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.
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.
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 cooking begins by sauteeing garlic in sesame seed oil. Yes, sesame seed oil. Most non-Asians regard it as a “finishing oil” much like truffle oil but, darn it, sesame seed oil is great for stir frying.
When the pieces of garlic turn lightly brown (they will be very aromatic at this point), add the fish cakes and toss to coat each piece with that flavorful oil.
Now, turn up the heat and add liquid. Korean fish cakes need liquid to cook in. Water is the most common choice but I decided that my fish cakes were going to cook in sake and soy sauce with a bit of sugar. Soy sauce gives the fish cakes better color in addition to flavor. And, as the sugar melts and caramelizes, the color deepens.
Finally, add your vegetables and stir fry for a minute or two. Don’t overcook the vegetables. You want them to retain some crunch to contrast with the soft fish cakes.
Full recipe below
Korean 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 are done.
- Transfer the stir fried fish cakes and vegetables to a bowl, garnish with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.
