Korean Sautéed Spinach (Garlic Soy Sesame Spinach Side)

Quick answer

Total time: 10 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 6

About this dish

Sigeumchi-bokkeum is a Korean sauteed spinach side dish cooked in under five minutes -- spinach is stir-fried with sliced garlic in a hot pan with cooking oil for just two minutes, then seasoned with soy sauce.

Draining the spinach thoroughly before cooking is essential; otherwise excess water pools in the pan and steams the leaves instead of searing them. Sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds added at the end provide a nutty finish that tempers spinach's mild grassiness. The brief cooking preserves the leaves' deep green color and most of their nutrients.

Ingredients (4 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
spinach	300	g
garlic	3	clove
soy sauce	1	ts
sesame oil	1	ts
cooking oil	1	ts
sesame seeds	1	ts

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Wash 300 g spinach several times under running water until no grit remains.

Drain it in a colander, then shake the leaves well so water does not sit between the stems and leaves.
2

Step

Let the spinach sit briefly on kitchen towels or in the colander until the surface feels as dry as possible.

If excess water remains, the spinach will steam in the pan instead of searing quickly.
3

Control

Slice 3 garlic cloves thinly.

Heat a pan over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon cooking oil, and cook the garlic briefly just until fragrant, keeping it moving so the edges do not brown too hard.
4

Finish

Raise the heat to high and add all the spinach at once.

As soon as the leaves begin to collapse, turn them with chopsticks or tongs and stir-fry quickly, finishing this stage within about 2 minutes.
5

Control

When the leaves look glossy and deep green, and no liquid is pooling on the pan bottom, drizzle in 1 teaspoon soy sauce.

Toss only until evenly coated, without simmering the spinach for long.
6

Finish

Turn off the heat, then add 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds.

Toss gently, transfer to a plate while warm, and serve before the leaves release more moisture and lose their springy texture.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Sigeumchi-bokkeum sautés garlic and spinach quickly to prevent moisture pooling and keep the leaves tender.
Finish cue: When the leaves look glossy and deep green, and no liquid is pooling on the pan bottom, drizzle in 1 teaspoon soy sauce.
Avoid this: Heat a pan over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon cooking oil, and cook the garlic briefly just until fragrant, keeping it moving so the edges do not brown too hard.
Substitution: Draining the spinach thoroughly before cooking is essential; otherwise excess water pools in the pan and steams the leaves instead of searing them.