Eomuk-bokkeum (Korean Stir-fried Fish Cakes)
Sweet, salty and a little glossy — the side dish in countless Korean lunchboxes. Fifteen minutes, one pan, and it keeps for days.
AI illustrationHow to make it
- Take the oil off the fish cakesPour hot water over the fish cakes in a sieve, drain, then cut into finger-width strips. This removes the frying oil so the sauce sticks.
- Soften the vegetablesHeat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Stir-fry the onion and carrot for 1–2 minutes, until the onion just turns clear.
- GlazeAdd the fish cakes, then the soy sauce, syrup, garlic, gochugaru and water. Stir for 2–3 minutes until the sauce is almost gone and everything looks shiny.
- FinishToss in the chili for 30 seconds, turn off the heat, then add the sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Keep it like a Korean family
Cool completely, then keep it in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It is eaten cold or at room temperature — no reheating needed.
Make it spicy
Double the gochugaru and add 1 tsp gochujang to the sauce for the red version sold at Korean side-dish shops.
The lunchbox side dish
Fish cakes are cheap, quick and keep well, so eomuk-bokkeum became a standard in school lunchboxes (dosirak). Many Koreans call it the taste of their school days.
Pairs well with
AI illustrationKimchi Jjigae
The stew Koreans make when the kimchi turns sour — and the one that brings everyone back to the table. Well-fermented kimchi is the secret.
AI illustrationGimbap
Rice and colorful fillings rolled in seaweed and sliced into rounds — the food Koreans pack for school trips, hikes and road trips.
AI illustrationJapchae
Chewy glass noodles, colorful vegetables and a sweet-savory soy dressing — the dish on almost every Korean holiday and birthday table.