If you’ve never had Korean fish cakes before, this easy and quick-cooking dish should be a good introduction.
Cook’s notes
Salty and sweet with a delighful nutty aroma, this stir fried Korean fish cakes can be enjoyed as a snack or a side dish.
I have to admit that my introduction to odeng came late in life. When my daughter, Sam, and I were in Hanoi, we did some shopping at the night market, we got hungry, Sam saw a Korean food stall and ordered something skewered that was meant to be dipped in a tub of red sauce.
It’s odeng, Sam explained. Apparently, it was a popular street food snack from her college days. She gave me piece to try, the sauce was too spicy for me, but I liked the texture of the skewered odeng.
Odeng is sold in various forms. What we got came in sheets. We keep them in the freezer — you can see ice crystals in the photo above. It’s easy to separate the sheets while frozen and they only need a few minutes to thaw completely.
To cook this stir fry, you’ll need a few other ingredients to go with the fish cakes. Garlic is a must. As for the rest of the vegetables… There are no strict rules as to what vegetables can go into a stir fry so I just used what was in the fridge. A piece of tomato and bok choy stalks seemed to make a good combo (lovely colors and light crunch). And, for garnish, I toasted sesame seeds in an oil-free pan.
The fish cakes
Made with fish paste, flour and vegetables, Korean fish cake is eomuk but fondly called odeng. Fish paste? Yes, the Japanese have their kani; Koreans have odeng. Both are made with fish paste.
Odeng is sold in various forms. What we got came in sheets. We keep them in the freezer — you can see ice crystals in the photo above. It’s easy to separate the sheets while frozen and they only need a few minutes to thaw completely.
Vegetables and garnish
To cook this stir fry, you’ll need a few other ingredients to go with the fish cakes. Garlic is a must. As for the rest of the vegetables… There are no strict rules as to what vegetables can go into a stir fry so I just used what was in the fridge. A piece of tomato and bok choy stalks seemed to make a good combo (lovely colors and light crunch). And, for garnish, I toasted sesame seeds in an oil-free pan.
Credit
Adapted from a recipe by Futuredish.Korean-style stir fried fish cakes (odeng)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 sheets Korean fish cake cut into bite-size pieces
- ¼ cup sake
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup thinly sliced bok choy tips
- 1 large tomato center removed then thinly sliced
- 1 onion peeled and thinly sliced
- sliced scallions to garnish
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the sesame seed oil and saute the garlic until fragrant.
- Turn up the heat. Add the fish cakes to the garlic, toss to coat each piece with oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
- Pour in the sake, stir and cook until the fish cakes are soft and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Drizzle in the soy sauce and sprinkle in the sugar. Stir.
- Add the bok choy tips, tomato and onion. Stir fry for a minute or so or just until the vegetables soften a bit.
- Transfer the stir fried fish cakes and vegetables to a bowl, garnish with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.
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