Coming from a Chinese family means that I ate a lot of weird things indiscriminately when I was growing up. But we never really had a lot of anchovies. Actually, up until recently, I really only knew of anchovies as that one American pizza topping that all the fictional characters hated in the books I read as a kid. (Babysitters’ Club, anyone?)
So when Bowl #2’s mom made this a few weeks ago, I was intrigued. Anchovies are incredibly common in Korean cuisine, most often as a flavoring — they are crucial in a lot of soup bases, as well as some kimchi recipes. This type, however, is served whole, as banchan (small plates, or side dishes), and can also be had for breakfast over rice, if you like. The anchovies used are a tiny variety that comes dried in packages, that is then fried with almonds, walnuts, sliced chilies, sugar or honey, and soy sauce. Frying the anchovies in honey and sliced chilies eliminates most of the salty fish smell, and instead it becomes a savory-sweet, crunchy dish that’s actually mildly good for you with all the nuts added in. I absolutely loved it. Bowl #2’s mom tells me these anchovies are actually how Korean moms get their kids to eat almonds and walnuts — pretty crazy when you compare that to the revulsion that their pink and polarizing American cousins can instill.
Myulchi Bokkeum, or Stirfried Anchovies with Almonds and Walnuts
yields about 2-3 cups, enough for several days’ worth of banchan. This is perfect for small households because it takes almost no time at all to prepare, and will keep for at least a week in the fridge.
1 1/2 cups dried anchovies, the smallest kind (Kimchimari has a great illustration of the different sizes; we like to use the smallest variety shown)
2 tbsp vegetable or other neutral oil, divided
4-5 tbsp honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or other sweetener of your choice, divided
1/2 hot Korean chili pepper, jalapeno, or serrano, sliced
1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
2-3 tbsp soy sauce, to taste
1-2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp sesame oil
1. Heat one tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a skillet until hot. Sauté the dried anchovies with 2-3 tbsp sweetener (we used agave nectar) and Korean chili pepper until the anchovies change from white to a medium brown. Set aside.
2. Heat another tablespoon of oil over medium heat. This time, sauté the almonds and walnuts in soy sauce, 1-2 more tablespoons of syrup, and toasted sesame seeds, for about 2-3 minutes — just until hot. Lower the heat to its lowest setting and add back the anchovies. Drizzle sesame oil over the mixture and give it a final stir to mix thoroughly. Alternatively, just mix it all in a large bowl.
Done! Couldn’t be simpler!
Notes: In addition to being super simple, this recipe is also particularly flexible — it’s all to taste, so adjust the amounts of soy sauce and sweetener according to how salty or sweet you generally like things. You can also play around with the ratio of nuts to anchovies as much as you like — neither I nor Bowl #2’s mom tend to actually measure how much of anything we’re putting in. (Such is Korean cooking.)
For other myulchi bokkeum recipes, see this version by Kimchimari, or this version at Korean Bapsang.
meg
Oh, woah! Maybe it’s because I’m part Chinese, but this recipe is making me really excited! I may have ti swing by the Asian grocery store today, I’ve never had those tiny sardines before.
tworedbowls
Yay! I hope you get the chance to try it (and like it!) I was so surprised by how much I loved this — plus, one of the blog posts I linked to above writes about how much calcium and DHA the anchovies have, in addition to the nuts, which are already pretty healthy. It’s fried and sugary, but could be worse! 🙂 I’m also intrigued by how those versions also add garlic and sake/mirin — seems like that would add great depth to the dish. Anyway, I hope you enjoy if you try it! 🙂
Jody and Ken
I was kind of dubious, but the more closely I looked, the more intrigued I became. I really enjoy Korean food, but I’ve never encountered this kind of honey-nuts-fishy/salty combo before. I’ve got a ton of dried shrimp hanging around–I may have to used them first. Anyway, great post. Ken
tworedbowls
Haha, my reaction was the same as yours when I first saw it! (Well, since she is my boyfriend’s mother, I scarf down everything she puts in front of me anyway.) I’d never encountered a combination like this before either. It’s interesting — I love Korean food too, but I feel like there are a ton of dishes, especially these side dishes, that I would have never tried or heard of if it weren’t for living with a Korean mom for awhile. It’s been super fun to learn all these new recipes that I’ll be able to take back with me. Also, I love dried shrimp in cooking, too! 🙂 Thanks as always for your thoughtful comments!
Hanna
Ahhh 1 of the best Korean banchan 😀 It’s so healthy for u, yummy, & reminds us of childhood. Never tried it with almonds tho, bet it’s even more delightful!
http://www.speakstyleandrock.com
tworedbowls
Yes!!! It’s one of my favorites now! I feel like I’ve been missing out for all my life. Thanks for your wonderful comment, Hanna 🙂
Big Sis Little Dish
This sounds good to me. I am traveling in Taiwan right now and the breakfast buffet at my hotel features a sweet dried anchovy, chili pepper, peanut thing that I have been enjoying with my scrambled eggs.
tworedbowls
Oooh, no way!! How interesting — I never knew Taiwanese or Chinese cuisine had anything similar. It sounds amazing, yum. And I LOVED Taiwan when I was there for a weekend. Hope you’re having a fantastic time. Thanks for commenting and safe travels!
emily
Oh Jeebus, the love affair continues. Pinning the crap out of this right this very second. 🙂
tworedbowls
Hahaha YAY! You’ve made my day, especially since you’ve just liked what are definitely some of the weirder recipes on my blog. I feel like I’ve found a kindred blogging spirit 🙂 Thank you so much!
emily
Yay for bizarre foods and salty, processed, dried & canned stuff! 🙂 Looking forward to being bowled (heh!) over by more of your recipes to come. And thanks for checking out The Pig & Quill!
Christina Nunes
Can you use canned anchovies instead of the dried anchovies?
tworedbowls
Unfortunately, no–these stay quite firm and crunchy in texture, which wouldn’t happen with canned. I’m sorry!