• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to footer-bottom navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Kimchimari

Authentic Korean recipes even YOU can cook!

Free Korean BBQ Cookbook! TAP HERE to GET IT
POPULAR: our 10 takeout favorites
Facebook YouTube Instagram Pinterest Twitter

Authentic Korean Recipes Anyone Can Cook

  • New to Korean cooking? Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Recipes by Alphabet
    • Latest on the Blog
  • Ingredients
    • Korean Ingredient Glossary
    • Pantry Essentials
    • Pantry – Beyond Essentials
    • Korean Ingredients in Depth
  • How To
    • Cooking Basics + Tips
    • Buy + Use
    • Meal Plan
    • Make from scratch
    • Korean Veg Garden
  • Travel
  • Videos
    • Video Recipes
    • Web Stories
  • About
    • About Me
    • Press Interviews and Mentions
  • New to Korean cooking? Start Here
  • SHOP
  • Free Korean BBQ Cookbook! TAP HERE to GET IT
  • Facebook YouTube Instagram Pinterest Twitter
Home Reference

Korean Meal Planning Guide with a Sample Week Menu

Posted:4/17/20209 Comments
Korean Meal Planning Guide

You can use this guide to make your Korean meal planning and prep easier and yummier. I believe you don’t need to cook a lot of Korean dishes to have a wonderful meal. You just need a few dishes that go well together with awesome flavor combinations to enjoy the most amazing dinner (or lunch)!

Korean Meal Planning Guide
Korean meal planning guide

I know I have said this a few times before, I have often experienced and seen Korean meals where there are several side dishes (like 6-7 or more) but where most banchans are all spicy and they all fight each other when it goes in your mouth.  And when you are done eating, I always come away wondering if there was a way the meal could have been better.

When I plan my menu, I try to do it so that there’s a good balance in flavors, for example – here are some quick ideas that are behind my Korean Menu Plan  —

  • Spicy (like Yukgaejang) & Mild and Creamy (Gamjajeon, Potato Salad)
  • Rich (like Kalbi BBQ) & Tangy and Sweet (like Radish Salad)
  • Rich and Hearty (Galbijjim) & Fresh, Light and Spicy (Kimchi Salad)

Because, as much as I love cooking, I don’t like to spend too much time and energy on a meal where it won’t be fully appreciated or simply, not yummy as it could be. I would rather make 3 dishes that go wonderfully together than 7 dishes that individually are delicious but when served together in a meal.. it’s not as amazing as it could be…

Perhaps, I’m just an engineer at heart.. haha..maximum impact with minimum effort!! Anyway, it just makes me very happy and content when I hear people say how everything tasted so wonderful TOGETHER.
Case in point, if you are going to make Kimchi Jjigae, you don’t want to make Kimchi jeon or Kimchi Fried Rice at the same time.. right? Or make spicy Tteokbokki and then also make a spicy and salty Gochujang Jjigae or Soup?  That’s just too much of similar flavors – at least that’s my opinion.😝😜

When I make Kimchi Jjigae, I like to make a savory, nutty or creamy dishes like Sauteed String Potatoes with Mayo (believe me, it just goes so wonderfully together), or just plain pan-fried Tofu or grill some hearty oily fish like Spanish Mackerel.

General Tips about Korean Meal Planning:

Some basic compositions of an everyday Korean Meal (note these are NOT the traditional full meals with 10 side dishes but more of just my take on simplified Korean meals that are easy enough to cook every day).

Most Simple Korean Meals:

  1. Rice + Soup or Stew + Kimchi
  2. Noodles (dry or soup) + Kimchi
  3. Rice + Main Meat or Seafood Dish + Kimchi
  4. Bibimbap or Rice Bowls + Kimchi
  5. One dish meals (Kimchi fried rice, Curry rice, Kongnamul bap) + soup (optional) + Kimchi and/or pickled radish (Danmuji)
  6. Bunsik (light meals) – Tteokbokki, Kimbap, Twigim, Jumeokbap, Omurice are some great combinations that kids also love! The only side dishes you need for these meals are kimchi and/or pickled radish (Danmuji).

To the above meals, especially for 1, 3, 4, 5 compositions, you can freely add more side dishes to each meal to make it even more wonderful and tasty. Compositions 2 and 6 are such that, additional side dishes are really not necessary.

Tips on planning Korean Side Dishes

Side Dishes (banchan) make Korean meals extra fun to eat and delicious. And the nice thing about most side dishes is that they can be made in a big batch and then eaten over several days or weeks depending on how long they keep.

See my list of 15 vegetable side dishes and 12 meat + seafood side dishes to get ideas on what you want to try. In the first post, I also have a table that shows how best to store each dish and how long they will last. You can also refer to Food Safety.Gov site for more info on how to safely store foods.

My favorite list of side dishes (because they are my family’s favorite and also because they keep well) that get included in my rotation (I’ll probably have 2 of these at any time): Myeolchi Bokkeum, Ojingeo Chae Bokkeum, Kongnamul, Jangjorim, Cucumber Salad, Kongjaban, Burdock Roots, Musaengche.

