Korean Banchan: A Complete Guide

Banchan are the small shared dishes that cover a Korean table. They are not appetisers, not sides in the Western sense, and not optional — they arrive with the meal, are eaten throughout it, and are refilled without being ordered.

The thing that confuses people is the quantity. A modest Korean home dinner has four or five. That is not four or five dishes cooked that evening — it is a rotating stock, mostly made ahead.

What counts as banchan

Anything small and shared that is not rice, soup or the main dish.

They fall into rough families:

Namul — seasoned vegetables, blanched or lightly cooked, dressed with sesame oil, garlic and salt. Kongnamul muchim, sigeumchi namul, chwinamul muchim.

Kimchi — in all its forms, and always present.

Jorim — things braised in soy until glazed. Dubu jorim, jangjorim, gamja jorim.

Bokkeum — stir-fried. Eomuk bokkeum.

Jeon — pan-fried. Dubu buchim.

Jangajji — pickles in soy or vinegar brine.

Eggs — gyeranjjim, gyeran mari.

How many, and the bansang system

Traditionally a Korean table was counted, and named by the count.

3-cheop, 5-cheop, 7-cheop, 9-cheop — the number of banchan accompanying rice and soup. Crucially, rice, soup, kimchi and jang were not counted; they were considered a given rather than a dish. The 12-cheop table was reserved for the king.

In practice today: three to five banchan is a normal home dinner. Restaurants often bring more, refilled freely.

Do not try to cook five things on the night. That is not how it works, and it is why home attempts feel exhausting.

Build a rotating stock instead

The realistic approach, and the actual Korean one, is to make two or three banchan at a time and keep them.

A workable weekly rhythm:

• One long-keeper: jangjorim or a jangajji pickle — 2+ weeks
• One mid-keeper: dubu jorim or eomuk bokkeum — about a week
• One or two fresh namul, made in ten minutes as needed
• Kimchi, always there

That gives four or five on the table any night, with maybe fifteen minutes of actual cooking.

How long each type keeps

Namul — 3–4 days. Made fast, eaten fast.

Jorim (soy-braised) — 1–2 weeks. The soy and sugar are preserving.

Jangjorim — 2–3 weeks, and it genuinely improves.

Jangajji (pickles) — months.

Jeon — 2 days, and reheat in a dry pan, never a microwave.

Kimchi — months, changing as it goes. See how to store kimchi.

Serve in small dishes and never return leftovers to the storage container. Banchan is communal and double-dipping is expected, so what goes out gets eaten or discarded.

Building a balanced table

The principle is contrast, not quantity. Aim across these axes:

Colour — something green, something red, something pale.

Texture — something crunchy, something soft, something chewy.

Temperature — most banchan are room temperature, which is why they work as a fixed stock.

Intensity — if the main is jjimdak or a rich stew, keep the banchan light. If the main is plain grilled fish, they can carry more.

A common mistake is five strongly seasoned dishes at once. The table stops having a shape.

Starting from nothing

If you have never made banchan, these three are the least work for the most return:

Kongnamul muchim — boil sprouts briefly, dress with sesame oil, garlic and salt. Ten minutes.

Sigeumchi namul — same method, spinach. Squeeze it genuinely dry.

Dubu jorim — fry tofu, braise in soy and gochugaru until glazed. Keeps a week.

Add kimchi and you have a four-banchan table for about twenty-five minutes of work.