Traditional Korean Party Menu Ideas for Holiday Dinners!

How to plan a Traditional Korean Party menu for your next holiday dinner – whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas. My menu planning tips will help you cook a perfect feast for your family this Holiday – big or small and in a more simplified way.

UPDATED 12/3/2022

Traditional Korean Party Menu Ideas

A Traditional Korean Party Menu ideas for holiday dinners is something I recently got asked to write about in my facebook group. In the past, I have shared Korean side dishes that can work with your Turkey thanksgiving dinner but I think this year people are looking for something even more different.

Just so you know, Korean Party menu aka Janchi (잔치) menu typically includes so many dishes that it takes days to prepare and cook. And it will usually fill up the whole table and this is when Koreans usually say ..

상다리가 부러지게 차렸네요!~ 😂🤣

Wow, there’s so much food I think the table legs might break!

Well, that’s quite many years ago when 3 family generations usually lived in one household. Which also meant there was more than one person in the kitchen and also moms didn’t have jobs or had to manage kids’ activities or help them with homework and such – like moms have to do today. I know these days, especially in the year of 2022, moms have to play many more roles… Bless all of the moms out there!! 💕🙏🏻

What is a typical Traditional Korean Party Menu?

Although there is no one standard menu per se for Korean Dinner parties- a typical Korean Party Menu always include rice and soup, one or more protein, vegetables, noodles and Kimchi. So it will be one or more dishes from each category below.

• Jjim 찜 (Stewed or braised meat like Galbijjim) and Jorim
• Gui 구이 (Grilled meat or fish)
• Muchim and Namul (Salads)
• Jeon 전 (Fritters or Pancakes)
• Banchan (side dishes)
• Noodles like Japchae
• Kimchi 김치

But this is quite outdated.. and also I find this menu ends up with way too much food. Especially, I find that Soup, Jeons, Namuls and many other banchans are not really worth the effort when you have a large menu. Individually, I love all of them but when mixed with other side dishes, it just kind of disappears into the background and I don’t feel it adds much to your meal other than fill up the table.

Now, the menu ideas I share below is based on the assumption that you are having a buffet-style party.

For a more intimate sit-down party, I would say you can reduce the number of side dishes and add a jjigae or soup to your menu. If you are making bulgogi, kalbi then a Doenjang Jjigae works great. With Galbi Jjim, because it already has quite a bit of sauce, no need to add extra jjigea or soup.

My Korean Party Menu Ideas for your next Holiday Dinner!

Based on my 30+ years of cooking and entertaining experiences, here is a group of recipes that work well together. Here are some of my thoughts behind menu planing —

• heavier meaty and fatty dishes VS something refreshing, sour, lightly sweet with a zing like salads or kimchi
• include a side dish that’s mild tasting like potato salad, acorn jelly, jeons which fills the background like the background color in a painting.
• something spicy and salty like Doenjang Jjigae is great if you have rich grilled meats
• soup is really not necessary nor does it make much of an impact when you have a full party menu including meat dishes. Soup is best when you have just a few banchan and the soup is kind of the main item on the menu.

If you are preparing a festive dinner with several meat dishes then I recommend that you save your energy and hassle (it’s hard to serve soups to many) and time by not cooking soups but of course, it’s up to you.

If you really want soups, a simple flavored Beef Radish Soup and Miyeok Guk are good mild ones to serve.

Well, let’s get started. I’m going to list recipes in categories and you can choose one or more from each based on your preference to create your own special Korean Party Menu for your next Holiday dinner. Happy Cooking!!

1. BAP

Cooke plain white short grain rice or Heukmi Bap (Black Rice) for color and flavor. To make your meal more festive and fun, you can make these rice balls instead of just plain rice.

How to make Korean white rice

How to make Korean white rice on stovetop or with rice cooker or pressure cooker.

