[From Homepage] Banchan: Learning to appreciate Korean side dishes

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By Kristina Meyer (trixie-pea)
[caption id="attachment_756" align="alignleft" width="299"] baechu kimchi, made with Napa cabbage[/caption]I am a Seoul-born American; I was adopted when I was a wee thing and came to Chicago before I was six months old. Raised in a white, Midwestern suburban family, my only exposure to Korean culture were annual Korean adoptee picnics and the occasional trip to the late Bando restaurant on Lawrence Avenue or Sam-Mee in Lakeview. My folks would order chap chae and fondly watch me eat bulgogi and kimchi like I was an exhibit. Genes, they'd say - that's why she likes it.

These familial dining scenes are great memories and stand in such stark contrast to my adult experiences, now that ajummas (ladies of a certain age) at any Korean eatery greet me with “Annyeong haseo!” as I walk in. I either answer back and get a string of questions in a language I don’t understand, or feel guilty for not being more Korean and fight the urge to explain why. Sorry, Korea! No hard feelings, though - it doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy my meal. Especially my banchan.

Great article, and very well explained, trixie-pea! I didn't know your background, so that was also a very nice addition to your article as well. One little note, and I only noticed this because I am Korean-American. Your picture of the muk is labeled in Korean as being maneuljjon, when I think it might be cheongpomuk muchim.

I have found banchan to be a delight in most every Korean restaurant at which I dine, but especially at Chun Ju on Dempster in Morton Grove. Besides what has been mentioned by trixie, I love the hot/cold, yin/yang freshness of the slightly-wet black seaweed flecked with chilies, the spiced pickle, the warm potato chunks with carrot & jalapeno, the fish cake strips, the bean mung sprouts, the shredded daikon and at times even those little dried fishies. These are a perfect offset to my bi bim bap or goat stew.

Trixie-pea,

What a lovely, lovely piece you've contributed.

It seems especially appropriate because I finally got to experience, and love, banchan earlier this year.

I'd always assumed there was nothing I could eat when it came to Korean food because I don't eat animals. Boy was I wrong. Crudely, banchan are like the most awesome side-offerings a vegetarian could ever get at a Thanksgiving meal. One where frequently, everyone else gravitates towards the sides over the main.

Thanks.

pairs4life wrote:Trixie-pea,

banchan are like the most awesome side-offerings a vegetarian could ever get at a Thanksgiving meal. One where frequently, everyone else gravitates towards the sides over the main.

Except those banchan were prepared specifically with your no-animal-consumption presence in mind. When you're consuming banchan out in the world, you'll need to be careful about fish sauce/essence, a very common ingredient...

boudreaulicious wrote:Except those banchan were prepared specifically with your no-animal-consumption presence in mind. When you're consuming banchan out in the world, you'll need to be careful about fish sauce/essence, a very common ingredient...

Yep! The seafood element is pretty universal when it comes to commercially prepared kimchi. Jeotgal, the salted foodstuff made of naturally fermented fish, shellfish, shrimp, oysters or fish roe is one of the key ingredients to many kimchi recipes. The unique flavor of jeotgal is attained only after the sea creatures are salted and allowed to ferment for at least five months in a cool, airtight environment. Some of the bigger producers in Korea house their stores in large caves that were used for storing army munitions during the Japanese colonial period.

But fermentation is an amazing process, and you certainly don't need seafood to make kimchi taste good.

Another question, trixie-pea, I was wondering what category you would put korean pickles, aka jangajji.

Also, pairs4life, my vegetarian husband regularly enjoys namul and vegetable jeon when eating with my korean family!

Sharona--I bet you know a lot more about Korean food than I do! But I'd say jangajji would be it's own category, I think. It's my understanding that jangajii uses vinegar to preserve instead of natural fermentation--does that sound right? The one example that I see most often are pickled garlic cloves served with Korean BBQ.

Sharona wrote:Great article, and very well explained, trixie-pea! I didn't know your background, so that was also a very nice addition to your article as well. One little note, and I only noticed this because I am Korean-American. Your picture of the muk is labeled in Korean as being maneuljjon, when I think it might be cheongpomuk muchim.

