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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Sides / Easy Seasoned Spinach (Sigeumchi Namul)

    Easy Seasoned Spinach (Sigeumchi Namul)

    Posted: Sep 1, 2021 Last Modified: Jan 28, 2023 by Carmy · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This easy Seasoned Spinach is our go-to side dish! It’s a Korean spinach side dish that takes less than 10 minutes to make and is definitely our favourite way to enjoy spinach. Packed with flavour and can be enjoyed warmed or chilled, this spinach banchan is going to be your go-to as well!

    I love a quick and easy side dish. One of H’s favourite things about going to a Korean restaurant is the variety of banchans (side dishes) they serve. This spinach banchan in particular is one of our go-to as it’s healthy, simple, and easy to recreate at home.

    Close up of Korean spinach banchan.

    Why You’ll Love This Side Dish

    • It’s our favourite spinach side dish as leftovers do not require reheating so you can make a huge batch on a weekend and slowly enjoy it straight out of the fridge throughout the week! The perfect meal prep!
    • This Korean spinach side dish is so easy to make, it literally takes less than 10 minutes! The hardest part is squeezing the water from the spinach!
    • It’s a super healthy side dish as it’s literally just seasoned spinach. So if you want to get some extra greens into your diet, simply serve this up with any entree. It goes with everything!

    Ingredients You’ll Need

    Ingredients needed to make Korean seasoned spinach (Sigumchi Namul)
    • soy sauce — I recommend using low sodium. Sometimes, H likes to omit the soy sauce from this Korean spinach side dish entirely. Let me know which way you prefer it!
    • sesame oil — I’m a fan of pure sesame oil for this but you can also use toasted sesame oil as well!
    • garlic — I like to use freshly minced garlic. I always have garlic frozen which is why the photo up above have the garlic as a square piece. Here’s how to freeze garlic.
    • sesame seeds — I always go with toasted sesame seeds.
    • salt — use a pinch. I always use Diamond kosher salt.
    • baby spinach — while it looks like a ton of spinach in the photo above, once it is cooked, it shrinks!

    How to Make Korean Seasoned Spinach

    Sauce mixture for spinach.
    Spinach blanched in a pot of water.
    Spinach drained.
    • In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and salt. Mix and then set aside.
    • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and then add the spinach in for 30 seconds.
    • Drain the spinach and run it under some cold water to stop the cooking process.
    Spinach squeezed to remove extra liquid.
    Spinach in a plate.
    • With clean hands, squeeze the spinach, a handful at a time, to remove any excess liquid.
    • Spread the spinach out/loosen it from the balls that you just made from squeezing the water out. I usually just use two chopsticks.
    • Pour the soy sauce mixture that was set aside onto the spinach, and toss to combine.
    Seasoned spinach in a plate (Sigumchi Namul).

    Recipe Tips and Notes

    • This seasoned spinach can be serve warm or chilled. I prefer it chilled.
    • It’s important to squeeze the water out of the spinach or it’ll just taste watery.
    • Feel free to add some gochujang or gochugaru to the mixture for some added spice.
    • Avoid overcooking the spinach as it’ll taste bitter and be slimy. Rinsing the spinach under cold water should stop the cooking process or you can transfer the blanched spinach to ice water.
    • H likes to enjoy this without soy sauce as well! Try it out and let me know which way you prefer!
    Close up of Korean spinach banchan.

    Serving Ideas

    Here are some of my favourite recipes to serve with this seasoned spinach recipe:

    • Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken (or my double fried Korean Fried Chicken)
    • Silken Tofu Recipe
    • Pork Belly and Kimchi Tofu Stew
    • Mayak Eggs (Korean Marinated Eggs)
    • Tteokbokki Inspired Korean Meatballs
    • Korean Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs
    • Korean Chicken Meal Prep
    • Air Fryer Gochujang Chicken (or stovetop Gochujang Chicken Thighs)
    • Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Soybean Paste Stew)

    Make Ahead Tips

    • Meal prep: once cooled, store the seasoned spinach in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. Enjoy it straight from the fridge or reheated.
    • Freezer: while you can freeze cooked spinach, I haven’t tried freezing this recipe in particular. I usually use frozen spinach in soups and stews as the shape isn’t too important but since this seasoned spinach is a side dish, I didn’t want it to lose its shape or texture from being frozen.

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    Seasoned spinach in a plate (Sigumchi Namul).

    Seasoned Spinach (Sigumchi Namul)

    This easy Seasoned Spinach is our go-to side dish! It’s a Korean spinach side dish that takes less than 10 minutes to make and is definitely our favourite way to enjoy spinach. Packed with flavour and can be enjoyed warmed or chilled, this spinach banchan is going to be your go-to as well!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 9 mins
    Cook Time: 1 min
    Total Time: 10 mins
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
    • 1 tbsp sesame oil
    • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
    • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 11 oz baby spinach

    Instructions

    • In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and salt. Mix and then set aside.
    • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and then add the spinach in for 30 seconds.
    • Drain the spinach and run it under some cold water to stop the cooking process.
    • With clean hands, squeeze the spinach, a handful at a time, to remove any excess liquid.
    • Spread the spinach out/loosen it from the balls that you just made from squeezing the water out. I usually just use two chopsticks.
    • Pour the soy sauce mixture that was set aside onto the spinach, and toss to combine.
    Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

    Nutrition Per Serving

    Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 619mg | Potassium: 467mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 7311IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 3mg
    Author: Carmy
    Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Korean

    More Side Dishes to Try

    • Silken Tofu Recipe
    • Korean Corn Cheese
    • Sautéed Corn and Shallots
    • Braised Tofu
    • Korean Potato Salad (Gamja Salad)
    • Stir Fried Fish Cakes

    Other places to connect with me
    @carmyshungry on Instagram
    Facebook
    Shop my Amazon faves
    Email: [email protected]

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenni A

      January 28, 2023 at 2:40 am

      Hi Carmy, reading through the above spinach recipe. The minced garlic is mentioned in the ingredients but not anywhere in the above blurb or method.. Should the garlic the there or when is it added please?
      Thank you

      Reply
      • Carmy

        January 28, 2023 at 10:46 am

        Sorry about that! You simply add the minced garlic to the soy sauce mixture. I’ll update the post – thank you for catching that.

        Reply

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