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Korean Purple Rice or Black Rice (Heukmi Bap)

Korean Purple Rice usually refers to Korean rice that is cooked with black rice which gives it the pretty purple color. Besides giving the rice this beautiful purple hue, black rice adds extra nutty flavor and has great health benefits.

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Snowman Rice Balls (Jumeokbap) for Christmas!

Snowman Rice Balls or Jumeokbap is a great delicious savory treat that’s decorated with all edible dried seaweed (gim or nori), perilla and carrots. Great for parties and fun project to do with kids for the holidays.

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2. JJIM and/or GUI

Make ahead 1-2 days – make Galbi Jjim 1-2 days before and just reheat. It will actually taste better the 2nd day. It’s also easy to let the Galbi jjim cool then you can remove the fat that hardens on top. Marinade bulgogi, kalbi and refrigerate then cook when time to serve.

Galbi Jjim (Korean Braised Short Ribs)

This is Korean food at its best. The combination of sweet yet savory, juicy yet melt in your mouth tender beef ribs with a great depth of flavor.

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Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs (Galbi Jjim)

Korean Short Ribs (Galbi Jjim) takes hours to cook but with this Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe will cook it in just 35 minutes and it’s absolutely delicious!

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I love to cook Galbi Jjim because it’s something you can easily prepare in advance and just reheat when ready to serve. Also it tastes better the 2nd day + you can remove extra fat easily once it’s cooled.

OR CHOOSE ONE from below

You can make one of the following marinades and cook on the stove and keep warm in the oven until serving time.

Kalbi – Korean Short Ribs Blender Marinade

KALBI OR GALBI (KOREAN SHORT RIBS), HOWEVER YOU WANT TO SPELL IT, IS SIMPLY THE BEST WAY TO EAT SHORT RIBS ON THE BBQ.

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Bulgogi – Authentic Korean BBQ Beef Recipe

Bulgogi – Korean BBQ Beef (불고기) is probably one of the best known Korean dish and this authentic marinade recipe has been used in my family for over 25 years.

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Spicy Pork Bulgogi

Spicy, savory, sweet, gingery pork bulgogi made with Korean gochujang sauce.

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Easy Chicken Bulgogi

Chicken Bulgogi that is fabulous on the grill or on a pan. Marinade with just pantry ingredients. Delicious and easy to make. Serve with rice, kimchi and lettuce salad (geotjeori).

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Oven Baked Korean Spicy Pork

Simplest Oven Baked Korean Spicy Pork is a great freezer friendly, make ahead recipe to make. Need only 4 seasoning ingredients.

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For a VEGAN option, you can make this dish as a main Korean vegan dish.

Tofu Recipe with Soy Mirin Sauce (Dubu Jorim)

Dubu Jorim (두부조림) is a great Korean tofu recipe that is a very basic, common side dish found in Korean meals. It tastes great both warm and cold.

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3.SALADS/MUCHIM

Make ahead – prep veggies, make salad dressings separately and toss right before serving. You can make cucumber salad up to several hours ahead and chill in refrigerator.

If you want to have a more minimal menu, you can just choose one of the meat dishes above and then make some fresh salads or muchim as a side and serve just these 3 – rice + meat + vegetables.

Quick Asian Cucumber Salad without Soy Sauce

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad without soy sauce and it’s extra refreshing because it is without any pungent ingredients like garlic or green onion. Ready in 5 minutes or less.

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Korean Green Onion Salad (Pa Muchim)

Korean Green Onion Salad (Pa Muchim) is a must have side dish for Korean Grilled Meats. It is a really simple dish but it brings out the flavor of your meat while cutting out the fatty taste. 

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Spicy Baby Bok Choy Salad

Easy and simple bok choy salad that is spicy, tangy and sweet but with no garlic so it’s very refreshing. Great side dish for any meal. Especially with Tteok Guk.

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Korean Potato Salad

Korean potato salad (Gamja Salad) is a great creamy side dish to make for Korean BBQ meals. Addition of cucumbers and apples makes this salad extra fresh and crunchy.

