Crispy Sweet and Spicy Geongalchi Jorim (Braised Dried Cutlassfish)
A rice side dish of dried cutlassfish coated in starch, pan-fried until crispy, and tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce.
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 →
Coating thin dried cutlassfish in starch and pan-frying it crispy in oil keeps the flesh from breaking apart so you can enjoy it bones and all. Tossed in a simmered gochujang sauce, it makes a wonderful sweet, spicy, and savory side dish.
- Servings
- about 3–4 servingsOriginal: 2 plates
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Dried arrowroot (geongal)4 whole, 250 g
Seasoning
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)1 tbsp
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1.5 tbsp (1 1/2 tbsp)
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)2 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)2 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Sugar1/2 tbsp
- Water3 tbsp
- Ground black pepper
- Toasted sesame oil
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Thaw in the refrigerator, then soak in water to prep.
Steps
1. Dried cutlassfish is split in half, gutted, and dried until chewy. 1 bundle came with 4 strips (4 fish). Actually, it looks like 4 fish, but before splitting in half it would be the equivalent of 2 fish. Anyway, out of the 1 pack of dried cutlassfish containing 2 bundles totaling 8 fish, I used 4 last time and am using the remaining 4 fish. I thawed them in the refrigerator and soaked them in water to prep them.
2. Cut off the head and tail portions.
3. Cut per 1 fish into about 4 pieces, rinse under running water, and drain the moisture thoroughly.
4. Coat in potato starch, then gently tap off any excess powder...
5. Add a generous amount of oil to a heated pan and pan-fry over medium heat as if shallow-frying until crispy. Cook it so you can comfortably eat it down to the bones.
6. Cut into bite-sized pieces once more, then...
7. Add all seasoning ingredients except toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds, and bring to a brief boil.
If you want to adjust the sweetness to your taste, you can increase or decrease the sugar or corn syrup from the amounts given.
8. Turn off the heat, add the cutlassfish, toss well so the sauce coats evenly, then finish by adding toasted sesame seeds and toasted sesame oil.
Because dried cutlassfish is thin, it breaks apart easily if you just braise or pan-fry it as is. By coating it lightly in starch, frying it until crispy, and tossing it in sauce, it does not break apart at all, keeps its neat cut shape, and makes a wonderfully sweet, spicy, and savory side dish to keep on hand.
Ppunwife's tips
- Because dried cutlassfish is thin, it breaks apart easily if you just braise or pan-fry it as is. By coating it lightly in starch, frying it until crispy, and tossing it in sauce, it does not break apart at all, keeps its neat cut shape, and makes a wonderfully sweet, spicy, and savory side dish to keep on hand.
- The starch coating gives it good substance, and thanks to the sauce, there is hardly any fishy odor.
FAQ
How do I prevent the dried cutlassfish from breaking apart during cooking?
If you drain the moisture from the cutlassfish, coat it in starch, and shallow-fry it until crispy in plenty of oil, it will keep its shape without breaking apart.
Can I make this non-spicy so children can eat it?
Instead of the gochujang sauce, you can braise the starch-coated fish in a soy-based sauce to enjoy it as a non-spicy side dish.
What should I do if I want to adjust the sweetness?
You can adjust the amount of sugar or corn syrup to your taste when simmering the sauce.
Can I use another type of flour instead of potato starch? AI-generated
Generally, if you do not have potato starch, it is fine to coat the fish lightly in all-purpose flour or frying mix (twigim-garu) before pan-frying.
