Sigeumchi Namul (Spinach Banchan)

Siguemchi Namul is a Korean Spiced Spinach. It’s garlicky, slightly salty and sweet, hints of onion and nutty from the sesame seeds and sesame oil. The spinach is blanched, seasoned and served chilled as a refreshing side dish. It is considered a banchan.

Banchan means side dishes in Korean. It is a constant and essential part of Koreans’ daily diet. In Korean restaurants, banchan are often served for free (with free refills, no less). They arrive in small plates and clatter onto the table while being laid out by the waiter.

While the most well-known banchan is probably kimchi, there are so many varieties. They range from simple dishes like this spinach banchan to more hearty fare like kimchi, savory jeon pancakes, Korean-style macaroni salad, sweet and sticky fried anchovies, and spicy marinated raw crab.

Spinach is a family favorite for a number of reasons. It’s quick and easy to do. From a health perspective, spinach shrinks significantly when cooked, making it easy to overeat without even realizing it. It’s a welcome contrast to the often spicy and bold dishes like kimchi jjigae (Korean kimchi stew). Most importantly, my son will eat it.

The best spinach for this banchan

I prefer to use ripe spinach over baby spinach. The thick stems and sturdy leaves provide different textures and can be blanched. I find baby spinach too tender for this dish.

Ripe spinach traps a lot of dirt, so be sure to wash it several times. Fill a very large bowl with cold water. Cut off the root ends of the spinach – although your spinach will have pink ends attached at the bottom, you can leave these intact and just cut off a small piece.

Add the spinach to the water and swish it around with your hand so the dirt falls to the bottom of the bowl. If there isn’t enough room in the bowl to toss the spinach well, wash it in batches or use your sink.

Place the spinach in a colander to drain. As you scoop the spinach out of the water, try to be careful not to stir up the water and dirt at the bottom of the bowl. Pour out the dirty water and repeat the process. Rinse the spinach again until no sediment remains in the bowl.

Tips and tricks for making spiced spinach

This dish is meant to be cool and refreshing. It’s quick and easy to make if you prepare well.

• Make an ice bath and set it by the side of the pot of boiling water. Spinach cooks quickly and the blanching time is short, around 10 seconds. You want to keep these greens as fresh and bright as possible by submerging them in the ice bath right after cooking.
• Blanch the spinach in batches. Using tongs, take a bundle, dip it in the boiling water, and then in the ice bath. If you don’t make a small batch, they will overcook if you add them to the pot all at once.
• Asian markets already sell toasted sesame seeds in plastic canisters, which are much cheaper than the small jars you can find at your local supermarket. Keeping them in your freezer will keep them fresher for longer.

Exchange and substitution of ingredients

While many recipes call for both soy sauce and salt, I prefer to use only salt. Feel free to experiment with a little soy sauce. You could also substitute honey for sugar, but since it’s stickier, mix all the spices together before tossing with the spinach to distribute it evenly.

variations

For a spicy version, add gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) to taste. You can also experiment with other vegetables and prepare them the same way:

• watercress
• bean sprouts
• Steamed Eggplant

serving suggestions

Spinach is served simply with rice and roasted seaweed or together with many other banchan for a large meal. It can also be used as a vegetable topping for the classic Korean rice bowl, bibimbap, as one of the vegetables in the Korean glass noodle dish, japchae, or as one of the fillings in seaweed-wrapped rice rolls, kimbap.

Storage Instructions

Although this spinach recipe is best eaten the day it is made, it will keep tightly covered in the refrigerator for a day or two.

More recipes for using spinach

• Pressure Cooker Saag Tofu (Indian Spinach and Tofu)
• Green Goddess Mac and Cheese
• Simply sautéed spinach
• Cheese Hash Brown Egg Bites
• Creamed spinach with bacon