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Tofu Salad with Iceberg Lettuce and Sweet Corn

Tofu Salad with iceberg lettuce, sweet corn and radish sprouts is the most delicious way to enjoy fresh tofu cold and raw. My sweet tangy and mustardy soy dressing works so well with the crunchy lettuce, corn and radish sprouts – flavoring the tofu in the most yummy way.

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Korean Lettuce Salad

This Korean Lettuce Salad is a wonderfully delicious side dish to any grilled meats – especially unseasoned grilled meats. The salty, vinegary and slightly sweet chili flavors really help break up any greasy taste of meats while still highlighting the meaty flavor. 

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4. KIMCHI

Make Ahead – Kkakdugi, Baechi Kimchi, Cucumber Kimchi should all be made at least a week or two before for best flavor.

Kimchi, of course, is a must for a Korean meal. You can just serve store bought Kimchi or make some easy kimchi recipes a week or so before. Here are some simple Kimchi recipes that you can make.

Green Cabbage Kimchi (양배추 김치 Yangbaechoo Kimchi)

This kimchi is made from green cabbage (the regular kind used to make coleslaw) and is a good alternative to traditional kimchi if you can’t find authentic Korean cabbage although Napa cabbage is a close substitute. 

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Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Kimchi)

The crunchy texture and the refreshing taste of cucumbers are perfectly preserved in this fabulous Korean Cucumber Kimchi that is Vegan and Gluten Free

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Kkakdugi – Korean Cubed Radish Kimchi

Kkakdugi is a very easy and quick Kimchi to make – just in 30 minutes so. So, if you have never made Kimchi before, this is a great one to start with.

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Or if you want to go all the way, you can try my most favorite Baechu Kimchi recipe that I make all the time. I use the blender to chop everything so you have to do minimal chopping or prepping.

Easy Kimchi using Blender

Easy Kimchi recipe using the blender! This easy and simple recipe is also lighter and more refreshing than most Kimchis – exactly like the Northern Korean style Kimjang Kimchi, I ate at home growing up. 

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HAVE NO TIME to make the full kimchi? You can always make this fresh Geotjeori kimchi which you can make as late as the day of the party. Substitute other napa cabbage or even bokchoy.

Fresh Kimchi Salad – Bomdong Geotjeori

Fresh Kimchi Salad using Spring Napa cabbage or Bomdong Geotjeori in Korean. This dish does not require fermentation and can be eaten right away.

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5. NOODLES

Make Ahead – make Japchae up to several hours before serving and keep at room temp. Noodle salads are great because you can cut and prep the ingredients and the dressing the day before (NOT the noodles). Cook noodles few hours before then toss and mix before serving.

Japchae especially is perfect when served at room temperature so you can make it few hours before and just leave on the counter until it’s ready to serve (unless it’s summertime because Japchae spoils very easily in warm temps).

Korean Glass Noodles (Japchae) – One Pan Recipe

Simple one-pan Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles) that is as delicious as the full version. Vegan and gluten free.

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Noodle Salads are fabulous because they add a different texture to your table and also these are refreshing, light and has a zing that lightens your palate.

So, just make Japchae OR choose one noodle salad from below.

Buckwheat Noodles Salad (Makguksu)

Buckwheat noodles with chicken and vegetables aka Makguksu (막국수) and hot summer go together like hot chocolate and cold winter. There’s just something curiously cooling about all the fresh crunchy vegetables and cold buckwheat noodles(메밀국수 maemil guksu) mixed together. 

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Soba Noodle Salad

Soba Noodle Salad is a great one dish meal or side dish to any meal. Make a large batch of the yummy sesame soy dressing and use at any time.

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Cold Jellyfish Salad (Haepari Naengchae) with Starflower

An essential dish to any Korean party menu that can be prepared ahead of time and kept chilled in the fridge to be assembled when guests arrive. Served cold, it pairs well with rich foods like grilled meats and fried dishes. 

