Side dishes

Stir-fried Anchovies

myeolchi-bokkeum

Tiny dried anchovies stir-fried until glossy, sweet and savory.

Easy15 min4 servings★ 58Contains fishContains soyContains sesame

History & culture

Stir-fried dried anchovies (myeolchi bokkeum) are a sweet-salty lunchbox banchan built on preserved seafood that stores well in pantries. Coastal and inland homes alike may toast tiny anchovies with soy, sugar, and nuts for crunch. The dish illustrates how dried fish stretched protein in twentieth-century home cooking and remains a childhood taste for many Koreans.

Servings

KCook

Ingredients & steps

Cook mode

Ingredients

Garlic
2 cloves, sliced
Neutral cooking oil
1 tbsp
Dried anchovies (for broth)
Substitutedashi powder (1 tsp per cup water)
1½ cups (large)
Green onion
Substitutescallion or spring onion
1 stalk

Seasonings

Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)Optional
Substitutecoarse red pepper flakes (adjust heat)
½ tsp
Soy sauce
SubstituteTsuyu (diluted) (2 tsp per 1 tbsp) or Tamari Same volume (gluten-free)
1½ tbsp
Toasted sesame oil
Substitutea small amount of olive oil (flavor differs)
1 tsp
Sugar
1½ tbsp
Rice wine (mirim / cooking wine)
Substitutedry sherry or water + pinch of sugar
1 tbsp

Steps

1Medium heat1 min
Remove heads and guts from large dried anchovies if desired. Toast in a dry pan 1 minute.
- Dried anchovies (for broth)
2Medium heat
Push anchovies aside. Stir-fry garlic in oil briefly, then mix everything.
- Garlic
- Neutral cooking oil
- Dried anchovies (for broth)
3Low heat3 min
Add soy sauce, sugar, rice wine and optional gochugaru. Stir-fry on low 2–3 minutes until glossy.
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Rice wine (mirim / cooking wine)
- Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
4
Finish with sesame oil and green onion.
- Toasted sesame oil
- Green onion

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate 1–2 weeks in an airtight container.

Troubleshooting

⚠️ Anchovies are bitter
→ Remove heads and toast briefly before saucing.
⚠️ Too hard
→ Use low heat after adding sauce; do not over-stir.