Korean Broccoli side recipe (gluten and dairy free, shred 10 compliant)

Hi, my name is Christina and I love Korean food. I’m constantly in search of new recipes, especially for side dishes. Recently, I found a new side dish recipe that is delicious and involves my family eating broccoli without any cheese or ranch dressing on and I’d like to share it with you.

I like Korean side dishes a lot because they are mostly veggies and they are intended to be made ahead of time and served from the fridge at a moments notice. Also, we eat them with chopsticks and my kids think anything eaten with chopsticks is fun food so they eat more of them. I am pro my kids eating more veggies.

I bought a huge bag of broccoli florets last week and wanted to find a Korean side recipe for them. We’ve had Korean broccoli at Ilmee (the best Korean restaurant in the Atlanta area), but my husband didn’t really like them because they didn’t have a spicy enough sauce on them. He loves my favorite rustic spinach side so I decided to look for a broccoli side recipe that had gochujang in it. I found this one on Lily Eats. I mostly followed it. The recipe I used is below.

Korean broccoli banchan

Ingredients:

• 4 cups broccoli florets in bite-sized pieces
• 3 tsp gochujang
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp soy sauce (or braggs liquid aminos)
• 1 tbsp and 1 tsp rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 2 tsp minced garlic cloves
• Sesame seeds to garnish (optional, we leave these out because my sister and hubby don’t like them)

Directions:

1. Heat sesame oil on medium high heat in frying pan. Add garlic and broccoli and sauté for 4 minutes, stirring continuously. If anything sticks, add a little more sesame oil.
2. Mix gochujang, soy sauce and rice vinegar in a bowl. Add to frying pan and stir to coat broccoli and garlic.
3. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 8 minutes or until fork tender. Stir again to coat broccoli in any remaining sauce.
4. Remove from pan and garnish with sesame seeds as desired.
5. Serve warm or refrigerate until later.
6. Enjoy and repeat.

Korean Spicy Green Onion Salad banchan recipe

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I love Korean food. I’m always in search of a new side dish (banchan) recipe to add to my collection.

A while ago, my sister mentioned a green onion side she’d liked when she was in South Korea. I’d been wanting curry for a couple days now and decided tonight was a good night to have it and to try my hand at a new side since I had a bunch of green onions in the fridge.

I found a recipe on My Korean Kitchen that looked good so I decided to try it. It turned out pretty good. It wasn’t quite the same as the one my sister had in South Korea, but she liked it.

It’s kind of tedious to make as you have to slice the onions very thinly and that takes forever. It took so long that my kids were in bed before I finished it. So Eddie, Jessie and I were the only ones who tried it. Eddie didn’t like it because it tasted too oniony, but Jessie and I did (although I do agree it is very oniony). I hope you like it, too.

Korean Spicy Green Onion Salad

Ingredients:

• One bunch of chives, cut in thirds and sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 tsp Korean chili flakes
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

1. Rinse onions in cold water for 3 minutes to remove the slimy surface.
2. Shake strainer over sink to drain.
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients to make a dressing.
4. Mix dressing ingredients with onions lightly but thoroughly.
5. Serve on a plate immediately. It will begin to wilt in 3-5 minutes.
6. Enjoy and repeat.

Spicy Asian Zucchini banchan recipe

Tonight, I made Sesame Chicken, Kelp Noodles and Veggies recipe, except this time I added some snap peas to it and doubled the sauce. This time, all my kids loved it, as did my husband and my sister. I guess it grew on Rory. She said this time there were more veggies and less kelp noodles in her bowl so maybe the snap peas made all the difference? Who knows. 

I was going to make Korean Rustic Spinach to go with the kelp stir fry and the Carrot Kimchi I had already made because so far, the rustic spinach is my favorite banchan recipe and I don’t need much of an excuse to make it, but then I found a zucchini in my veggie drawer that was begging me to use it. 

It was bored and lonely and feeling neglected and was very persuasive so I did a little looking on the internet to find a recipe for a side dish made with zucchini. There were a couple I was interested in until I saw that they called for ingredients I didn’t have and I (umm, I mean the zucchini) was beginning to despair of finding a banchan recipe to use it in and then I came across this gem. Not only did it only use ingredients that I had, but as a bonus, it used sriracha, which I love but have only ever used in JoAnna’s Buffalo Chicken Dip even though it’s a Thai chili sauce, an Asian condiment named after the coastal city of Si Racha, in Chonburi Province of eastern Thailand, where it is thought to have been first produced. Another bonus, the recipe said it’s good served warm or room temperature so I decided to make it before I made the stir fry since stir fry is best served warm. 

