Best 5 Muji Korean Side Dishes to Pack in Your Suitcase
My mom always packs muji korean side dishes when she goes abroad. Many Koreans feel that European or American food is oily, so they need to eat Korean food about once a day. So some Koreans buy Muji Banchan. It’s because the price is cheap, and they’re packaged in small portions so there’s no weight burden.
I introduce the top 5 muji korean side dishes exclusive to Muji Korea that you’ll pack as a souvenir.
Why Regret If You Don’t Buy Muji Banchan?
Korea-exclusive: These aren’t sold at Muji in Japan or Europe.
Suitcase-friendly: Every pack is small and flat enough to tuck into luggage. (still, putting it in a ziplock bag once more is safer).
Cheap: About $2~3 each.
Real side dishes Koreans eat
Best 5 Muji Korean Side Dishes to Bring Home
I picked these 5 Muji Banchan as basic Korean side dishes that go well with rice. This is Not a Muji ad haha
Quail Egg & Beef Jangjorim (메추리알 쇠고기 장조림)
- Price: 4,900 KRW (€3.0, $3.3)
- Amount & calories: 190g, 200kcal
Jangjorim is a side dish made by slowly braising beef in a sweet soy sauce until it becomes tender, and quail eggs are usually cooked in together as well. This beef Muji Banchan is salty-sweet, so it goes well with rice. It’s actually a tricky side dish to make, but now you can just buy it at Muji Korea for $3.
🇪🇺🇬🇧 To EU/UK readers
2. Stir-Fried Anchovies with Nuts (견과류 멸치볶음)
- Price: 3,900 KRW (€2.3, $2.7)
- Amount & calories: 80g, 309kcal
Small dried anchovies stir-fried sweetly together with nuts. This anchovy stir-fry is exactly the side dish Korean moms always make sure to feed their kids! It’s because they think anchovies are high in calcium and good for growing tall. So maybe that’s why my brother and I might be above the average Korean height haha (my brother’s height is 187cm, mine is 167cm)
3. Pickled Wild Garlic Leaves (명이나물)
- Price: 4,500 KRW (€2.7, $3.1)
- Amount & calories: 100g, 80kcal
This is my favorite in Muji Banchan. Myeong-i namul is made by pickling wild garlic leaves grown in Gangwon-do in brown rice vinegar until they turn sweet and tangy. Koreans use this to wrap Korean BBQ (especially pork belly), so if you go to a KBBQ restaurant in Korea, you’ll commonly see it there. If you’re vegan/vegetarian, wrapping rice in it without meat tastes just as good.
Korean BBQ Recipe: Pork Belly (Samgyupsal) Without Grill
4. Seasoned Perilla Leaves (양념 깻잎)
- Price: 3,500 KRW (€2.1, $2.4)
- Amount & calories: 110g, 150kcal
If you love spicy food, this is one of the Korean side dishes to bring home. There are two types of perilla leaves, seasoned ones and ones pickled in soy sauce like the myeong-i namul above, and this one is tossed in a spicy seasoning made with red pepper flakes. Perilla leaves are a Korean herb, and all my European friends like them too. Just wrap white rice in a perilla leaf like you’re bundling it up and eat it. When I lived in Belgium, it was really sad how hard it was to find perilla leaves. You have to buy this Kkaetip(perilla leaves) Muji Banchan..
5. Seasoned Dried Radish Strips (무말랭이)
- Price: 3,500 KRW (€2.1, $2.4)
- Amount & calories: 110g, 150kcal
This might be one of the interesting Muji Korean side dishes for you. Mu-malaengi is sun-dried radish that’s been soaked in water and then tossed in a spicy-sweet seasoning, and it’s one of the side dishes my grandma makes best, but since my grandmother is now unwell to cook, it’s a side dish I often just buy instead. The crunchy texture is what makes it appealing, and you just put one piece on top of a spoonful of rice and eat it together.
One Thing to Keep in Mind
Muji Korean side dishes are packaged but the regulations for bringing food into your own country differ by country. Check the food import regulations of the country you’re going to.
€1 Korean Kitchen Items
I’ve also put together a Top 10 Daiso Kitchen Items – Korean Restaurant Tableware Set guide, so if you’re wondering what else to buy as a souvenir, check out this blog post too.
