STIR FRIED COURGETTE/ZUCCHINI BANCHAN

Stir-fried Courgette/Zucchini 호박 볶음

It’s summer and that can only mean one thing! Courgettes! Or Zuchini! if you prefer. Courgettes are one of my favourite veg and they are at their best this time of year. What better way to eat them than as this super quick, healthy and easy side dish and it’s on the table in five minutes. Y-U-M!

Watch How To Make My Stir Fried Courgette/Zucchini Banchan Recipe

I absolutely love banchan! Those of you who have been to a Korean restaurant will definitely know banchan. They are the little side dishes that are served with the main dish. There is nothing better than a bowl of steaming hot rice, a spicy soup or stew and a load of banchan. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

This type of Korean meal is also my husband’s favourite. Whenever we go to Gyeongju we always visit one of our favourite restaurants which is just across the road from Tumuli Park. The restaurant is wall-to-wall pine wood and full of Korean antiques of all sorts. While the service isn’t great, the owner never smiles or says hello, the food is great and we always leave feeling very full. This picture was taken a couple of years ago when we last visited.

This style of Korean meal is called. Korean kings would eat like this every meal! Nowadays it is more common to have just three or four side dishes with a meal. It definitely saves on the washing up!

When I was a child, we had a lot of seasonal vegetables. Courgettes were available mostly during summer. My mum used to cook them a lot during summer whenever I recall them. I love fresh summer courgettes. They are sweeter than the ones from a greenhouse. They don’t cost much to buy and they are sooo delicious.

DIY Kimchi Kit

My mum and dad grew courgettes in the garden a few times. And my husband also plants them from time to time. They are easy to grow, give a good crop and they taste better if you grow them by yourself. My parents loved growing them but had to stop when they moved to an apartment later on.

Courgettes are not English vegetables traditionally. But, fortunately, they are available everywhere in the UK. Courgettes are more often used in Mediterranean or Italian cuisine here.

I probably buy courgettes almost every week. Koreans use them in all kinds of dishes such as soups and stews, Bibimbap, side dishes, fried vegetables and pancakes.

I will be posting more banchan recipes over the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye on my blog so you don’t miss out.