The only thing I wasn’t sure about with this recipe was the honey in it. I temporarily considered omitting it, but for some reason I decided to just follow the recipe and see how it turned out. The kids thought it was a little spicy, but good and my husband loved it and he usually only likes zucchini in my zucchini bread. My sister and I liked it, too. I hope you like it as much as we did. 

Spicy Asian Zucchini 

Ingredients

• 1 large zucchini, cut into 2″ long, thin strips
• 2 tsp Sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce 
• 2 Tablespoons sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. 
2. Add the zucchini (you may have to saute them in batches depending on the size of your skillet and how much zucchini you have). 
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute until browned and tender. Remove from heat. Repeat with remaining zucchini if needed.
4. Whisk together the soy sauce, sriracha, and honey. Pour the mixture over the sauteed zucchini. Toss to combine. 
5. To serve, sprinkle the zucchini with sesame seeds and green onions. This side dish is tasty warm or at room temperature. (I can testify to that because I tried it both ways.)
6. Enjoy and repeat. 

Recipe credit goes to Courtney at neighborfoodblog.com. 

Carrot kimchi, a Korean banchan recipe

This is the recipe I bought a spiralizer and a garlic press for. This is the recipe that makes carrot sticks as a byproduct. This is yummy. 

The spiralizer took a little getting used to. I’ve never used anything like it before and the carrot popped out of the spiralizer a few times before I got the hang of it, but it was totally worth it. I can’t wait to use it with some other recipes. As soon as I find some. 

This side goes well with Sesame Chicken, kelp noodles and veggies, curry, or stir fry. It tastes like pickled carrots but still has a good crunch to it. It was pretty easy to make once I figured out the spiralizer and is definitely worth trying. 

If you’re interested in finding out the history behind this recipe, check it out on Kool Kosher Kitchen. I’m going to post it below so it’s easy for me to find. 

Carrot Kimchi

Ingredients:

• 4 large carrots
• 1 square inch of ginger, grated (I used the large side of the grater because the ginger got stuck in the small side)
• 2 – 3 large cloves of garlic, squeezed by garlic press
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
• A splash of olive oil
• Optional: hot pepper or Korean crushed pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. Julienne carrots.
2. Add grated ginger, squeezed garlic, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Optional: hot pepper.
3. Mix thoroughly, cover, keep in warm place for at least 24 hours.
4. Mix again before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
5. Refrigerate any leftovers. 
6. Enjoy and repeat. 

Note: the original recipe called for optional sweetener added. I’m not one to add sweetener to something unless I want it to be sweet and I think sweet pickles are gross so I omitted that. 

 

Swiss Chard with Soybean Paste, a Korean banchan recipe

Tonight, I made Cabbage with Soybean Paste, but I made it with swiss chard instead of cabbage. I just could not find the bomdong (spring cabbage) at the Super H Mart when I went last week. Probably because I was looking for a sign that read “spring cabbage” not “bomdong”. I didn’t notice the recipe called it bomdong as well until I got home. Better luck next time, huh? 

Since the recipe said I could use any leafy vegetable and specifically mentioned kale and swiss chard, I did find both of those at Super H and tonight I made it with the swiss chard and it was good. Even Izzy liked it 😉

One thing I’m noticing about Korean food is they like to mix soybean paste with either red pepper paste or red pepper flakes. Actually, I’m not sure if it’s a Korean thing or if it’s just a beyond kimchee thing since the 3 banchan recipes I’ve tried so far were all from that site. Either way, it’s a good combo. 

So tonight we had curry with spicy (mung)bean sprout salad, Swiss chard with soybean paste, rustic Korean spinach and kimchee. And I have leftovers for tomorrow. 