Thanks for catching this!

boudreaulicious wrote:

pairs4life wrote:Trixie-pea,

banchan are like the most awesome side-offerings a vegetarian could ever get at a Thanksgiving meal. One where frequently, everyone else gravitates towards the sides over the main.

Except those banchan were prepared specifically with your no-animal-consumption presence in mind. When you're consuming banchan out in the world, you'll need to be careful about fish sauce/essence, a very common ingredient...

I know. Fish sauce is in everything. Still I can, work on it at home.

Sharona wrote:Another question, trixie-pea, I was wondering what category you would put korean pickles, aka jangajji.

Also, pairs4life, my vegetarian husband regularly enjoys namul and vegetable jeon when eating with my korean family!

Good to know.

I LOVED this story by the way--great stuff--both the writing and the subject matter!!!

I am very fond of banchan. It may be what I like most about Korean food (though I like most Korean food, which is odd, as I'm basically Italian and British -- guess there must have been a Korean in the woodpile at some point in my ancestry).

But seriously folks, banchan does what any good amuse should do: it looks fascinating and beautiful and gets a diner excited about eating more.

The downside of banchan is that it seems as though you can't count on the same thing being served at the same place more than once. There was a Korean place I went to all the time on Milwaukee in Northbrook. Before one lunch, one of the banchan bowls was filled with tiny little dried fish, salty and crunchy. I thought about those little fish for days after dining, but returning on several occasions, they were never offered. I asked after them once, but was told they were all out.

I realize that this lack of consistency is also perhaps one of banchan's strengths because what you receive is always kind of a surprise.

David--it's nice to have a surprise for sure, but if there is something that you really like, it's always nice to be able to ask for it by name if it's isn't served initially. PIGMON loves the daikon radish kimchi (ggakduki) and he asked for it once in Korean at SSGS after he had eaten the initial serving. Not only were they happy to bring more, but ever since they always bring us a triple serving without having to ask!

trixie-pea wrote: PIGMON loves the daikon radish kimchi (ggakduki) and he asked for it once in Korean at SSGS after he had eaten the initial serving. Not only were they happy to bring more, but ever since they always bring us a triple serving without having to ask!

Ha!! That would have been REALLY helpful Saturday night when I went through a fairly hilarious exchange with the tall, gregarious server there (the only one who seems to enjoy her job ) trying to get more of that dish--I had a really hard time getting more of it because she couldn't figure out what I was talking about (if you're referring to one with the fairly heavy red pepper sauce in the bottom and the large, potato-looking pieces v. the shredded daikon pickle).

And we didn't get fishies that night either!!

trixie-pea wrote:David--it's nice to have a surprise for sure, but if there is something that you really like, it's always nice to be able to ask for it by name if it's isn't served initially. PIGMON loves the daikon radish kimchi (ggakduki) and he asked for it once in Korean at SSGS after he had eaten the initial serving. Not only were they happy to bring more, but ever since they always bring us a triple serving without having to ask!

That's good to know. That's my favorite kind of kimchi. I will have to remember to ask for it.

At Chun Ju on Dempster, I was a semi-regular for a couple years when I worked near there. The waitress, who spoke very little English, knew that I favored the black seaweed banchan and ritually would ask me if I wanted more. And, because I enjoyed their fare so much, she would also bring me a complimentary cup of white broth with scallions that was mild and probably made from tofu of some sort. Language was not a barrier here, just a wonderful mom & pop operation.

Thanks Kristina for a great explanation of Banchan. I had always thought it was Panchon for some reason, maybe phonetically that is the way I worked it out when hearing it pronounced, or perhaps there are different westernized spellings?

Put me in the camp of enjoying the different, surprising varieties every time, never knowing what I will get. And of course having my own local Super H in N'ville these days means I can, and often do, easily create my own Banchan at home. The only problem is working my way through the large jars that some of the better stuff comes in. That almost offsets the lack of any decent Korean places within miles of here.

