The Wonderful World of Korean Mit-Banchan...

Korean banchan or panchan are considered dishes that are served with rice, but generally refer to main dishes with either meat or seafood. Smaller (side dishes) are called mit-banchan, where the vastly assorted creativity has no bounds. Go to any Korean restaurant and you'd be treated to delicious complimentary refillable house appetizers set in small shallow bowls to whet your appetite- greens, herbs, beans, fish, tofu, potato you name it, concocted in any flavours between spicy, pickle-ly, fermented, sweet or soy, or a combination. Sometimes just eating a bit of this and a bit of that with a bowl of hot steamed rice is all you need to be satisfied- forget ordering the main (my money-pinching university days echos) 😁!

A few banchan, rice, soup or kimchee water and a handful of contrasting mit-banchan (colours, textures and flavours) and you are on your way for a traditional Korean table home meal.

The set up for my on-line TDSB Learn4Life Asian Cooking Program last week, when I taught learners how to cook five vegetarian mit-banchan in 1-1/2 hours, a seemingly ambitious feat but reasonable with planning ahead, and getting my ducks in a row in organization.

 

Braised Sticky Soybeans (Kongjang or Kongjorim)

By Maangchi.com

1 cup dried soy beans (yellow or black), rinsed and drained
½ cup soy sauce
1 tsp. neutral cooking oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
⅓ cup of sugar
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Soak the beans in a pot for 8 hours or overnight with 2 cups of water.

Cover and boil the beans over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, careful not to let boil over with a fork underneath the lid to open slightly.

Add soy sauce, sugar, oil and garlic. Stir a few times with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

Open the lid and turn up the heat to medium high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the beans turn shiny and a little wrinkly.

Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Let cool and transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate up to one month. Serve room temperature or cool.

You are looking for a shiny, sticky, concentrated yield.

Braised Sticky Soybeans (Kongjang or Kongjorim) 

Korean Candied Sweet Potato (Goguma Mattang)
Adapted by MyKoreanKitchen.com

1 lb. sweet potato, any variety
1 Tbsp. neutral oil
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds

Caramel Sauce:
3 Tbsp. raw sugar
1 Tbsp. cooking oil

Wash the sweet potatoes, peel the skin and cut it into small chunks. Roast sweet potatoes tossed in oil in a 400F oven for 25 minutes until tender and brown.

Scatter the sugar around and melt over a medium high heat until the sugar dissolves then add the oil, and quickly reduce the heat to low. Add the sweet potatoes into the pan and mix well with the sauce for one to two mins. The sugar will harden as it sticks to the potatoes.

Transfer onto a non-stick baking paper to cool down for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with sprinkled sesame seeds. Serve warm or room temperature.

I used purple and Korean sweet potato varieties.

Seasoned Sesame Spinach (Sigumchi Namul) 
Serves 4 to 6

1-1/2 lbs. tender leafy spinach, well washed
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 green onion, white and pale green part only, minced
1 Tbsp. sesame seed oil
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Garnish with pinch of Korean hot red pepper powder

In a large pot over high heat, bring about 3 litres of water to a boil. Add 1 Tbsp. vinegar with a
pinch of salt. Blanch spinach no more than 10 seconds and quickly plunge into ice cold water to stop the cooking; drain in a colander.

Take the cooled spinach and twist to wring out as much water as possible. Cut spinach into bite-size pieces.

In a medium-size bowl, add the spinach, soy sauce, garlic, green onion, and sesame oil;
mix well. Garnish with red pepper powder and serve at room temperature.

Seasoned Sesame Spinach (Sigumchi Namul) 

Seasoned Soybean Sprouts (K’ong Namul)
Serves 4 to 6

1 lb. soybean sprouts, tails trimmed, washed and drained
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. sesame seed oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 green onions, white and pale green part only, minced
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
Garnish with pinch of Korean hot red pepper powder

In a pot over high heat, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add sprouts, cover and boil for two minutes without lifting lid; drain in a colander.

In a medium-size bowl, combine well the remaining ingredients, except the hot pepper powder, and reserving some green onions and sesame seeds for garnish. Add the sprouts, and toss well. Transfer to a serving bowl; top with garnishes and serve at room temperature.

Seasoned Soybean Sprouts (K’ong Namul)

Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Kimchi) 

Adapted by MyKoreanKitchen.com

3 Lebanese cucumbers, about 1 lb., rinsed, or other pickling cucumbers
1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 few garlic chives or chives, chopped in same length as the cucumber, optional

Kimchi Sauce:
2 Tbsp. Korean chili pepper powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. grated red apple or Asian pear
1 Tbsp. honey or sugar
1/2 Tbsp. Korean salted shrimps, minced (or add more fish sauce to below)
1/2 tsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. minced ginger

Cut off both ends of each cucumber. Divide the cucumber into 3 pieces then quarter each piece length ways for ~1.5” pieces. Place the cucumbers into a large bowl then scatter the coarse sea salt around on top. Gently mix and set it aside for 20 minutes to pickle.

Gently brush off the salt from the cucumbers then transfer them into a clean bowl. Pour in the kimchi sauce then mix them gently. Add the carrots and garlic chives then mix well. Transfer into a glass container and cover.

Keep at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours then move it to the fridge. Serve chilled.

NOTE: Substitute salted shrimps and fish sauce in recipe with 1 Tbsp. regular soy sauce.

Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Kimchi) 

For a protein option, fish cakes are popular and delicious as a mit-banchan table offering.

Korean Fish Cake Stir-Fry (Odeng Bokkeum)
Adapted By MyKoreanKitchen.com

3 fish cake sheets, rinsed briefly under hot running water and thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper or 2 red chili peppers, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. cooking oil 

OPTION 1: KOREAN FISH CAKE SAUCE (MIX THESE TOGETHER IN A BOWL)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. rice wine
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. sesame oil

OPTION 2: KOREAN SPICY FISH CAKE SAUCE (MIX THESE TOGETHER IN A BOWL)
2 tsp. gochujang (Korean chili paste)
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. rice wine
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. sesame oil

Heat up a skillet/wok and once heated, add some cooking oil. Add all the vegetables and stir them until they are lightly wilted (about one min). Add the fish cake and stir it for about two mins. Add your choice of seasoning sauce and stir it quickly (about 30 seconds) and evenly. Remove it from the heat. Serve warm, room temperature or cool.

Korean Fish Cake Stir-Fry (Odeng Bokkeum) in sauce option 1.

The Korean bit-banchan spread. Gorgeous contrasting colours, flavours and textures.

Including my mom's very own kimchi.

To go with a Korean meal or any Asian meal, such as this delicious Vietnamese spread for fresh salad rolls with shrimp and pork.