Myeolchi-bokkeum (Stir-Fried Anchovies)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 10 to 12-inch skillet or wok
• •Medium mesh sieve
• •Heatproof spatula
• •Rimmed plate or tray for cooling
• •Airtight glass container

Instructions

1. 1

   Sift and taste

   Put the dried anchovies in a medium sieve and shake them over the sink or a bowl to remove the fine powder. That powder burns first and makes the whole pan taste old. Taste one anchovy now. If it is very salty, use 2 teaspoons soy sauce later instead of the full tablespoon.

   For this dish, small anchovies do not need their heads and guts removed. If your anchovies are longer than about 4cm, split a few and pinch out the dark gut, or save them for broth instead.
2. 2

   Dry-toast first

   Heat a wide dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add the anchovies and stir constantly for 4 to 5 minutes, until they feel dry, move separately, and make a light rattling sound against the pan. Add the optional nuts during the last minute just to warm them. Tip everything onto a plate and wipe out any dusty bits left in the skillet. This step chases off the fishy smell and keeps the finished banchan crisp.

3. 3

   Mix the glaze

   In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice syrup, sugar, and mirim. Heat the oil in the wiped skillet over low heat. If using garlic, add it and stir for 20 to 30 seconds, only until pale and fragrant. Pull the skillet off the heat, then stir in the glaze. It should loosen and bubble gently in the pan's leftover heat, not boil hard.

   Rice syrup or corn syrup gives the cleanest gloss and helps the anchovies stay separate. Too much syrup turns this into candy, and too much soy makes it dark and leathery. Measure it.
4. 4

   Toss off heat

   Add the toasted anchovies and nuts back to the skillet while it is still off the heat. Fold and toss for 30 to 45 seconds, until every anchovy has a thin shine and no wet sauce sits at the bottom. If the glaze is not coating, return the pan to the lowest heat for only 10 to 15 seconds while tossing, then take it off again. Do not cook the anchovies in the sauce, or you lose the crispness you worked for.

5. 5

   Finish and cool

   Drizzle in the toasted sesame oil and scatter over the sesame seeds. Toss once more, then spread the anchovies on a plate or tray to cool for 10 minutes before storing. Covering them while warm traps moisture under the lid. Serve in a small banchan dish with rice, and keep the rest refrigerated in an airtight container.

Chef Tips

• •Choose anchovies that are pale silver to light gold, dry but not dusty, with a clean sea smell. If the bag smells sharply fishy before it hits the pan, no sauce will repair it.
• •Taste before seasoning. Dried anchovies vary wildly in salt, and the soy sauce is there to round the glaze, not to punish the rice. Use 2 teaspoons soy for a salty bag and 1 tablespoon for a mild one.
• •Keep the glaze thin. The anchovies should stay separate and crisp, not gather into a lump. If you like a sweeter lunch-box style, add only 1 extra teaspoon rice syrup, not a free pour.
• •Kkwari-gochu (shishito peppers) are good here, but cook them separately and eat that batch within 3 days. Peppers bring moisture, and moisture is the enemy of crisp myeolchi-bokkeum.
• •Cool completely before closing the container, then refrigerate up to 1 week. If it softens, spread it in a dry skillet over low heat for 1 minute, then cool again uncovered.

Advance Preparation

• •This is made for advance cooking. Prepare it up to 1 week ahead, cool completely, and refrigerate in an airtight container.
• •For lunch boxes, pack it cold or at room temperature beside rice, away from wet banchan like kimchi or dressed greens so it keeps its bite.
• •Do not freeze it. The glaze turns dull and the anchovies lose their clean crispness after thawing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 28g)