Seasoned Fermented Sardine Side Dish (Jeong eo ri jeotgal muchim)
If you love stinky cheese, you’ll appreciate this dish, and you can classify yourself as a hard-core Korean food lover. If you’ve taken the time to make your own Fermented Sardines, you already have the main ingredient for this quick and tasty side dish. You can also make it with fermented salted anchovies from a […]
Roasted Porgy with Spicy Seasoning Sauce (Pogi yangnyeom gui)
Roast a whole fish and cover it with a spicy seasoning sauce, and it becomes very special indeed. The lettuce on the serving platter is not merely decorative: The juices from the fish and the sauce soak into it, turning the leaves into a delicious salad to eat once the fish is gone. Serve the […]
Spicy Stir Fried Squid (Ojingeo bokkeum)
This squid stir-fried with lots of scallions is nice and spicy. It’s not all heat, however; the onion and squid are both sweet and chewy, in contrast to the fiery sauce. You won’t need to prepare any other side dishes—just serve this with rice, and you will have a meal with a full range of […]
Stir Fried Fish Cakes with Soy Sauce (Ganjang eomuk bokkeum)
I often get requests for this recipe from readers who have tried it at Korean restaurants. They ask for it not by name but by description: “It’s fishy, a little sweet, somewhat chewy, a little brown, and salty. Do you have a recipe?” It is remarkably easy to make: It’s just fish cakes from a […]
Braised Beltfish (Galchi jorim)
Flavored with aromatics and cooked with vegetables, this fish side dish comes with a broth that is satisfying and hearty. You can scoop the flesh from the fish with a spoon—it will come away from the bones easily. In Korea, this kind of dish is known as a “rice thief” ( bapdoduk)—it goes so well […]
Seasoned Oysters (Gulmuchim)
In the early mornings in the harbor city of Yeosu, I used to follow my mother to the open-air market. There was always a gaggle of women who came daily from a nearby island to sell oysters that they had harvested among the rocks by the shore. They squatted behind their bowls of very small, […]
Seasoned Dried Filefish (Juipo muchim)
When dried and shredded filefish is seasoned with a sweet and spicy sauce, it makes a great side dish. The hard dried fish softens and takes on a nutty sesame-oil flavor. You’ll need to get to a Korean grocery store to find dried filefish. You can substitute shredded dried squid or shredded dried pollock, if […]
Spicy Raw Crab (Maeun gejang)
In the southern harbor city of Yeosu, where I lived until I went to high school, every family has its own version of this dish—crabs marinated in a mix of seasonings. This recipe is my mom’s. I once made it for some Japanese friends who had never had it, and the husband couldn’t stop eating […]
Sweet Sour and Spicy Squid with Water Dropwort (Ojingeo minari chomuchim)
Water dropwort has crisp green stems and leafy tops. Its herbal, earthy flavor is a great match for squid with spicy seasoning paste. Outside of Korean markets, water dropwort can be hard to find, but you can use another green or vegetable in its place. Blanched watercress works well. Or try cucumber (a favorite of […]
Spicy Stir Fried Pork (Dwaejigogi bokkeum)
Whenever I make this glistening dish of thin slices of pork and caramelized onions, spicy-hot with hot pepper paste, hot pepper flakes, and green chili, people go crazy. If you need a great dish in a hurry, this is the way to go. Serves 4 INGREDIENTS 1 pound pork belly or boneless pork shoulder, […]