Korean Side Dishes - Banchan

I always have some side dishes(banchan) with a Korean meal.
So, banchan often translated as "side dishes" are an essential part of any Korean meal. 
It refers to small side dishes of food served with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. 
They are not just decoration or appetizers: they are the meal, along with soup and rice.
Today, I made 3 types of Korean side dishes.
Eggplant stir-fry, bean sprout stir-fry and summer cucumber kimchi.
These are my favorites Korean side dishes!

Eggplant stir-fry (Gaji Bokkeum).
Ingredients
2 medium size eggplants
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
pinch of pepper
pinch of pepper powder or crushed chili peppers

Directions
Cut the eggplant and heat the pan with oil over medium high heat.
Stir fry the eggplants quickly until outside starts to get soft.
Add all the remaining ingredients.
Stir until eggplants are coated well with seasonings.
Sprinkle sesame seeds, oil and serve.

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Soybean Sprout stir-fry (Kongnamul Bokkem)
Ingredients
1 bag of soybean sprout about 1 1/2 lb
chopped green onions to taste
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3-4 tablespoons soy sauce to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon Korean chili powder to taste
1/2 tablespoon sugar
toasted sesame seeds, to taste

Directions
Wash soybean sprouts and drain water.
Heat  the pan with vegetable oil over medium high heat.
Add minced garlic and saute until golden brown about 2 minutes-it's a garlic oil.
Stir-fry soybean sprouts briefly, don't let them wilt.
Add soy sauce, sugar and chili powder and stir until seasonings are mixed well and cover with a lid until sprouts are wilted.
Turn off the heat and sprinkle with sesame oil and  stir well. 
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before serving.

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Summer Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Kimchi)
Ingredients
1 bag of mini cucumbers (from Costco)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons oligosaccharide
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon minced jalapeno

Directions
Wash cucumber and drain water and cut it into 8 pieces.
Put them it in a bowl and sprinkle with kosher salt and mix well.
Let them sit for 15 minutes and rinse and drain quickly.
Mix cucumber, fish sauce, minced garlic, jalapeno and oligosaccharide.
Put it in a container and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours then keep in the refrigerator.
Serve it cold.

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Aglio e Olio Spaghetti

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is a simple Italian dish of garlic, olive oil, parsley, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese tossed with cooked pasta.
I make it when there is no time to go to the grocery store. Because there are always pasta, garlic and olive oil at my house. No trip to the market required for this dish!
Also, because my husband likes it.  He always gulps down a dish of pasta. Yummy.
In other words, I can make fancy food without spending a lot of time. Ha ha ha...
Just love this simple recipe. It is on my regular rotation.


Ingredients (2 servings)
1 pound uncooked spagetti such as dececco
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 peperoncini
salt, black pepper to taste
Italian parsley
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Arugula for garnish


Directions
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water about 12-13 minutes. Drain and transfer to a pasta bowl.

Combine garlic and olive oil in a skillet. Cook and stir until garlic is golden brown, about another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir red peperoncini, black pepper, and salt into the pasta. Pour in olive oil and garlic, and sprinkle on Italian parsley and half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; stir until combined.

Serve pasta topped with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and arugula.

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Steamed Cod with Ginger Oil

I feel uncomfortable cooking fish.
Because...... It is not easy to get rid of the smell after I cook seafood like a fish, crab...
Of course, seafood is very delicious, but.... I can't stand the fishy smell.
But, this steamed cod doesn't have a fishy smell - just a fragrant ginger aroma.
Also, steaming helps boost the level of taste and the ingredients's unique flavor. 
And besides the nutrient loss is very little. Wow-
It is a healthy and quick dinner option.
Couldn't believe how tasty it is considering the minimal ingredients and prep time. Yeah!!

Ingredients (2 servings)
1lb cod
4T  soy sauce
3T  chopped onion
4T  olive oil
1T  minced nut
1oz  sliced ginger
Arugular for garnish


Directions
Marinate chopped onion in soy sauce.
Steam cod for 9 minutes.
Heat the pan, add oil and sliced ginger and saute until golden brown about 2-3 minutes - Ginger flavors the oil. (It's ginger oil).
Take the cod out of the steamer and place it on a platter.
Drizzle with the ginger oil and chopped onion.
And... final touch!!  Garnish with minced nut and arugula.

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Have you ever made a cold noodle soup?

Have you ever made a  cold noodle soup?
Korean cold soy milk noodle (Kongguksu)is my go-to summer food. This seasonal Korean noodle dish is served in cold soy milk broth - don't think soy milk broth is general soy milk. It has different taste.

Now wait a minute, there are some signature foods for each season in Korea. 

Cold soy milk noodle is one of the summer foods. - another summer food is Chicken soup with jinseng (Samgyetang).

I simply made a soy milk broth with  black soybean, almond, salt and water.

You will have the most refreshing, delicious "noodle" you've ever tasted.


How to make it?
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Click here !!!
I made a cold soy milk noodle last summer ......  :-)