What I like to do is to make 2 or 3 side dishes on a weekend or for example, make a large batch of myeolchi bokkeum (dried anchovies) for dinner when I’m making something simple like Baeksuk (Korean Chicken Soup). Because I don’t need to cook much else and have extra time while the soup and rice are cooking.

Once I make it, I serve the anchovies with the soup and then save the rest for the week. At meal-time throughout the week, I take one or two banchan out and serve with other dishes. I try not to serve it every meal because people will get tired of it and won’t eat it.

Kimchi and Pickles – as you probably know already, kimchi is a must to have. You don’t need many different kimchis but it’s usually good to have a radish and a cabbage kimchi.

photo collage of different Kimchis for 10 kimchi recipes
10 Kimchi Recipes Using Different Vegetables

I have listed all my Kimchi recipes in this post above so you can check out to see which ones you might make. If you are a beginner to kimchi, I would recommend making the cucumber kimchi (bottom left) or green cabbage kimchi (bottom right). They are simple and quick to make.

Korean Pickles - Garlic, Cucumber Jangahjji
Korean Pickles – Garlic, Cucumber Jangahjji

I also always have some pickles (Jangahjji) that I make with one or more of the following: cucumber, garlic scapes, garlic, broccoli stems and green chili peppers (Jalapeno or Korean peppers). You can pickle them altogether or separately. Read more HERE.

Quick Korean Side Dishes (Avocado, Mushrooms, Tofu)

3 Quick Korean Side Dishes (Avocado, Mushrooms, Tofu)Lastly, have a list of really quick and last-minute side dishes that you can make in just a few minutes for those times when you just don’t have the time or energy to cook additional dishes.

See my 3 Quick Side Dishes post for ideas.

Korean Menu Planning for 1 week

Below, I have a sample meal plan for 1 week. I kind of have a theme for this one which is Bulgogi. As you can see, once you make a big batch of bulgogi, you can make a series of meals using bulgogi as the main ingredient.

I only have one meal per day because I assume most of you would not be eating Korean food every day of the week, lunch and dinner. Even in the latest stay-at-home era, I find that we mostly end up eating leftovers for lunch and also enjoy having other foods on some days of the week.

How to store and reheat Bulgogi –

Both cooked and uncooked bulgogi can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or in the freezer for weeks. Reheating is easily done by thawing bulgogi in the microwave or in the refrigerator and then once thawed pan-frying or grilling (uncooked only).

DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!!

Subscribe to my emails and you can get my FREE Korean BBQ Dinners Cookbook and also get updates on NEW Recipes, Monthly Newsletters and more Meal Plans!!!

** Thanks to WP Recipe Maker, you can adjust servings, remove recipes from the list below and also generate a shopping list for this meal plan and even PRINT them – so don’t forget to try that feature and let me know how you like it!

Stay SAFE everyone! Take Care 💕

XOXO

JinJoo

Similar Recipes

  • tteokbokki finished with green onions and sesame seeds
    Tteokbokki - BEST Spicy Korean Rice Cake! (Updated 2023)
  • Mock Kimchi Rice with Bacon
    "Mock" Kimchi Rice with Sauerkraut and Bacon
  • A collage image of different kimchi dishes
    10 Delicious Ways to Eat Kimchi (includes Korean Recipes)
  • Purple Rice close up in green ceramic rice bowl
    Korean Purple Rice or Black Rice (Heukmi Bap)
Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

I LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or recipe review here. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:




9 Comments
  1. Vee says

    Posted on 22 January 2023 at 1:19 pm

    This is really her great. I cook a lot of Carribean and Italian dishes but absolutely love Korean side dishes and have started cooking them alongside the main meat & rice/potato dish. Good to know these aren’t made on a daily basis (Kdrama you always see them in little containers in the fridge)

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 23 January 2023 at 12:54 pm

      Just what I want to hear!! Thank you so much. Yup – many banchans are meant to last for days if not weeks.

      Reply
  2. nickie says

    Posted on 9 May 2021 at 2:43 pm

    thank you for posting this weekly meal plan its really a big help specially to the foreigner like me who’s married to a korean.

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 10 May 2021 at 11:57 am

      Yay!! So glad to hear that. I have been meaning to post more menu plans but haven’t gotten around to it. I will try to post some more soon so hope you are subscribed! Thank you!

      Reply
  3. Youna says

    Posted on 18 January 2021 at 1:39 pm

    This is the first meal planning guide for Korean food I saw! Currently I use Cook Once Eat All Week cookbook. Since I am a busy mom working full-time the closest Korean market is 40 min away I needed something that will keep me stress free when planning out the meals for the week. I love the cookbook I use but I would something like it for Korean food. That way I know exactly what and quantity of ingredients I need to use for the week so I can go to Korean store just once a week and use up all the ingredients in one week. My favorite cuisine is Korean (haha I guess it’s a given since I am Korean-American) and I would love our kids to grow up with Korean AND American food.