Now for your cooking and eating pleasure:

Swiss Chard with Soybean Paste

A tender young spring cabbage tossed in Korean soybean paste. Any leafy vegetables can be used and perfect to serve with rice.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb spring cabbage, baby kale, or Swiss chard, cut into pieces
• 1-1/2 tablespoon Korean soybean paste, doenjang
• 1/2 tablespoon Korean chili flakes
• 1 garlic clove, minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Boil pot of water with some salt, add the cabbage and blanch for 1-2 minutes. Drain the cabbage and rinse with cold water. Squeeze out the extra moisture from the cabbage.
2. Place the cabbage in a mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients. Smear the soybean paste between your fingers to loosed, and rub with the cabbage along with the other ingredients as you toss around to incorporate everything so the flavor will soak into the cabbage.
3. Serve with rice as a side dish.
4. Eat and repeat 🙂

Credit to Holly at Beyond Kimchee 

Korean Family Dinner is the best.

“Yum curry. Can it be done faster? I’m starving.” Rory

No you aren’t. The curry is done. The rice isn’t. I’ll call you when it’s ready. Literally 2 minutes left on the rice at this point

“Ugh you know I hate curry.” Izzy, of course. She either hates all food or loves to fight about all food, I’m not sure which. 

Well, I will give you less than I have the other girls but you can either eat it or go to bed because it’s dinner. 

“What’s the other stuff?” Evie. 

Sides to go with the curry. 

“Do we get some of the sides, too?” Addy. 

Yes. I will bring them to the table when I come to the table so I get to have some, too. 

“Family dinner? I will turn off the tv.” Addy. One of her sisters asked her why and she said “because we are all eating together and we are going to talk and have a great family dinner.” She sounds so much older than 13 at that point. 

“You got us chopsticks? Yay!” Izzy 

Well, at least she was happy about something. 

“Are we only eating Korean food now and that’s why you bought chopsticks?” I don’t remember who said that. 

No I just thought chopsticks would be fun. 

And that was how dinner began. 

Tonight, I made beef curry with beef I got at the Super H Mart that was already cut in tiny cubes specifically for curry (it even said curry on the label for American customers who can’t read korean lol), which saved me so much time. I also made Spicy Bean Sprout Salad which everyone loved and Rustic Korean Spinach which my husband loved and my kids thought was a little too spicy and kimchi that I bought at Super H Mart. I think I’m the only one who liked that lol. But almost everyone tried it even if they knew they didn’t like it. I don’t know why, possibly just because of the chopsticks. 

I think my kids ate more of all of the sides than they would have without the chopsticks because duh chopsticks. They were so busy trying to prove they could do better with the chopsticks than their sisters and demonstrating their mad skills that they didn’t think about how much they were eating. I’m just glad they had fun and Izzy actually ate. And I didn’t have to fight with her at all. She ate all her curry and a bunch of the sides. I know that doesn’t sound like a huge accomplishment but trust me it is. We struggle with her daily to get her to eat anything and everything. 

We all sat at the table together. Addy turned off the tv without being asked. We talked to each other and shared the sides in community bowls just like at a real Korean restaurant. And when we were done, we just kept sitting there, talking. Eventually, we settled on doing impressions of each other and laughing together. It was such a sweet night together and it had nothing to do with the food, although that was great, too. 

It took a while to make the food, but it was totally worth it. Everyone enjoyed it, most of all me. 

I don’t know why it can be so hard for me to relax and have fun with my family at the dinner table. I am usually so burnt out by the end of the day, but not tonight. It was wonderful. I wish I knew what was different tonight so I could recreate it. 

I mean, I know eating dinner together as a family is important. I know it’s something that my kids need, that can help them feel loved and appreciated and important. I have read that it can keep them on a good path both education wise and lifewise, but a positive family dinner experience can still be elusive and a hard thing to create. At least for me. 

Eating dinner as a family and talking. Enjoying the time together. Making happy memories. Relaxing and laughing. Praying God, please let this dinner be the one they remember for all time and let me make more dinnertimes like this. Best. Dinner. Ever. 

Just to preserve these recipes, I’m copying and pasting them below:

Korean Spinach, the rustic version

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch spinach
• 2 teaspoon Korean soybean paste (doenjang)
• 2 teaspoon Korean chili paste (gochujang)
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Cut off the tips of spinach and clean thoroughly.
2. Boil a pot of water and blanch the spinach for 1 minute.
3. Rinse under cold water and squeeze out making a ball shape to remove some water.
4. Untangle the spinach in a mixing bowl (cut into a few section if you prefer shorter length)
5. Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl, using your finger tips smear the doenjang and gochujang pastes together to combine and then toss everything together as you gently massage around the spinach, so that every strand of spinach will get seasoned.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning as you like.