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YOU CAN STOP HERE..

BUT if you want to make your Traditional Korean Dinner party even more fabulous, make the Pork Belly Tofu Kimchi (Dubu Kimchi) recipe from below. That’s always a crowd-pleaser! 😍😍 Be sure to use sour kimchi for the dish and remember pork belly is optional. You can just sautee sour kimchi without pork and serve with fresh raw tofu. Soo good!

3 in 1 Make Ahead Kimchi Pork Belly Recipe

3-in-1 Recipe with Kimchi and Pork Belly that you can also freeze for later. With this Kimchi Pork Recipe, you can make 3 classic Korean dishes: Kimchi Jjigae, Kimchi Fried Rice and Kimchi Tofu. All in less than 25 minutes!

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Jeon (Korean pancakes) – CHOOSE ONE

As I said before, personally as much as I love Jeon, it easily gets lost if you are going to serve it buffet style with other dishes that have a stronger flavor. If you are doing a sit down and are serving a course meal, you can serve freshly cooked jeon right from the frying pan and that will be delicious.

Here’s my list of 10 Korean pancakes – Bindaetteok (GLUTEN FREE), Fish Jeon, Pajeon are some of my favorites. Substitute 1 for 1 GF flour to make these Gluten Free. You can make these in advance and reheat before serving.

Crispy Zucchini Pancakes (Hobak buchimgae)

Easy Korean Zucchini fritters that is great as appetizer, side dish (banchan) for any Korean meal. Serve hot or room temp. Serve with soy vinegar dipping sauce.

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Pan-Fried Fish and Shrimp Jeon (Saengsun and Saewoo Jeon)

Cod and Shrimp are coated in flour and egg and then pan-fried golden brown. Great side dish or even main dish to any Korean meal. Easy, Simple and Delish!

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Kimchi Pancake (Kimchi Jeon)

Kimchi Pancake or Kimchi Jeon is an easy and simple recipe that uses old and fully fermented or too sour kimchi. It is great as a side dish but also is great as snack with makgeolli.

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Haemul Pajeon – Korean Seafood Scallion Pancake

Unlike the common, everyday Korean Pajeon (Green Onion Pancake) which is made by just mixing everything together – batter, seafood, vegetables and all – Dongrae/Dongnae Haemul Pajeon is made in several steps or layers which is more work but definitely worth the effort. 

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Bindaetteok – Mung Bean Pancake

Especially for Korean New Year’s, we always had bindaetteok (빈대떡) or Nokdu Jeon(녹두전) and naengmyeon (Cold Noodles Soup) all ready to serve. Bindaetteok is made from ground mung bean batter with kimchi, veggies and pork belly added. 

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BANCHAN

Make Ahead – all the banchans here can be made 1-2 days but don’t store Myeolchi bokkeum in the fridge – it makes it fishy. Here are my top favorites to make that’s sure to make people happy.

Korean Radish Salad (Moosaengche)

Korean Radish Salad that goes wonderfully well with BBQ meats. Sweet and tangy and slightly spicy.

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Spicy Soybean Sprouts (Kongnamul Muchim)

Spicy Soybean Sprouts side dish that is saucy and delicious! Kongnamul Muchim is a great healthy dish to have with any meal as a side but also wonderful with just rice. 

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Korean Spicy Dried Squid Recipe (Ojingeochae Muchim)

Most popular Korean side dish for dosirak (lunchbox) and for everyday meals. The spicy and sweet gochujang sauce is quite addicting when paired with the salty, chewy dried squid. Easy to prepare and keeps well up to weeks in fridge.

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Myeolchi Bokkeum (Soy Maple Glazed Anchovies)

Myeolchi Bokkeum is a classic Korean side dish that is made from small dried anchovies. It is sweet and salty and delicious.

