Crab Stick Skewers and Cold Soybean Sprout Salad

Name: Crab Stick Skewers and Cold Soybean Sprout Salad
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: Imitation crab meat — 3; Thin scallions — 9 stalks; Oyster mushrooms — 18; Soy sauce — 1 tsp; Toasted sesame oil — 1 tsp; Flour — a little; Egg — 1; Imitation crab stick — 2 sticks; Soybean sprouts — 1 handful; Onion — a little; Cucumber — 2 pieces; Sugar — 1 tbsp; Vinegar — 1 tbsp; Salt — 1 tsp; Garlic — 1 tsp; Toasted sesame oil — 1 tbsp; Toasted sesame seeds; Mustard powder — 1 tsp; Water — 1 tsp (lukewarm water)

Two simple side dishes made with imitation crab meat: pan-fried skewers and a sweet, tangy, spicy chilled salad.

Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →

Crab Stick Skewers and Cold Soybean Sprout Salad — finished dish

Summary

This menu features two dishes built around imitation crab meat: pan-fried skewers threaded with oyster mushrooms and scallions, alongside a crisp soybean sprout salad. The skewers need just a quick sear until the egg wash sets, and the chilled salad comes together easily by tossing everything lightly with a mustard dressing.

Servings: about 2–3 servings
Difficulty: Medium
Spiciness: Mildly spicy

Ingredients

Crab stick skewer ingredients

Imitation crab meat3
Thin scallions9 stalks
Oyster mushrooms18
Floura little
Egg1

Mushroom seasoning

Soy sauce1 tsp
Toasted sesame oil1 tsp

Crab stick and soybean sprout cold salad ingredients

Imitation crab stick2 sticks
Soybean sprouts1 handful
Oniona little
Cucumber2 pieces

Cold salad dressing

Sugar1 tbsp
Vinegar1 tbsp
Salt1 tsp
Garlic1 tsp
Toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
Toasted sesame seeds

Mustard sauce

Mustard powder1 tsp
Water1 tsp (lukewarm water)

Measurements · 1 tbsp = 15 ml (a heaping regular dinner spoon) · 1 tsp = 5 ml (a heaping teaspoon)

Shiitake mushrooms work nicely too, and fish cake (eomuk) is great instead of imitation crab meat.

Steps

The ingredients are very simple.
Cut the 3 sticks of imitation crab meat into 3 pieces each, then slice them lengthwise in half to make 18 pieces.
Trim the thin scallions to a similar length as the crab meat.
Trim 18 oyster mushrooms so they are roughly the same length.
Shiitake mushrooms work nicely too, and fish cake (eomuk) is great instead of imitation crab meat.
Blanch the oyster mushrooms briefly in boiling water, rinse them in cold water, and squeeze out the excess moisture firmly.
Twisting them out will ruin their shape, so press firmly between both flat palms.
Season the mushrooms lightly with soy sauce and toasted sesame oil.
Thread the imitation crab meat, mushrooms, and thin scallions onto skewers.
Threading firmer ingredients on the outside ends keeps the skewers neat and prevents them from falling apart while pan-frying.
The mushrooms were so small that the length was a bit short.
Coat the skewers lightly in flour and shake off any excess, dip them in beaten egg, and pan-fry them until golden brown in a heated skillet with cooking oil.
You only need to cook the egg wash through, so do not fry them too long.
Here are the remaining 2 imitation crab sticks left over from the skewers. Trim the tails off a handful of soybean sprouts.
Prepare 2 pieces of cucumber and a little onion.
Add the soybean sprouts to boiling water and blanch them briefly.
Rinse them quickly in cold water and drain well. I pressed them gently with a dry kitchen towel to remove excess water.
If the soybean sprouts overcook, they will wilt more than the other salad ingredients and look unappealing.
Prepare the blanched soybean sprouts. Seed-core the cucumber (dollyeo-kkakgi) and julienne it. Thinly slice the onion, and cut the imitation crab meat into 3 pieces and shred thinly with a knife. Tearing it by hand makes it too thin.
On the left is the mustard sauce: mix mustard powder and lukewarm water in a 1:1 ratio.
The package instructions say to use a 2:3 ratio of mustard powder to water, but with that much water, too much liquid came out of the tossed salad.
So I recommend using equal parts.
On the right is the dressing sauce. Mix the listed amounts until dissolved.
If it tastes a bit bland, you can add more salt.
Toss the ingredients together with the mustard sauce and the dressing.
Toss gently because of the blanched soybean sprouts.
Buy plenty of soybean sprouts and make this chilled salad as a side dish.

Ppunwife's tips

Twisting them out will ruin their shape, so press firmly between both flat palms.
Threading firmer ingredients on the outside ends keeps the skewers neat and prevents them from falling apart while pan-frying.
You only need to cook the egg wash through, so do not fry them too long.
If the soybean sprouts overcook, they will wilt more than the other salad ingredients and look unappealing.
Tearing it by hand makes it too thin.
Toss gently because of the blanched soybean sprouts.

FAQ

Is there a trick to keeping the skewers from falling apart while pan-frying?

Threading firmer ingredients onto the outer ends keeps the skewers neat and prevents them from losing their shape as they cook.

What is the best ratio of mustard powder to water for the mustard sauce?

Mixing the mustard powder and lukewarm water in a 1:1 ratio prevents too much liquid from pooling in the finished salad.

Can other ingredients be substituted for imitation crab meat?

Fish cake (eomuk) makes a great substitute, and you can also swap the mushrooms for shiitake mushrooms or others you like.