    Reply
  4. Isabelle says

    Posted on 2 January 2021 at 2:59 am

    Hi, I’d love to try this recipe – is it ok to use pieces of chicken (let’s say thighs and breast) instead of a whole chicken? We are only two so a whole chicken would be a bit much. Thank you, Isabelle

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 2 January 2021 at 8:09 pm

      IF you are talking about the baeksuk – you can use chicken pieces but please use with bone-in pieces. We are also 2 so I often make it with Cornish Hen. If you can find that – it would work well. Enjoy!

      Reply
  5. Unhee says

    Posted on 20 April 2020 at 9:59 pm

    Wow, thanks for posting this week meal plan, and also the generic guide on food pairings. This will be very helpful! I need to get back to my Korean food roots, I feel so unhealthy and unsatisfied with regular foods that I cook, but I just get so tired of thinking what to cook… Especially Korean food that I’m not used to eating daily (10+ years married and now young kids). Do you plan on doing weekly meal plans regularly?
    P.S. LOVE the non-spicy version of some recipes, it would be amazing for more alternatives like that for kids!

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 21 April 2020 at 9:24 pm

      Hi Unhee! I hear you – Korean food for Koreans are just somehow so satisfying and soothing. I am thinking of doing more weekly meal plans if there is enough interest – will see. And I actually have a list of recipes that are kid friendly – https://kimchimari.com/kid-friendly-korean-foods/ you may want to check it out. Also, be sure to subscribe to my emails because if I do weekly plans, I will most likely limit access to subscribers only. Thank you and take care!!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

JinJoo from KimchiMari

Welcome

Hi! I'm JinJoo! Thank you for visiting my Korean Food blog where I share detailed Authentic Korean recipes that even YOU can cook!

My Story

browse by type

gf Gluten Free df Dairy Free pc Pressure Cooker Recipes vg Vegan lc low carb <30 30min or less kf Kid-Friendly ls low-salt
  • by Course
    • Drinks
    • Soup+Stew
    • Appetizers
    • Salads
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts and Snacks
  • by Ingredient
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Seafood
    • Rice
    • Noodles
    • Tofu
    • Vegetables
    • Egg
    • Paste/Sauces
  • by Korean Basics
    • Eumryo 음료
    • Bap 밥
    • Bokkeum 볶음
    • Gui 구이
    • Guk 국
    • Hangwa 한과
    • Jang 장
    • Jeon 전
    • Jeongol 전골
    • Jjigae 찌게
    • Jjim 찜
    • Jorim 조림
    • Kimchi 김치
    • Myeon 면
    • Namul 나물
    • Tteok 떡
  • by Type
    • Easy Meals
    • 30 Minutes or Less
    • Kid-Friendly
    • Lunchboxes
    • Condiments and Sauces
    • Cooking for One
    • Street food
    • Pressure Cooker Recipes
Free Korean BBQ Favorites ebook
free recipe book!

Join to get my FREE cookbook + monthly newsletters + recipe updates!

join now!

Nutritional facts, MSG & gluten free

Nutritional Facts in my recipe cards are provided PER SERVING and it’s an estimate and may not be accurate. Due to different brands of ingredients having different nutritional values, the values I provide here may be different from your preparation.

– Gluten-Free recipe assumes you are using gluten-free soy sauce (since many soy sauces contain gluten or wheat) and/or gluten-free gochujang.

– MSG & Corn Syrup FREE – these are never used in my recipes

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window
baked chicken on parchment paper with onions caramelized

닭고기

Chicken

소고기

Beef

Spicy Pork BBQ - Korean Pork Bulgogi

돼지고기

Pork

Garlic Scape Stir Fry with Shrimp (Maneuljjong Bokkeum 마늘쫑 볶음)

해산물

Seafood

Soondubu Jjigae or Soft Tofu Stew

두부

Tofu

곡식

Rice

READER FAVORITES

Trending Now

Mini Kimbap tray - kimbap two ways

Mini Kimbap (Mayak Kimbap) with Carrot or Cucumber

Chicken Bulgogi Rice

Easy Chicken Bulgogi (Dak Bulgogi) for Korean BBQ

After stew has boiled for 15 min with cheese melted on top

Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)

Korean Sweet Pancake - Hotteok/Hodduck (호떡) www.kimchimari.com

Hotteok (호떡)- Korean Sweet Dessert Pancake

featured on
ny times logo
  • COOK
    • Recipe Index
    • Pantry Items
    • Videos
  • LEARN
    • Starter Guide
    • Korean How To’s
    • Travel
join the kimchimari family
Receive Free Cookbook and New Recipes by Email
join now
  • Back to Top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy
© 2025 Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled

free recipe ebook!

Get my FREE cookbook + newsletters + lessons!
Choose all that you wish!
Thank you for subscribing!
  • 1013