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Best Bean Sprouts Recipe for Korean Sukju Namul

My Mung Bean Sprouts Recipe for a Korean side dish called Sukju Namul. Easy and simple to make. Great topping for bibimbap.

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This is a very classic side dish but if you can make this, your guests will be soo impressed! Follow my recipe and you can make this ahead of time and just serve at room temp.

Acorn Jelly (Dotorimuk)

How to make Acorn Jelly (dotorimuk) from dried acorn powder. It's easier then you might think and tastes wonderful with my sauces (I have 2 sauce versions so you are bound to like one!). This jelly is low calorie and healthy – makes a great side dish or good as a salad meal.

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A Totally Different Korean Party Menu Idea

Before we get to dessert, I want to share a totally separate Korean Party Menu idea. Instead of making all these dishes separately, you can just prepare a spread for making Bibimbap. So, you cook all the topping separately and serve them buffet style and allow your guests to assemble their own Bibimbap in any way they want.

With this, you really don’t need to prepare much else. If you want, make some Jeon or Pancakes and some banchans to go with everyone’s Bibimbap. The will love it!! Oh and if you have a vegan, just pan-fry tofu with some bulgogi marinade and that should work fine. I’m linking a stone pot bibimbap recipe below but you don’t need a stone pot at all.

Dolsot Bibimbap (Korean Stone Pot Rice Bowl)

Dolsot Bibimbap comes in a hot stone pot that is served SIZZLING HOT at your table. Which means you will have a fantastically browned burnt rice in the bottom – making this dish extra delicious!

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Saessak Bibimbap with Microgreens

Quick and easy Bibimbap using Microgreens or Sprouts is the simplest way to enjoy the delicious flavors of the Korean mixed rice bowl without a lot of cooking.

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DESSERT

Traditionally, Koreans end the meal with some sweet drinks and some fresh fruits.

Make ahead – Sikhye, Sujeonggwa, Yakgwa can all be made a few days before. Yaksik can be made the day before. Bukkumi is best when it’s freshly made.

Sweet Rice Punch (Sikhye 식혜)

Sikhye is a classic Korean dessert drink that is made from malt barley. I LOVE the unique sweet taste of sikhye and the soft, melt in your mouth rice that comes floating in the drink.

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Sujeonggwa (Ginger Cinnamon Punch)

SUJEONGGWA (KOREAN CINNAMON GINGER PUNCH) IN THE WINTER WITH SOME DRIED PERSIMMON IS SIMPLY A FABULOUS DESSERT DRINK THAT WILL ALSO KEEP THE COLD AWAY!

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If you want something a little more, make any of these for an extra special sweet ending to your Traditional Korean Feast!

Bukkumi with Fresh Flowers (Pan-fried Rice Cake Dumplings with Sweet Red Bean filling)

Pan-fried rice cake dumplings (or Bukkumi) are Sweet Rice Cake dumplings stuffed with sweet fillings and then pan-fried in oil to create a crispy crust with a soft chewy inside.

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Korean Sweet Rice Dessert (Yaksik)

A dessert filled with health-promoting ingredients like jujube, chestnuts, and pine nuts. This version uses a pressure cooker and can be done quicker than most traditional recipes.

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Here’s an Instant Pot Yaksik recipe should you need one.

For the most special treat, you can spend some time to make my most favorite Korean sweet – Yakgwa. You do need to deep fry this but it’s soo worth the effort. You can make this in days in advance. Keeps fresh for days at room temp and for weeks and months in the freezer.

Korean Honey Pastry (Yakgwa or Yakwa)

Yakgwa(약과) is a traditional Korean sweet pastry that is fried and coated in syrup rich with flavors of ginger and honey.

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And there you have it!! Hope you have the most wonderful Holidays this season.

Please let me know if you have any questions or need help with planning your own special Korean feast menu!

XOXO ❤️

JinJoo

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