{"id":5633,"date":"2012-12-06T00:30:32","date_gmt":"2012-12-06T06:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=5633"},"modified":"2012-12-06T00:30:32","modified_gmt":"2012-12-06T06:30:32","slug":"gch-whats-on-your-plate-korean-banchans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2012\/12\/06\/gch-whats-on-your-plate-korean-banchans\/","title":{"rendered":"GCH: What’s on Your Plate? Korean Banchans"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Spinach<\/a><\/p>\n

If you read my post last week for Dubu Buchim<\/a> (Korean Pan-Fried Tofu), you’ll remember that a Korean meal has many components: \u00a0the rice, kimchee, main dish, and the banchans. \u00a0Banchans are little dishes, meant to be shared, and are usually vegetable-based. \u00a0Today I’ll show you how to make two very easy banchans: \u00a0spinach banchan and a cucumber salad.<\/p>\n

For the spinach, you can buy whole spinach, which is the cheaper option, or a bag of washed and trimmed spinach salad – it will cost more than whole spinach, but the upside is that the roots and sand have been removed for you! \u00a0This spinach banchan is also a component in several other Korean dishes, including kimbap, japchae, and bibimbap. \u00a0(We’ll get to those later!) \u00a0For the cucumbers, you’ll want to look for small cucumbers, often called Persian cucumbers. \u00a0They have thin skin and very little seedy pulp in the middle. \u00a0You could also use a regular English cucumber, or a hothouse cucumber, but you may want to take off some of the skin if it’s waxed or feels tough to you. \u00a0Also, the cucumber banchan calls for a pinch of Korean dried peppers. \u00a0If you don’t have these in your pantry, you can use crushed red pepper (like the kind used in Italian cooking or on pizza) or even a little cayenne. \u00a0It won’t be the same, but you’ll get the idea!<\/p>\n

Both of these banchans are best made fresh, and won’t last in the fridge more than two or three days. \u00a0Make a batch, cook some rice, and \u00a0practice your chopstick skills: \u00a0it’s dinner time!<\/p>\n

Spinach Banchan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/p>\n