Saturday, December 10, 2011

Starting off with Banchan (KOREAN SERIES PART 1)







“And the Koreans have invaded the town (nope that’s me with a smile).”  Yes, more than the uber choreographed music K-Pop videos, more than the fast-paced koreanovelas, and definitely more than Grace Lee (ehe, sorry for the ladies who might not be able to relate, just click on the link and find out) the Korean culture has slowly and steadily melted with our existing culture.  This blog’s food house feature will showcase what we call ‘Korean Fast Food’, dubbed as such because there have been many nooks established with the very basic dishes served fast minus all the intricacies of offered by fine dining experience.  Lower those eyebrows for a minute (especially the ever conservative foodies) but for me, if it’s good food, it doesn’t have to come with fancy plates and silver wares.  But before I officially go on in this what I perceive as a 2 or 3-part feature, let us go first with the basics.

Crash Course to Korean Cuisine

The web is ‘steaming’ with lots of information if you type in Korean cuisine.  Here are some of my the basic information I gathered which are think are vital before you proceed reading.

                >>From Wikipedia
Korean cuisine is said to have originated from the ancient prehistoric traditions in the Korean Peninsula evolving through a complex interaction of environmental, political (rich indeed, ehe) and cultural trends.  It is largely based upon rice (hurray for Filipinos), vegetables and meats.

Commonly used ingredients include sesame oil, doenjang (fermented bean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and gochujang (fermented red chili paste)

Korean food can be largely (and loosely) categorized into groups of “main staple foods”, subsidiary dishes and dessert.  The main dishes are made from grains such as bap (a bowl of rice), juk (porridge) and guksu (noodles).
               
>>From About.com
Korean food stands out from other cuisines with the many (and very delicious) side dishes (banchan) (special note:  also sometimes spelled as panch’an) that are served during meals.  (This is actually my measure of the authenticity of any Korean resto/food nook.  If they don’t serve banchan, then they don’t know their food, ehe)

The number of side dishes can range anywhere from 2 to 12, but everyday meals feature at least a few.  These side dishes will come in small bowls and can be anything from vegetables to meat to seafood prepared in any number of ways.  An important note also is that except for the banchan, the Korean dishes are all served at the same time, so there are no separate courses like in Western cuisines.

TYPES OF BANCHAN 

(a)   Kimchi – the most popular one and it is almost unimaginable to not have this one in every meal.  Sadly, I know plenty of people who shun away from this by the mere sight (and smell of it).  I think an authentic Korean meal is never complete without this.  Just in case you don’t know what this is, it is referred to as the fermented veggies (usually cabbage – Napa / baechu), seasoned with chili peppers and salt. On my checklist this is a definite CHECK!
(Photo credits - wikibooks.org)
 (b)   Namul – refers to steamed, marinated, or stir-fried vegetables usually seasoned with sesame oil, salt, vinegar, minced garlic, chopped green onions, dried chili peppers and soy sauce.  This one also gets my check and have tried it once or twice already.
(Photocredits - justbento.com)
 (c)    Bokkeum – is a side dish stir-fried with sauce (like pork stir-fried with kimchi, etc.).  Tried this one too and is highly recommended.
(Photocredits - photofinder.com)
 (d)   Jorim – is a dish simmered in a seasoned broth (as in tofu simmered in a soy sauce mix).
(Photocredits - Asiansupper.com)
 (e)   Jjim – refers to a steamed side dish (eggs and or fish in hotpot, etc.)
(Photocredits - mykoreankitchen.com)
 (f)     Jeon – indicates a variety of pan-fried dishes (like potato pancakes, spring-onion pancakes, etc.).  Tried this one too.
(Photocredits - fortychestnuts.com)
 (g)    Japchae – sometimes a dish in itself, but is also offered as part of the banchan set.  It refers to glass noodles accompanied with a variety of vegetable and beef in a slightly-sweet garlic sauce.  A must try for all!
(Photocredit - ifood.tv)
There you have it.  Literally just the 'starters' take of a long series.  Watch out for the next post on one korean resto I really like visiting very often.  How about you?  Do you have any particular place that you can share to other readers?

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25 comments:

  1. Love Korean food. Kimchi all the way! Thanks Vonn for this.

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  2. Thanks too Ram! Help spread the blog... God Bless

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  3. I'm a fan of Korean food too. I used to eat Korean japchea every Sat when I was studying at ISCAHM... now I miss it.Thanks for blogging the basics of Korean food..

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  4. thank you too Ms. Nilds for the time...maybe sometime i can feature your baking? :)

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  5. How I love BANCHAN :) Makes me really full!

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    1. Hi there Yani! Thanks for dropping by...yes, the thing with korean cuisine is that Banchan alone can fill in the stomach... cheers to good food!

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  6. I miss Korean food! Wish I could find a Korean resto somewhere in this region. I could eat Kimchi with absolutely anything.

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  7. kahit ano pang tawag sa mga iyan, isa lang ang alam ko, mukhang masasarap silang lahat...

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  8. I haven't tried Korean food though I am very much aware of Kimchi. It's also available in big supermarkets in bottle.

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  9. Hola! Korean invasion!! From K-Pop to Koreanovela, now it is Korean food and Banchan is a good start!

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  10. The Koreans are all over. From Ortigas to Baguio.Every where I look I see Korean people. Even the President of the Phil. nainlove sa Korean girl. Haha. I'm sure PNoy is gonna love your post. Yummy!

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  11. Wow ang daming food. Parang fiesta sa dami. hehe. :D

    Though at first, akala ko you will be posting a koreanovela review. :D

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  12. that japchae looks like a pansit in our country

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  13. I love Korean Food!! And favorite ko yang japchae nila, medyon mahal Lang Korean food and konti ng serving ng main dishes, side dish nalang babawi madalas eat all you can side dish nila.

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  14. There are really Korean stuffs that are interesting, like this one.

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  15. Hmmmm.. I am not a fan of Korean food. Except lang siguro sa kanilang Korean noodles. harhar.. But those really look yummy. :p

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  16. I love Kimchi kahit mahal dito sa Saudi yan bumibili ako.. :)

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  17. I'm not big on veggies, but the Namul got me! Anyway, I hope I'd sample great banchan when I finally try to eat in a Korean resto.. :)

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  18. Is namul the green leaves?..is it the generic name of any green leaves done in that way..It looks like PAK CHOI to me and I love it..it is very healthy.

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  19. I'm not used of eating Korean dishes .
    I just love Pinoy recipes.
    but those are yummy to look at.

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  20. I like Korean food wag lang masyadong maanghang. Spicy is my mortal enemy. :)

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  21. There is this dessert in Korea that I really liked. I forgot the name pero sarap!

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  22. i haven't tried those Korean foods, or maybe im not brave enough to try it and be surprised.. hahaha hopefully someday

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  23. I love Bibimbap! If my neurosurgeon would allow it, I would like to travel to South Korea next year. I don't like kimchi lol, they have a foul smell.

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