Spicy Eomuk Bokkeum (Stir-Fried Fish Cakes) with Shishito Peppers
A side dish made by braising sweetly stir-fried fish cakes and zesty shishito peppers in a spicy seasoning.
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 →
Stir-frying the fish cakes first with mirin and corn syrup keeps them pleasantly chewy without getting soggy even after coating them with sauce. Tossing them together with tender-crisp shishito peppers braised in a spicy sauce makes an irresistible rice-stealing side dish.
- Servings
- about 4–5 servingsOriginal: 2 plates
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Spicy
- Keeps
- 4 days
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Square fish cake (eomuk)5 sheets, 300 g
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)2 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)1 tbsp
- Shishito peppers (kkwari-gochu)35, 200 g (approx.)
- Cooking oil3 tbsp (approx.)
Seasoning
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2 tbsp
- Minced garlic2 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))2 tbsp
- Oyster sauce1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)2 tbsp
- Water4 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds1 tbsp
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Today's ingredients for stir-fried fish cakes are simple: 5 sheets of square fish cake (eomuk) and shishito peppers (kkwari-gochu).
Cut the ingredients
Cut the fish cakes in half, then slice them into strips about 1 cm wide.
Cut the shishito peppers into 2 or 3 pieces.
Stir-fry the fish cakes
Grease a heated pan with oil, add the fish cakes, 2 tbsp mirin (cooking rice wine), and 1 tbsp corn syrup (mulyeot), then stir-fry until slightly crisp and golden brown.
Stir-frying the fish cakes first like this keeps them from getting soggy when braised in the sauce and preserves their chewy texture.
Stir-fry the shishito peppers
Add about 3 tbsp cooking oil to the pan, along with 2 tbsp minced garlic and 2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)...
Mix well so the chili flakes become moistened.
Turn the heat to low and stir-fry until the fragrance of the chili and garlic rises.
Add the shishito peppers and toss roughly so they get coated with the chili flakes...
Now season it:
Add 2 tbsp regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang), 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp corn syrup (mulyeot), and 4 tbsp water, then braise and stir-fry until the shishito peppers soften slightly and absorb the flavors.
Toss together and finish
Turn off the heat, add the fish cakes, and toss well while the residual heat remains so everything comes together.
Taste a piece of fish cake and shishito pepper together, and if you want to add more sweetness, mix in corn syrup or green plum syrup (maesil-cheong).
Finish by mixing in 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil and 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds at the end.
Finished dish
Stir-fried fish cakes that will make a bowl of rice disappear in no time is complete.
Even with a moist sauce, the fish cakes will not get soggy and you can enjoy them deliciously down to the last bite.
The tender-crisp texture of the shishito peppers and the chewiness of the fish cakes pair wonderfully.
This makes a great side dish for rice, and it is also wonderful rolled up with rice and dried seaweed sheets (gim) as gimbap.
Ppunwife's tips
- Stir-frying the fish cakes first like this keeps them from getting soggy when braised in the sauce and preserves their chewy texture.
- Taste a piece of fish cake and shishito pepper together, and if you want to add more sweetness, mix in corn syrup or green plum syrup (maesil-cheong).
FAQ
Is there a secret to keeping the fish cakes from getting soggy in the sauce?
If you grease a heated pan with oil, add the fish cakes with mirin and corn syrup, and stir-fry them in advance until golden brown, they will stay chewy and won't bloat when coated in the sauce.
What should I add if it lacks sweetness at the end?
After mixing the fish cakes and peppers together, taste them and add more corn syrup or green plum syrup to your liking.
Can this be used in other dishes besides being a side dish?
Besides eating it as a side dish with rice, it works wonderfully as a filling for gimbap rolled with rice in dried seaweed sheets.
