One of my favorite Korean side dishes or 'ban chan' (반찬) is a big bowl of braised black beans! I don't have a huge tolerance for most spicy foods, so I quickly became attached to the sweet and savory flavor of braised black beans (검은콩조림). This dish is delicious fresh and hot, but it is a secret pleasure to eat them chilled from the refrigerator as a late night snack. Although it is traditionally a side dish exclusively, they can be added to most rice dishes or even as a sweet topper for grilled fish! There are so many ways to enjoy this style of beans.