Banchan shop in Gwanggyo, Suwon: ₩22,500 homemade sides at Gukaechan

You want home-cooked food but making soup and every side dish from scratch each time takes a lot of effort, haha. Especially when you shop for just a few banchan, ingredients often end up left over, so lately I've been relying on a good side dish shop now and then.

This time I visited Gukaechan Banchan Gwanggyo Main Store in Gwanggyo, haha. Once inside, there were way more kinds of side dishes than I expected, so it was fun just browsing around.

Gukaechan Banchan Gwanggyo Main Store

Where is Gukaechan banchan shop in Gwanggyo, Suwon?

Gukaechan Banchan Gwanggyo Main Store has a big green sign, so it was easy to spot even just walking by. There's a large banner reading 'banchan' set up in front of the entrance, so first-time visitors shouldn't have trouble finding it either, haha.

The hours posted at the entrance were 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. You could see the refrigerated showcase through the glass door from outside, and it was packed with so many side dishes that I was already trying to decide what to get before I even stepped in, haha.

What side dishes fill Gukaechan's refrigerated showcase?

Walking into Gukaechan Banchan Gwanggyo Main Store, the first thing you notice is the refrigerated showcase filling the wall. There were really all kinds of options — namul (seasoned vegetables), stir-fries and seasoned dishes that go well with rice, plus kimchi, fish and meat side dishes.

Each side dish is individually packaged with its name and price shown, so it was easy to see and pick what I wanted. There were also side dishes on the central display table — not just simple banchan but quite a few options hearty enough to be a main dish for a meal, haha. It was nice that you could also pick up soups and stews, the kind of food that's a hassle to make at home.

I thought this would be especially convenient for people living alone or dual-income households who can't make side dishes every day, haha. On the wall was a display related to MBC's Today N program 'Our Neighborhood Banchan Master,' along with related certificates and notices. There was also a separate notice about allergens in the store's own products, which I appreciated being able to check before buying.

Overall the store was kept clean and tidy, and the side dishes were neatly arranged in the showcase, making them easy to look through.

The side dishes picked and the 22,500 won total

This time at Gukaechan Banchan Gwanggyo Main Store, I picked a few side dishes that go well with rice on a regular day, haha. As shown in the photos, I put fried fish cake stir-fry, seaweed stem stir-fry and zucchini stir-fry into my basket. Picking things up one by one, the basket filled up fast, haha.

• Fried fish cake stir-fry
• Seaweed stem stir-fry
• Zucchini stir-fry
• Total paid: ₩22,500

The final total came to ₩22,500. The zucchini stir-fry had a moist, soft texture that was easy to eat with rice, and the seaweed stem stir-fry was nicely salty, going well as a rice side, haha.

The fried fish cake stir-fry also had a familiar taste anyone could enjoy, and it kept well in the fridge over several days. Making a bunch of side dishes yourself means prepping ingredients, cooking and doing dishes, so being able to just pick out exactly what you need was genuinely convenient, haha. Gukaechan Banchan Gwanggyo Main Store especially has such a wide variety that it'd be fun to try a different combination each time.

It seemed good both for days when you just need a few light side dishes and for days when you want to put together soup and main side dishes all at once, haha.

If you're in Gwanggyo looking for handmade or packaged banchan, it's worth stopping by and browsing yourself. Next time I'll have to grab the soups and meat side dishes I missed this time, haha.