I loooove Korean banchan. Banchan is actually my favorite part of a Korean meal. Give me banchan, chopsticks, and rice and I am haaapy!! 🙂
Banchan are the side dishes that accompany Korean meals. They are actually an essential part of the meal. If you’ve ever been to a Korean restaurant, you’ll know the feeling of excitement as they bring out various banchan. 🙂
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All I need is a bowl of rice, some chopsticks, and marinated perilla leaves to be happy. 🙂
Korean perilla leaves, also known as sesame leaves, are a very popular banchan in Korean cuisine. Banchan, or side dishes, are an essential part of Korean meals. They are brought out in small portions, meant to be shared, and served with rice.
You will always have a feast for your eyes when dining in a Korean restaurant. I am always filled with anticipation to see what banchan, or Korean side dishes, are brought out to accompany the meal I’ve just ordered.
I almost enjoy eating the banchan more than the main course. 🙂
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Jajangmyeon is Korean comfort food at its best. It originated in China, and now is considered a type of Chinese-Korean fusion food.
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My mother is Korean. Growing up I didn’t have the best appreciation for Korean food, but I certainly do now. Korean food is hands down one of my favorite cuisines, and I am excited to share some Korean recipes with you…starting with kimchi.
Kimchi is so very important in Korean cuisine. There are many different types of kimchi, which basically refers to fermented and pickled vegetables.
Kimchi is generally served as a side dish, or “banchan.” I confess that sometimes I am way more excited about the banchan than the main dish! Typically you will be served several types of banchan if you dine at a Korean restaurant. They are colorful, beautiful, varied, and delicious!
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I confess I know very little about Japanese food, but I am determined to change that! My sister is Japanese, and I really hope that I can learn how to cook a great Japanese meal for her one day.
I’m starting with a very basic recipe, the Japanese pickled cucumber. Otherwise known as tsukemono, Japanese pickles are a mainstay of Japanese meals. Asazuke are lightly seasoned quick pickles, which is what our recipe is for. I’m having quite a lot of fun trying to pronounce these words. 🙂
Serve tsukemono with with rice, as a snack, side dish, or garnish, as typically done in Japan. Â This cucumber asazuke is a very quick and simple preparation. I originally made this to go into a poke bowl (recipe to follow later). This pickle is very light and refreshing, and a perfect and easy recipe to start with in my quest to learn about Japanese cooking and cuisine.
I hope you’ll give this a try and keep a look out for further Japanese recipes to come!
I absolutely love dishes that are colorful and spicy! Thai red curry fits the bill, and is one of my favorite meals.
This recipe utilizes ready made red curry paste, so you can cook up this curry quickly and easily.
There are many types of ready made red curry pastes available, but the one I have been using is by Mae Ploy, which I pick up at my local Asian market. Just look at the ingredients of the paste:
The popularity of Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps just keeps growing, and it is easy to see and taste why! They are so delicious, and you’ll be pleased to know you can easily make restaurant style quality wraps at home!
This recipe is so tasty and very budget friendly as well. I hope you will enjoy it and make this your go to recipe for fast, easy, and awesome tasting Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps!
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken
1-2 tb vegetable oil or olive oil
5 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger (remove outer peel)
1/2 onion
1 green onion – sliced thinly
4 thai chilis (leave these out for a mild tasting dish)
Lettuce leaves – I used red leaf lettuce, but you could use romaine or green leaf as well
1 tb soy sauce
2 tb oyster sauce
1 tb sambal oelek for extra spice! (leave out for a mild dish)
Sesame oil (optional)
Instructions
Using a food processor, finely mince the garlic, ginger, thai chilis, and onion. Or finely mince using your knife
Heat up 1-2 tb of oil in your skillet – get it to the shimmering stage
Add the garlic/ginger/chili/onion mince to the hot oil. Stir fry continuously for 2 minutes.
Add the ground chicken to the vegetable mince. Stir fry the chicken until browned.
Add the 1 tb soy sauce, 2 tb oyster sauce, and 1 tb of sambal oelek (only if you want it extra spicy!). Stir fry for approximately 1-2 minutes.
Add a splash of sesame oil if desired.
That’s it! Spoon the delicious Asian Chicken into your lettuce, add some rice in the wrap if you want, garnish with the green onion, and wrap it up and enjoy!
Please let me know if you enjoy this wrap by commenting below!
Thai cuisine is absolutely one of my favorites!! I can’t wait to visit Thailand one day and I’ll be happy just to eat my way around the country!
A dream of mine is to visit one of the floating markets in or around the Bangkok area, where vendors sell their wares on boats. I can imagine all the vibrant and colorful vegetables and fruits, all the aromas, and amazing food at every turn!
What is in the Thai cucumber sauce? It is simply sugar, thai fish sauce, and rice wine vinegar.
There are 5 flavors to Thai food: sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and bitter. To get it just right, you try to find the right balance of flavors in the dishes, and the end result is complex and amazing. It is my understanding that you need at least 2 of these flavors in a Thai dish in order for it to taste right. And by the way…not every Thai dish is spicy. Try this simple recipe for Thai cucumber salad which is mild and absolutely delicious!