Spicy Bean Sprout Salad

Ingredients:

• 16 oz bean sprouts, cleaned
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 tablespoon Korean chili flakes
• 2 green onion finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon Korean soy sauce for soup
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• extra salt to season, if needed.
• 1 fresh red chili, sliced, optional

Directions:

1. Put 1/2 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large pot and spread bean sprouts over. Close with a lid and bring the pot over med-high heat and cook for 6 minutes (You will need to lower the heat a little after about 3 minutes). Do not open the lid during the cooking time. When done, toss the bean sprouts in the liquid first, then strain them out. Discard the liquid.
2. Place the sprouts in a large mixing bowl and add chili flakes, green onion, garlic powder, Korean say sauce for soup, sesame oil, and the sesame seeds, and fresh red chili (if using). Toss well to combine with your hand to incorporate the seasoning with the sprouts. Season with salt according to your taste.

These are not my recipes, they are from Beyond Kimchee and they are yummy 🙂

Going Korean

Yesterday, my sister Jessica and I went to the Super H Mart in Doraville. It was an adventure. We got lost several times on the way there, got a little lost in the store itself and got lost several times on the way home. It’s just how we roll. I get lost almost every time I go somewhere new. I guess you could call it my super power. Not everyone can get lost while using a GPS like I can. Next time will be better, now that I know to look for BrandsMart USA in the parking lot. 

The store itself was pretty awesome. They had all kinds of stuff from rice makers to chopsticks to tea sets to produce to meat to dry goods. Most of their stuff was Asian goods but they also had a couple of Mexican food areas. And after you pay for your groceries, there are mini shops between the register and the exit where you can get coffee, tea, pastries and different Asian foods ready to eat. 

The produce had great prices. A head of cauliflower for $0.99, 3 lbs of cuties for $4.99 (and they didn’t look rotted like the ones at Kroger look now). They had so much variety, I really wish they were closer so I could go there for produce on a regular basis. And I wish I had taken pictures. It was a wonderful experience. 

I came out of there with everything I need for beef curry, along with the ingredients for several side dishes I’ve been wanting to try, some reusable chopsticks to make trying the sides funner for my kids, a stainless steel seive and a stainless steel funnel to replace the non stainless steel versions I have at home. I can’t wait to try out my new recipes and my new toys and let you know how it goes. 

Bonus, after I picked up my kids, I got to go to my favorite Korean restaurant, Il Mee. I wasn’t sure if my kids would like Korean food but they all loved it. Even my picky “I don’t like anything” kid. Hopefully one of these days I can convince my husband to go with me. I think he’d love it if he tried it. I do have a birthday coming up so maybe then. . . 

If you haven’t tried Korean food, I highly encourage you to give Il Mee a try. Specifically the gope-dohl-bee-bim-bap. This is what it looks like in a regular bowl, not a stone bowl. It is full of veggies, beef and rice, with a spicy sauce that brings it all together. It traditionally comes with a fried egg on it but you can get it without egg. We usually do, but one time I forgot and it was still good with the egg. If you order it in a hot stone bowl (which is what the gope-dohl means), you don’t want to touch the bowl but you do want to stir it thoroughly before you start eating it to mix the sauce into the whole bowl and you want to continue to stir it periodically so the rice doesn’t stick to the bowl. The bowl and the food in it will stay hot the whole time you eat it. I can personally vouch for this dish and I love it so much it’s the only thing I get. It was love at first bite, y’all. No matter what you order, though, it will come with 7-8 different side dishes, most of which will be made with veggies. It is so good. I went yesterday and I want to go back today. I could seriously eat it every day. I wish I knew how to make it at home so I could have it every day. Maybe one day. . . Life goals, y’all. 

As usual, I am not a paid spokesperson for Il Mee or Super H Mart. I will not make any money off you giving it a try, I’m just passing on all my favorite stuff to y’all because good stuff should be passed on. You’re welcome.