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 Korean grocery store, stir-fried with soy sauce and rice syrup. It is popular in Korean lunch boxes, because it packs well and doesn’t become watery by midday. You can swap hot pepper paste for the soy sauce to make spicy red fish cakes. When shopping for the fish cakes—which are made from pollock, squid, or, sometimes, shrimp—you’ll see that price depends on the percentage of real fish in the cakes. Cheaper fish cakes have a higher starch content. More expensive ones are worth the money.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces fish cakes (eomuk), rinsed under hot water and patted dry with paper towels
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• ¼ cup thinly sliced onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ small carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about ¼ cup)
• 1 green Korean chili pepper (cheong-gochu), stemmed and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup (ssal-yeot)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If the fish cakes are rectangular, cut them into 2-x-¼-inch strips. If they are cylindrical, cut them diagonally into ¼-inch slices.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil. Add the fish cake pieces and stir-fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and chili pepper and stir-fry until the onion starts to become translucent, about 2 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the soy sauce and rice syrup. Return the pan to the heat and stir-fry until the fish cakes are glistening, about 1 minute.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil and sesame seeds. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.
5. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days; serve cold.