Eomuk-bokkeum (Stir-Fried Fish Cake)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 10 to 12 inch skillet
• •Colander
• •Small bowl for mixing sauce
• •Wooden spoon or silicone spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the fish cake

   Cut the eomuk into strips about 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long. Keep them even. This is not fussing over a cheap ingredient; uneven strips make some pieces tough while others go soft before the sauce has reduced.

2. 2

   Blanch if oily

   If the fish cake feels very oily, pour boiling water over it in a colander for 10 seconds, then drain well and pat it dry. This removes surface oil and stale packaged taste. Do not soak it, or you wash away the chew that makes eomuk good.

3. 3

   Mix the glaze

   Stir together the soy sauce, mirin, water, syrup or sugar, minced garlic, and black pepper in a small bowl. Measure the sweetness. Two teaspoons is enough for a lunchbox gloss; more turns the dish sticky and hides the fish cake.

4. 4

   Cook the vegetables

   Heat the neutral oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until the onion begins to bend and the carrot loses its raw edge. They go first because they need time, and because onion sweetness belongs under the glaze, not raw on top.

5. 5

   Add the eomuk

   Add the fish cake strips and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing often, until the edges look lightly browned and the strips feel springy. Let the pan stay lively. If the heat is too low, the fish cake only warms and turns flat.

6. 6

   Glaze and reduce

   Pour in the sauce and toss for 1 to 2 minutes, until the liquid reduces and lightly coats every strip. Stop when the pan looks almost dry but the fish cake is glossy. That last spoonful of sauce should cling, not sit underneath like soup.

   For a gentle spicy version, add 1/2 teaspoon gochugaru to the sauce. I do not use gochujang here; it makes the glaze heavy and turns a clean banchan into something else.
7. 7

   Finish off heat

   Turn off the heat. Add the scallion, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and green chili if using, then toss once more. The scallion should soften from the pan's remaining heat, not collapse. Taste one piece with rice before adjusting; banchan must season the rice, not punish it.

Chef Tips

• •Buy flat sheets of Korean eomuk for this dish, not the thick skewered kind. The flat sheets cut evenly and take the glaze quickly.
• •A wide skillet matters more than a special pan. Crowding makes the fish cake sweat, so use a pan large enough that the strips can move when you toss them.
• •This banchan is best warm or at room temperature. If serving from the refrigerator, let it sit out 15 minutes or warm it briefly in a dry pan so the sesame oil loosens again.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the fish cake and vegetables up to 1 day ahead and keep them refrigerated in separate containers. Mix the sauce up to 3 days ahead.
• •Cooked eomuk-bokkeum keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated in a covered container. Cool it before storing, and use clean chopsticks each time so the banchan keeps well.
• •For lunchboxes, cook it slightly drier than you would for dinner. A loose sauce leaks into the rice and makes the fish cake soft by midday.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 90g)