Korea · 20 min · Fish · Side dish · For confident cooks
Myeolchi Bokkeum
In German: Gebratene Sardellen mit Shishito-Paprika · In English: Stir-Fried Dried Anchovies
For 4 servings · US units
Crisp dried anchovies in a sweet-salty soy glaze
Myeolchi Bokkeum is one of those little Korean banchan that sits beside the rice bowl and disappears faster than anything else on the table: tiny dried anchovies, crisped up and tossed in a glossy glaze of soy sauce, honey and garlic. Heads and innards stay on and get eaten right along with the rest — that's the point, and it's where the deep, salty flavor comes from. Make a batch, eat it with warm rice, and you've got something good in the fridge for days.
Ingredients
- 3½ ozsmall to medium size, shake off dust beforehandSmall whole anchovies, boiled and dried; salty and intensely briny, the base of many Korean stocks and crisp side dishes.Substitute: For stock, bonito flakes or Japanese dashi powder will do, though the result is smokier and more delicate, less robust; a splash of fish sauce in water is a stopgap that gives salt but little depth. For dishes in which the small anchovies are eaten whole there is no workable substitute, because the point is their bite and crunch; jarred anchovy fillets are too soft and too salty.Read more
- 2 tbspSoy saucefor the seasoning sauce
- 1 tbspSugarwhite or brown, caramelizes the glaze
- 3 clovesGarlicminced or thinly sliced
- 1 tbspstir in at the very endDark oil pressed from toasted sesame seeds, with a strong, nutty, roasted aroma; usually added at the end in small amounts as a seasoning.Substitute: There is no real substitute, as no other oil carries the roasted aroma; at a pinch, a neutral oil with freshly pan-toasted, crushed sesame seeds helps, though the flavour stays clearly weaker.Read more
- 1 tbspSesame seedstoasted, for sprinkling
- 1 tbspVegetable oilfor frying
- 2 tbspor rice wine or sake, for the sauceA clear, mild wine made from fermented rice, used in Korean cooking mainly for marinades and to tame fishy smells.Substitute: Dry sherry or a dry white wine come closest, though they taste a little fruitier. If you use Japanese mirin the dish turns sweeter, so cut back slightly on the sugar in the recipe.Read more
- 1 tbspHoneyor Korean malt/rice syrup, provides the shine
- 3½ ozor mild green chilies, stems trimmed (optional)Small, thin-walled green peppers from Japan, mild and slightly grassy, with the occasional hot one among them.Substitute: Padrón peppers come closest, though their skin is slightly thicker and they are more often hot. Young green sweet pointed peppers cut into pieces also work, but they are juicier and less aromatic.Read more
- 1Spring onionthinly sliced, added at the end (optional)
- 1 tbspdissolve in the sauce for the spicy version (optional)Korean chili paste made from glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, chili powder and salt, thick, hot, salty and faintly sweet.Substitute: There is no real substitute, because the fermented depth and the sticky sweetness together carry the dish. As a stopgap, light miso paste stirred with Korean chili powder or other mild chili flakes and a little honey or sugar roughly matches the salt, heat and sweetness, but tastes flatter and less rounded. Chili sauces such as sriracha are too thin and too sour and change the dish noticeably.Read more
- 1 tspKorean chili flakes for extra heat (optional)Korean chili flakes made from sun-dried red chilies, ground coarse or fine. Bright red, fruity, mild to medium hot and slightly smoky.Substitute: The closest match is Aleppo pepper (pul biber) from a Turkish grocery, which is similarly fruity and mild but oilier, often salted and slightly tangier. In a pinch, mix sweet paprika with a little cayenne; this roughly matches colour and heat but not the fruitiness or texture. Ordinary crushed red pepper flakes are too hot to use in the usual quantities.Read more
- 2 tbspWaterto loosen the sauce (optional)
- 1⅓ ozPeanutsroasted, roughly chopped, stirred in at the end (optional)
- Black pepperground (optional)
Method
- Sift the anchoviesTip the dried anchovies into a sieve and shake them well so the dust and broken bits fall through.
- Prep the vegetablesPeel and finely chop or slice the garlic, cut the spring onion into thin rings, and trim the stems from the shishito peppers or mild green chilies before chopping them.
- Dry-toast the anchoviesToast the anchovies in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until they smell nutty and turn crisp, then lift them out and set aside.
- Fry peppers and garlicHeat the vegetable oil in the same pan, fry the shishito peppers for 2 to 3 minutes, and add the garlic for a brief toss without letting it darken.
- Mix the sauceStir together the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and honey, mix in the gochujang and gochugaru if you want it spicy, and loosen the sauce with a little water if needed.
- Reduce the saucePour the sauce into the pan, bring it to a boil over medium heat and let it reduce slightly until it turns syrupy.
- Glaze the anchoviesReturn the anchovies to the pan and glaze them for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly and keeping the heat low so the sugar doesn't catch.
- Finish with sesameTake the pan off the heat and fold in the sesame oil, sesame seeds and, if you like, the spring onion rings, chopped peanuts and a pinch of black pepper.
- Cool, serve and storeLet it cool before serving, and keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Tips and variations
If you like heat, dissolve gochujang and gochugaru into the sauce — that's the bold version alongside the plain sweet-salty soy glaze, and a touch of ginger paste works nicely in it. Swapping the honey for Korean malt, rice or corn syrup gives a more candy-like shine, and roasted peanuts or other nuts add crunch. If your anchovies taste very salty, rinse them briefly in cold water first; and instead of dry-toasting them, you can fry them straight away in plenty of oil. Serve it the classic way with warm rice, scattered with spring onion rings or parsley. Sealed airtight it keeps for several days in the fridge, and several months in the freezer.
Allergens
Contains: Fish, Cereals containing gluten, Sesame, Soybeans, Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
May contain if you use the optional ingredients: Peanuts
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
