Korean · side

Myeolchi Bokkeum (Stir-Fried Dried Anchovies with Walnuts)

Myeolchi Bokkeum (Stir-Fried Dried Anchovies with Walnuts) reads sweetness 5.5, nutty 5.4 and umami 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Korean side, about 25 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 5.5 · Nutty 5.4 · Umami 5.1 · Richness 5.1 · Salinity 4.8 · Allium 3.8 · Earthy 2.8 · Funk & Ferment 2.7 · Marine & Briny 2.6 · Heat 2.1 · Bitterness 1.8 · Herbaceous 1.3 · Fruity 1.3 · Warm Spice 1.1 · Sourness 0.6

What's in it (11)

Time & effort: about 25 min (10 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 260.4 kcal, 2.8 g protein, 21 g fat, 16.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

  1. Sift the anchovies in a colander to shake out the broken heads and dust, and pick out any that are more than about 3 cm long; the larger grades are for making broth and are too bony and bitter to eat whole.
  2. Toast the anchovies in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking constantly, until they smell toasted rather than fishy and feel brittle. This dry toast is the step people skip, and it is what removes the raw sea smell and makes them crisp enough to stay crisp under a syrup.
  3. Tip them out, add the oil to the pan and fry the walnuts, garlic and chile for 1 minute over medium heat until fragrant.
  4. Add the soy sauce, mirin, rice syrup and sugar and let the mixture bubble for 30 to 45 seconds, until it is glossy and just beginning to thicken. Return the anchovies and toss hard and fast for 30 seconds so every fish is lacquered. Take the pan off the heat before the syrup darkens: past that point it hardens as it cools into a brittle candy.
  5. Off the heat, stir through the sesame oil and seeds and spread the mixture on a plate in a single layer to cool. It crisps as it cools. Stored in a jar in the refrigerator it keeps 2 weeks, and it is the banchan most likely to be in a Korean lunchbox, along with rice and a piece of gim.
  6. Substitutions: rice wine can stand in for the mirin; honey can stand in for the mulyeot.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.