4 Korean Side Dishes (less than 30 minutes)

If you love Korean food, here are some of my go-to Korean Side dishes that are delicious and easy to make at home!

Korean side dishes are perfect for bringing on the go during road trips, or you can meal-prep them the week ahead of time as the perfect side dishes to go with any meals.

All the Korean Side Dishes recipes are vegetarian-friendly and last in the fridge in an air-tight container for 4 days. 

The Korean Side Dishes that are on the menu this week:

• Korean Marinated Eggs (Mayak Gyeran),
• Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad,
• Kongnamul Muchim (Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish), and
• Korean Spinach Salad 2 Ways (Sigumchi Namul). 

I INCLUDED A GROCERY SHOPPING LIST FOR THIS WEEK’S SIDE DISHES AT THE BOTTOM, ALONG WITH LINKS TO THE RECIPES SO THAT YOU CAN RE-CREATE IT AT HOME. 

KOREAN SIDE DISHES #1: KOREAN MARINATED EGGS 

Makes a dozen 

Get your rice ready because these delicious, garlicky, and savory Korean Marinated Eggs will be your go-to side dish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

The egg yolk is gooey and soft on the inside, while the egg is marinated in a savory, spicy, and sweet sauce that pairs perfectly with a hot bowl of rice! Mayak Gyeran is easy and affordable to make, and I promise you will love it too! 

Ingredients 

• A dozen Eggs 
• 2 tsp of salt 
• 2 tbsp of Vinegar 
• 6 cloves of Garlic (minced) 
• 2 Korean Green Pepper (chopped) 
• 1 Red Chili (chopped & optional) 
• 3 stalks of Green Onion (chopped & optional) 
• 1 tbsp of Sesame Seeds 
• 1 cup of Soy Sauce 
• ½ cup of Honey 
• 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil (optional) 
• ½  cup of Water 

1. In a pot, add water (enough to cover all the eggs) and add salt and vinegar. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the water to a simmer. Once the water is boiling, carefully egg in the eggs and let ti eggs cook for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, remove the egg and let it rest in a bowl of ice water for at least 10 minutes. Peel the eggs carefully and set them aside. 
2. Add garlic, chopped green pepper, red chili, green onion, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and water to a container. Mix till everything is combined. Add in the peel eggs and make sure the eggs are covered in the marinade. Let the eggs rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or better overnight. 
3. Serve with a bowl of hot rice, and enjoy! 

KOREAN SIDE DISHES #2: SPICY KOREAN CUCUMBER SALAD

20 minutes, 4 serving

Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad is crunchy, savory, tangy, and highly addicting. Just Oi Muchim and a bowl of rice are all I need for breakfast.

I like to make my Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad in bulk; I also find that after you leave it overnight, the cucumber gets even more flavourful and delicious! You can prepare it ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days! I have it as a side dish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 whole Cucumbers 
• 4 cloves of minced Garlic
• 1⁄2 thinly sliced Onion
• 2 tbsp of Korean Chilli Paste
• 0.5 tbsp of Korean Chilli Flakes 
• 1.5 tbsp of Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp of Grounded Sesame Seeds
• 1.5 tbsp of Sugar
• 1 tsp of Salt

1. Prepare the Cucumber by cutting it in half diagonally and then cut into bite-sized pieces. 
2. Add in salt, massage well, and set aside for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, discard the excess water. 
3. Mix Korean Chili Paste, chili flakes, sesame oil, ground sesame seeds, sugar, minced garlic, and salt in a large bowl. 
4. Add in sliced onions and chopped cucumber. Massage for 2-3 minutes until cucumber is coated in the paste. Taste to see if you need any more additional seasoning. 

KOREAN SIDE DISHES #3: KONGNAMUL MUCHIM 

4 servings, 15 minutes

Are you ready for a recipe that is healthy, delicious, AND super EASY to make at home?

Today I am showing you how to make one of the most popular Korean side dishes from my favorite Korean drama, “True Beauty,” Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish – Kongnamul Muchim.”

It takes less than 15 minutes to make, and all you need is a big bowl of hot rice to enjoy with this tasty Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish. We will make two flavors today, one spicy and one savory; both are super addicting and refreshing! 

Ingredients 

• 1 lb of Soybean Sprouts (cleaned) 
• 1 tbsp of Sea Salt 

Soybean Classic Flavour 

• One Green Onion (chopped) 
• 1 Garlic (minced) 
• 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil 
• ¼ tsp of Sugar 
• ¼ tsp of Black Pepper 
• ½ tbsp of Crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds 
• 1 tsp of Salt 
• 1 tsp of Soy Sauce (optional)

Spicy Version 

• One Green Onion (chopped)
• 1-2 Garlic (minced) 
• 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
• 2-3 tsp of Gochugaru (Korean Red pepper Flakes) 
• ¼ tsp of Sugar 
• ¼ tsp of Black Pepper 
• 1 tsp of Soy Sauce or Fish Sauce 
• ½ tbsp of Crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds 

KOREAN SIDE DISHES #4: KOREAN SPINACH SALAD

4 servings, 10 minutes 

Here are two types of healthy and delicious Korean Spinach Salad (Sigeumchi Namul) that take less than 10 minutes to make and can last in the fridge for a whole week!

We are making two flavors today, one spicy and one savory; both flavors taste good with everything and are super simple to make. Make Sigeumchi Namul in bulk once a week, and you got vegetables ready to go for the rest of the week!

Ingredients 

• 1.5 lb of Fresh Spinach (with the stems on) 
• 4 cloves of Garlic minced 
• 3 tbsp of Soy Sauce 
• 3.5 tbsp of Sesame Oil 
• 1 stalk of Green Onion chopped 
• 2 tbsp of Sesame Seeds crushed 
• 1 tsp of Sugar 
• 0.5 tbsp of Korean Red Chili Flakes 
• 0.5 tbsp of Korean Chili Paste 

1. Cut off the stems and rinse the spinach. Once everything is clean, drain and set aside. 
2. In a pot, add 1 tsp of salt and bring to a boil; once it is boiling, add in the spinach and blanch for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, remove and rinse spinach with cold water to stop the cooking.
3. Squeeze out all the excess water and form it into two balls. Cut the spinach in half.
4. Savory Flavour:  In a bowl, mix 2 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of sesame oil, and ½ of the chopped green onion 1 tbsp of crushed sesame seeds. Add in the spinach and mix everything; taste to see if you need any more additional seasoning. 
5. Spicy flavor: in a bowl, mix 2 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of sesame oil, ½ of the chopped green onion, 1 tbsp of crushed sesame seeds, 0.5 tbsp of Korean red chili flakes, 0.5 tbsp of Korean chili paste and 1 tsp of sugar. Add in the spinach and mix well 

SHOP THE INGREDIENTS ONLINE