Spicy and Clean Maneuljjong Eomuk Bokkeum
Stir-fried garlic scapes and fish cake seasoned with soy sauce and given a clean, spicy kick with bird's eye chilies.
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 →
This side dish pairs seasonal garlic scapes and chewy square fish cakes, stir-fried in a soy sauce and oyster sauce seasoning. Stir-frying the garlic scapes first with soy sauce pre-seasons them so the flavors blend seamlessly with the fish cake. Adding bird's eye chilies brings a sharp, clean heat.
- Servings
- about 2–3 servingsOriginal: 1 plate
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Square fish cake (eomuk)3 sheets, 150 g
- Garlic scapes50 g
- Bird's eye chili5
Seasoning
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)1/2 tbsp
- Oyster sauce1/2 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil1/2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds1/2 tbsp
- You can substitute Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili) for the bird's eye chilies, or omit them entirely if making this for children.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Prepare 3 sheets of square fish cake, 50 g of garlic scapes, and bird's eye chilies.
You can substitute Cheongyang chili pepper for the bird's eye chilies, or omit them entirely if making this for children.
Slice the ingredients
Cut the square fish cake into strips and cut the garlic scapes to similar lengths.
Finely chop the bird's eye chilies.
Stir-fry
In a heated pan, add 1 tbsp minced garlic and stir-fry the garlic scapes.
Once the surface turns translucent, add 1/2 tbsp regular soy sauce and the bird's eye chilies, stirring to prevent burning.
Pre-seasoning and stir-frying the garlic scapes first ensures their flavor blends well with the fish cake.
Once the garlic scapes have softened, add the fish cake and stir-fry briefly to keep it chewy.
Season with 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp corn syrup, and 1 tbsp mirin.
Toss everything together well and taste; adjust with soy sauce or salt if needed.
Turn off the heat, add toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds, and finish.
Finish
Tasting this while stir-frying was so delicious that I ended up having a whole meal.
Fish cake stir-fry with garlic scapes is another sneaky rice thief of a side dish.
It tastes wonderful whether you eat just the fish cake, just the garlic scapes, or both together.
If you have garlic scapes in the fridge, try adding them to your next fish cake stir-fry.
Ppunwife's tips
- Because it uses no Korean chili flakes, it stays neat and clean, making it great as a filling for gimbap.
- Pre-seasoning and stir-frying the garlic scapes first ensures their flavor blends well with the fish cake.
FAQ
Can I use something else instead of bird's eye chilies?
You can substitute Cheongyang chili peppers for heat, or leave the chilies out completely if you are making this for children.
Why are the garlic scapes stir-fried before the fish cake?
Pre-seasoning and stir-frying the garlic scapes with soy sauce first ensures their flavor blends naturally with the fish cake added later, rather than tasting separate.
Can I use the finished stir-fry as a gimbap ingredient?
Yes, because it is stir-fried cleanly without Korean chili flakes, it will not look messy and works very well as a gimbap filling.
