. Let marinate and cool in fridge.



Bonus: 
Bibimbap Lite
Fry an egg, mix the banchan and gochujang and you got yourself a quickie bibimbap!

Yuk Gae Jang (육개장) - Korean Spicy Beef Soup

This is one of my favorite Korean dishes: it's spicy and hearty but not too heavy. I'm drooling just thinking about it! Turns out, this isn't so hard to make - but you do need to be home for a 2-3 hour stretch because it takes at least 2 hours of total cooking time (even though the prep is not too bad). 

Before...

and After!

I would classify the recipe below as "medium spicy." Adjust spice accordingly and enjoy!

Yuk Gae Jang (육개장) - Korean Spicy Beef Soup

Ingredients:

Beef Brisket – 1.5 lb

[for meat seasoning]
Korean red pepper paste – 4 tb
Red pepper powder – 4 tb (can also use crushed red peppers)

Sesame oil – 2 tb

Sesame seeds – 3 tb

Garlic – 4 tb (minced)
Soy Sauce or Gook Ganjang – 4 tb
Black pepper – 1 tsp

[veggies in soup]

Scallions – 2 bunches (cut in half, julienne; reserve and chopped some for garnish)

Mushroom – oyster or shiitake, 1 pack

[optional ingredients] 
* optional veggies for the soup: Korean peppers, spicy peppers (eg jalapeno), bean sprouts, fern bracken / fern brake (available in Japanese markets)

* optional add-in for the soup: Dak Myun (soak in water)

* optional garnish: egg (fried and sliced thinly)

Best serve with rice.

Directions:

1. Drain blood in brisket by letting it sit in water before cooking. Boil brisket briefly in water and drain. Replace water in pot and cook meat for 1 hour. 

2. Remove meat from beef broth, reserve the broth, cool and shred/peel/cut meat into small pieces. 
3. In a large bowl, mix meat with meat seasonings: red pepper paste, red pepper, sesame oil, sesame seed, garlic, soy sauce/gook gangjang, and black pepper. 
3. Re-boil the beef broth. Add back seasoned brisket pieces to pot.
4. After it comes to a boil, add additional veggies: scallions and mushrooms (and other optional ingredients such as Korean peppers and bean sprouts). Add more water as appropriate. Boil for at least 1 hour*.
6. If including dak myun, add into soup towards the last 5 minutes of cooking.
5. Turn off heat. Taste and season with salt or soy sauce. 
6. Garnish with chopped scallions (optional: and eggs). Serve with a bowl of rice on the side.

* This is what it looks like about 30 minutes into cooking. It looks tasty and is edible but not to its full potential. I find that the soup actually tastes best the next day.