Side Dishes

반찬 [Ban-Chan]

In Korean dining, an assortment of various small side-dishes are served along with a bowl of cooked rice. A main dish (e.g., casseroles or Jjigye) will often accompany and be placed in the center of table. These side dishes are given in Korean meals that most restaurants do not charge for extra. If they do, that means it's very Americanized and is not an authentic Korean restaurant.

Many side dishes are often prepared in a large amount and are served in small portion in each meal over a long period of time. Because many of them are marinated in salt and various seasonings, depending on the ingredients used, they could last for as short as couple days to over a year.

I have to give all the credits to my mother-in-law for the side-dishes shown above. She is an exceptionally talented cook (in fact, she used to be a professional chef and now retired) that I enjoy her cooking very much. Some day, I will learn from her how to make all those delicious dishes.

The name of side-dishes shown above are, from left to right and top to down, as follows:

1. Muchae - "noodles" of radish in a sweet vinegar sauce and with chili powder
2. Habanero stuffed olive - I dare to touch this, but Min loves it. He bought it in store.
3. Jangachi - peppers and garlic marinated in vinegar and soy sauce
4. Myulchi Bokum - dried anchovies stir-fried in chili paste sauce
5. Mumalangi - dried radish pieces fermented together with dried squids in some chili sauce
6. Jangjorim - beef and eggs cooked in soy sauce
7. Changranjut - pollock roe fermented in salt and chili sauce
8. Gochuboogak - fried dried red peppers
9. Jangjorim - beef and eggs cooked in soy sauce