Salads, Kimchi & Sides

The Korean table would be barren without a variety of side dishes (banchan). Technically, these include kimchi (fermented vegetables), namul (seasoned vegetables from the land and the sea), and salads. In Korea some sides are so intensely salted or spiced that just tiny amounts are added to a diner’s portion to complement and transform the flavor. They are set out in a myriad of small- and medium-sized white dishes, completing the table’s landscape.

There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi and some form of it is eaten at almost every meal. Sometimes, as in the case of Chinese (Napa) cabbage kimchi, the long-fermenting type most Americans associate with kimchi, the leaves are unfurled and wrapped around steaming rice or used as a major ingredient in a dish. In this chapter, Taekyung offers simple recipes for turning vegetables into kimchi, almost overnight. While we hope you will experiment with these recipes, you can purchase ready-made Chinese (Napa) cabbage kimchi at most grocery stores.