Excellent article! I used to love Korean food, but recent development of shellfish allergies make me leery even of the meats. Language barriers play a big role in my avoidance as well. "Do you use Shellfish or Fish Sauce in this?" often draws a quizzical look and shake of the head. Great Pics as well.

radiator,

It is not the best Korean food out there (or strictly Korean for that matter), but you could always try the Buddhist vegan restaurant Amitabul. No language barrier or worry about whether there are sea creatures lurking in your kimchi, or things with eyes in your mandoo!

Amitabul
6207 N. Milwaukee Ave
LTH Amitabul thread

My all time favorite banchan was at Ttowa in Morton Grove: Dandelion Greens.
I can't remember if the upscaled Ttowa in Arlington Heights served it in the two times we've been there, but I always hope to see it.
The greens, being a lot more delicate than cabbage, aren't pickled, but just tossed in a peppery paste with some sugar in it. The sweet and salt offset the bitterness of the dandelion, making them absolutely wonderful.

JoelF wrote:My all time favorite banchan was at Ttowa in Morton Grove: Dandelion Greens.
I can't remember if the upscaled Ttowa in Arlington Heights served it in the two times we've been there, but I always hope to see it.
The greens, being a lot more delicate than cabbage, aren't pickled, but just tossed in a peppery paste with some sugar in it. The sweet and salt offset the bitterness of the dandelion, making them absolutely wonderful.

We were at Ttowa on Thursday and they did not have the dandelion greens. But I agree, that is my favorite banchan ever! I did have it there earlier this summer, though.

Thank you for the Learning to appreciate Korean side dishes. I think it makes/breaks the complete meal.

If I may add a place for yall to try - -

My fave K'food spot is Da Rae Jung, but I call it DRJ for short. Hands down best raw crab and cold noodle soup!

Address:
5220 N. Lincoln Ave.
(Closed on Tuesdays)

I just want to say this is a fantastic article! It was very informative!

On a recent visit to Super H Mart, I stopped in the Korean restaurant in the food court and had a bibimbop. As I was waiting for my sizzling stone bowl of deliciousness, I saw a table of four women sitting near me. Three of the women ordered entrees, but one (who was, incidentally, responsible for picking up the food at the counter) just took all the banchan the others received, put them on a plate, and ate that as her lunch. Not a bad way to go, I thought.

So here's a banchan etiquette question: Fitting for the weather, I went to Cho Jung last night. We way over-ordered, to the extent that we were cautioned, but we wanted many leftovers to help us with the POLAR VORTEX. So, as it stood, I felt kinda guilty about needing seconds on pretty much all the banchan--there was a Korean pear salad that deserved 4ths, but I wonder this. Which is considered more "polite", leaving a little in the banchan bowls at the end of the meal to show we were served enough, or in the mode of Calvin Trillin, finishing them all off to show how much you loved them?

Funny about the etiquette. I have been frequenting Kim's Korean Restaurant in Mundelein as of late, for no other reason than this frigid weather lends to Kim's fiery soups & stews. Anyway, I chow down on the banchan, except for her kim chee, which I had never really tried because I'm not a big fan of kim chee as a whole.

So my daughter and I are dining there, Kim brings out the banchan, sets about nine bowls down, then turns to my daughter, points at the kim chee and says, "He no like." I was mortified. And I should've known she would notice, much like my grandmother would have.

I decided on the spot that kim chee was a taste to be acquired, and actually hers is pretty good. From then on, I either finish the bowl or leave little remnants.

Vital Information wrote:So here's a banchan etiquette question: Fitting for the weather, I went to Cho Jung last night. We way over-ordered, to the extent that we were cautioned, but we wanted many leftovers to help us with the POLAR VORTEX. So, as it stood, I felt kinda guilty about needing seconds on pretty much all the banchan--there was a Korean pear salad that deserved 4ths, but I wonder this. Which is considered more "polite", leaving a little in the banchan bowls at the end of the meal to show we were served enough, or in the mode of Calvin Trillin, finishing them all off to show how much you loved them?

It really depends on the establishment. Some places will refill the banchan whenever you ask, other establishments have been known to charge you for refills. I tend to go on the basic tenet, that if you ask for more, then you should eat it all (or at least most), as this cannot be re-served and is therefore wasteful. If they do happen to charge for re-fills......waste away.