Mastering Banchan

Banchan are small dishes eaten with rice. In Korean, they are also called “bap-banchan” (밥반찬, “rice side dishes”). Think of them as the small plates served alongside the central parts of the meal, such as rice, guk (soup), jjigae (stew), meat, or fish.

At Korean restaurants, banchan usually come out before your order or almost at the same time. Some menus, such as Gajeongshik Baekban (Traditional Korean Home Meal), are served as a full table with rice, soup, and several side dishes. At Hanjeongsik (Korean traditional full-course meal) restaurants, you will often get even more banchan and small dishes.

Banchan are usually placed in the middle of the table and shared. In some places, people take a little onto individual plates; in others, they pick directly from the shared dishes. If you are concerned about hygiene, you can say “deoreo meogeul jeopsi juseyo” (덜어 먹을 접시 주세요, “Please give me a plate so I can serve some separately”).

At many Korean restaurants, the basic banchan are included in the menu price. That is why you often will not see a separate charge for them on the bill. It is more accurate to think of them as part of the meal rather than completely free.

This custom comes from the Korean way of eating rice with several side dishes. A meal is not just rice by itself; you alternate between salty, spicy, sour, and nutty flavors in small bites. Restaurants prepare this setup in advance.

But not everything is unlimited. For banchan made with expensive ingredients or a lot of labor, such as Soy Sauce Marinated Raw Crab, extra orders may cost money. Specific side dishes in set meals, vegetables served with barbecue, and special sauces vary from restaurant to restaurant. If you are unsure whether something is free, the safest thing is to ask directly.

• Kimchi: Kimchi (fermented vegetables) is the most common banchan. You will often see Napa Cabbage Kimchi, Kkakdugi, and Baekkimchi. Red kimchi is usually spicy and tangy. Baekkimchi is often not spicy, but ingredients vary by restaurant.

• Namul: Namul are seasoned vegetable side dishes, usually made by blanching or stir-frying vegetables and adding seasoning. Typical examples include Bean Sprout Salad, Spinach Namul, Kosari Namul, and Seasoned Eggplant Namul. They are often seasoned with sesame oil, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and salt, so they tend to be relatively mild.

• Stir-fries: These are side dishes cooked in a pan. Stir-fried Fish Cake and Stir-fried Anchovies are common. Their sweet-salty flavor goes well with rice. They may contain anchovies, fish cake, or other seafood ingredients, so always confirm if you are vegetarian or have allergies.

• Jorim: Jorim means food simmered down in soy sauce or seasoning. Common examples are Stewed Potatoes, Braised Lotus Root, and Tofu Jorim. Because they are simmered for a long time, the flavor is usually quite concentrated.

• Muchim and jangajji: Muchim refers to dishes tossed in seasoning, such as Cucumber Salad. Jangajji are pickled side dishes, such as Pickled Cucumbers. They can be quite sour and salty.

• Jeotgal: Jeotgal are salt-fermented seafood side dishes. Examples include Squid Jeot, Salted Fermented Shrimp, and Myeongnan-jeot. The flavor is strong, so eat just a little at a time on top of rice.

There is no fixed order for eating banchan. Take a spoonful of rice, have a small bite of banchan, then take a spoonful of soup or stew, and keep alternating. The seasoning usually works best when the side dishes are eaten with rice rather than on their own.

Kimchi helps refresh your palate. It cuts richness when eaten with meat, noodles, or broth-based dishes. When you eat samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) or bulgogi (marinated grilled meat), many restaurants serve lettuce, perilla leaves, garlic, and ssamjang (spicy soybean dipping paste) with them. In that case, wrap a little meat and banchan in the leaves and eat it as a bite.

Mild, soft banchan such as gyeran-mari (rolled omelette) or gim-gui (grilled seaweed) are good when you are eating spicy food. On the other hand, jeotgal, jangajji, and jorim tend to be very salty, so it is best to eat them in small amounts.

If you do not recognize a banchan, taste only a tiny amount first. Some mountain greens and seafood side dishes have strong aromas. If it is not to your taste, leaving it is usually not a big problem. However, it is good manners not to ask for large refills of side dishes you do not plan to eat.

At most casual restaurants, you can ask for more of the basic banchan. In Korean, “ripil” (리필, “refill”) is widely used to mean asking for something to be filled again. You can say “banchan deo juseyo” (반찬 더 주세요, “Please give me more banchan”).

These days, many restaurants also have self-serve bars. A self-serve bar is an area where customers get their own banchan. Use the tongs or spoons provided, and try not to take too much at once. Take only what you can eat.

If the staff are busy, you can gently lift an empty dish to show them, or say the name of the banchan you need. If you do not know the name, point to the dish and say “igeo deo juseyo” (이거 더 주세요, “Please give me more of this”).

Refills are not always free. The menu may mention an extra charge, or certain side dishes may be treated as additional orders. Seafood, meat, and egg banchan especially vary by restaurant. If you are worried about the bill, ask first: “chuga yogeum innayo?” (추가 요금 있나요?, “Is there an extra charge?”).

Even if a banchan looks like a vegetable dish, it may contain anchovy broth, shrimp sauce, fish sauce, meat broth, or seafood-based seasoning. Kimchi ingredients also vary from restaurant to restaurant. If you are vegetarian or vegan, or if you have a seafood allergy or nut allergy, you must check directly before eating.

Banchan that do not look spicy may still contain gochugaru (red pepper flakes) or gochujang (red chili paste). Gochujang-based seasoning is often sweet and spicy. If you do not handle spicy food well, start with banchan that look mild, such as plain-looking namul, grilled seaweed, egg side dishes, or mul kimchi (water kimchi). Even so, recipes differ by restaurant, so it is best to ask the staff.

Shared banchan are eaten by several people together. If you have a severe allergy or are worried about cross-contact, ask for an individual plate and clean chopsticks, and confirm the ingredients again. This is general information for eating while traveling, not medical advice.

A banchan shop sells prepared side dishes to eat at home or at your accommodation. You can find them in markets, neighborhood shopping streets, and around large food stores. Many have refrigerated display cases filled with different banchan, and staff will pack your selections into containers.

They are useful when you want a simple meal at a hotel or guesthouse. You can buy rice separately or heat instant rice and eat it with the banchan. Leftover side dishes may need refrigeration, so check whether your accommodation has a refrigerator.

If it is your first time using one, it is a good idea to buy small amounts of several items, since the flavors may be salty or spicy. Ask the shop directly about packaging, storage, and how long the food should be eaten by. If you are vegetarian or have allergies, you must also confirm the ingredients at banchan shops.