Spicy Eomuk Bokkeum – Classic Lunchbox Banchan
Spicy Eomuk Bokkeum is a classic Korean banchan.
You’ll see it served in ready-made dosirak boxes and in school cafeterias.
In fact, I remember eating it often during my military service in Korea as well.
That’s because this banchan is simple-to-make - fishcake tastes good by itself anyway.
Just stir-fry it up, add some sauce and finish with a drizzle of sweetness!
Today, I’ll show you the right balance of sauces to take it from a homestyle recipe to that bold, restaurant-esque flavor!
For the base flavor, we’ll start with soy sauce & few dabs of oyster sauce.
The oyster sauce builds depth to the salty base of soy sauce.
Then we’ll add a touch of spicy with the Korean gochugaru flakes.
And finish off with a note of sweetness.
You get salty, umami, spicy and sweetness in one bite.
That’s why it’s called a “rice-thief” in Korea (밥도둑)
The best thing about this banchan is that it keeps well (can store in refrigerator for up to 5 days).
Plus, the banchan tastes good cold – no need to reheat!
For a mini meal, fry up an egg on the side - and serve it with the stir-fried eomuk, along with a bowl of hot rice.
(Note: If you can’t do spicy, try the original-style eomuk banchan)
Cooking tips for Spicy Eomuk Banchan
There are a variety of eomuk products sold at the Korean Supermarket (comes in various shapes and sizes)
We’ll use 6 rectangular sheets of eomuk (~300g).
(Note: If the package you buy contains slightly more – like 8 sheets – just use all of it up at once).
Don’t forget to add that drizzle of honey at the end - it harmonizes all the different flavors.
That’s it folks – Daniel out! 🕺
If you end up making this dish at home, tag us on IG! We enjoy seeing pictures of your dishes in the morning.
(P.s. If you’re cooking alone, don’t get bored. Consider listening to our latest podcast episode while you cook!)
Ingredients
Fresh Ingredients
- 6 Sheets of Eomuk (Korean Fishcake) (300 grams)
- ½ Onion
Stir-Fry Spicy Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Gochugaru Flakes
- 1 teaspoon (!) Minced Garlic
- 1.5 Tablespoons Honey (or Oligodang Syrup)
Garnish (Optional)
- Few shakes of Sesame Seeds
- Sprinkle of Sliced Green Onions (optional)
Instructions
Eomuk Prep
- Cut 6 sheets of Eomuk into long strips (~300g). Then cut the long strips in half to get bite-sized rectangle pieces.
- Slice ½ a whole Onion into thin strips.
Blanche Eomuk
- Bring a pot of water up to boil. Place the eomuk pieces into a strainer and blanche them for a quick 10 seconds. (This step is to remove the oil from the eomuk).
- Remove the eomuk pieces and shake off the excess water.
Stir-fry Eomuk
- Place a good amount of vegetable oil into your frying pan (~3 Tablespoons).
- Once the oil is hot, place-in the onion slices and blanched eomuk pieces.
- Stir-fry it around until the onion slices begins to sweat.
- Now add in Soy Sauce (3 Tablespoons). Stir-fry it around for 10 seconds.
- Then, add in Oyster Sauce (2 Tablespoons). Stir-fry it around for 10 seconds.
- Then reduce the heat to a LOW - there's already enough heat in the pan.
- Now, add in the Gochugaru Flakes (1 Tablespoon).
- Along with Minced Garlic (1 teaspoon!)
- Followed by Honey (1.5 Tablespoons).
- Stir-fry everything for a final 20-30 seconds.
- Turn off the heat. Garnish with a few shakes of Sesame Seeds and Green Onion Slices (optional).
- Eat it with a bowl of hot rice!
New favorite Banchan in our house!! 곰사합니다!!