Eomuk Bokkeum (Korean Stir-Fried Fish Cake)
Korean Stir-Fried Fish Cake (Eomuk Bokkeum) is a great to go with grilled meats and rice. It’s a bit sweet and not spicy.
One thing I love about Korean restaurants is their banchan (complimentary side dishes). It doesn’t matter whether you go for Korean BBQ, tofu stew, bibimbap (mixed rice in hot stone pot), or beef stew, there are always banchan. Every place serves different banchan, but kimchi is always a must. A few common banchan (in US Korean restaurants) are bean sprouts, potato salad, fish cake, japchae, and picked daikon. They are always delicious and offer different kind of flavors (sweet, sour, spicy, creamy) along with your meal.
Two months ago, when my parents were in town, my sister took us to a Korean beef stew place. One of the banchan was this sweet and savory stir-fried fish cake. We all loved it so much that we got 2 refills (you can always ask for refill when it comes to banchan). Since then, I was on a mission to figure out how to make it at home. It is unbelievably easy!
Fish cakes are very ordinary in Asian cuisine. They are made from a blend of fish, flour, seasoning and sometimes, other seafood, like shrimp and squid. Chop everything finely and knead the mixture together. Form into desired shapes, then fry or boil. They come in all form of shapes, texture and tastes. They are savory with a hint of sweetness. They are often served in soup, with noodles or as snack. This specify fish cakes that I used in this recipe were shaped in thin sheets. These are the ones they used in Korean restaurants. You can get them in Korean supermarkets or some Chinese supermarkets. Some sell them frozen and some sell them in the fridge. If your fish cakes come in frozen, defrost in the fridge overnight.
To make this stir-fried fish cake, you first need to blanch the fish cakes in hot boiling water. This will get rid of excess oil from previously frying and help to soften the fish cakes. Cut the fish cakes into thin strips and stir fry with the slightly soften onion and carrot. Then add that incredible sauce with garlic and ginger. Let the fish cakes soak up all those flavors. And, that is it. All done! Serve them warm or at room temperature along with some bulgogi, Korean marinated short ribs, kimchi or just steamed rice. Sooooo delicious!
Eomuk Bokkeum (Korean Stir-Fried Fish Cake)
Ingredients
- 2 sheets eomuk, (Korean fish cake)
- ¼ onion, (thinly sliced)
- ½ carrot, (cut into 1/8-inch thin strips)
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon rice wine
- 2 garlic cloves, (minced)
- 1 teaspoon ginger, (grated)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Mix well.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the sheets of eomuk and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and cool. Once they are cool, cut the eomuk into ½-inch strips.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, warm ½ tablespoon vegetable oil. Add onion and carrot. Saute until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the fish cake and stir for another 2 minutes. Add the sauce, mix well and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Emouk can be bought from Korean supermarkets. It comes in a pack of 4 sheets. I usually use 2 and freeze the other 2 for next use.
- For the rice wine, I used sake.
- Bryan and I love these fish cake, so we can finish them without a problem. Normally, this can serve 4 people as side dish.
- This dish can either be a side dish or a main dish when serving with rice. You may want to double the recipe when making this as a main dish.
OMG that looks too good!!! Plus, I love anything Korean 😀
Thank you so much Anne! I love Korean food too, but mild please! I can’t take the heat. 😛 Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
We just had Korean the other night with family and one of the banchan (I didn’t even know that’s what it’s called!) was something very similar. Very tasty, and so interesting to see how it’s prepared. I do love all the variety of little side dishes at the Korean restaurant. I especially love the hard black beans. : )
It took me a while to find out what this fish cake dish is called. The restaurants never tell you what they are, except if you ask. Hahahaha! This ban chan doesn’t require many ingredients and it’s very easy to make. Great to make it at home. Give it a try! I have never had those black beans. I’m now very curious. 😉
I love fish cakes no matter which country’s version: Japanese or Korean, bring it on. This is absolutely my favorite banchan, to the point Mr. Mochi jokes I should just bring it along in a tupperware to every Korean BBQ because I’m sad when they have a different rotation of banchan and these aren’t served.
You can buy them premade at H Mart (our closest Korean market) but they are generally the spicier version stir fried with gochujang. I love this version the best. I’ll have to look for emouk there to make this version.
YES, I feel the same way. I was just at a Korean restaurant last Saturday. Last time I was there, they had this sweet fish cake for banchan. But they didn’t have it last Saturday, I was so sad!
Just like you said, most Korean market only sold the spicy version, which I don’t like much. It is so easy to make at home. You can make a big batch and keep it all to yourself! 😀
Pingback: Bulgogi | The Missing Lokness