Koreanize Your Meal 005: Stir Fried Tiny Anchovy (멸치 볶음 or Myeolchi bokkeum)

As usual, this is another long overdue post I owe my sisters...

"Myeolchi bokkeum" or stir-fried tiny anchovy side dish has a lot of versions and I'll do my best to include all of the versions I do in this post..

(My favorite version)

You are also welcome to share yours here... 

It was also one of the many reasons why my sisters and I got hooked on Korean food.  For my 3 and half years here in Korea, it's the only side dish I never grew tired or preparing...

I got this cookbook from my 1st Korean language home-visiting teacher.

But when she asked me to check the table of contents, I was a bit disappointed to see lots of familiar Guks (soups), Jjigaes (stew), Banchans (side dishes), Tang (soup) and special dishes.

I still like it though because of the author's special tips and included sauce/marinate preparations.  

As you can see under the "Banchans,"  stir-fried (tiny) anchovy came in first.  I personally think that when you successfully prepared this side dish, you'll definitely want to try making some more Korean side dishes to make your meals more exciting...


VERSION 1: WALNUTTY STIR FRIED ANCHOVIES

To begin with, here are the ingredients for a very simple stir-fried tiny anchovy side dish:

3 handfuls of tiny anchovy
1 handful of walnuts or any available nuts or seeds: peanut, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds

3 T grapeseed oil 

2 T side dish soy sauce 

2 T starch syrup/oligosaccharide (better than the clear "corn syrup" by ottogi)

My tips:

***You can replace grapeseed oil with any vegetable oil you have, especially canola oil.  However, the grapeseed oil will definitely enhance the taste of your side dish.  There's this French food cooking show I always watch on TV.  The Chef always uses grapeseed oil with her dishes because it gives a "nutty" taste or flavor to her food plus food being fried or cooked doesn't burn easily.  TRUE TRUE TRUE... 

***You can use the clear corn syrup you'll come across with but it does clump the side dish.

(Yellow capped bottle is the ottoggi corn syrup)

(My Korean friend advised me to use this "Yuridang" instead.)

***Though optional, the nuts or seeds will bring more wow factor to your side dish. 

How to Cook:

1. Dry fry anchovies in a HOT pan.  This is to remove moist from them especially when they'd been kept in the refrigerator.  You'll know they're done when you hear popping sounds... Remove anchovies and clean the pan.  

2. If you have walnuts, break them in halves like this and dry fry too for a minute or two.  My Korean friend pointed this one out to remove "smell" and improve the texture of the nuts.  When using peanuts, and I haven't tried them yet, make sure they're cooked well.  If you prefer to use seeds like pumpkin and sunflower or sesame seeds, there's no need to preheat/cook them anymore. Just sprinkle them before adding in the starch syrup. 

When done, remove the nuts and clean pan. 

3.  Put grapeseed (or cooking) oil in the pan and add the anchovies and walnuts.  Stir fry for a while until all the anchovies and walnuts are coated or glistening with the oil.  ^^,

4.  Lower the heat and quickly add the soy sauce.   The anchovies are already naturally salty so you can skip this if you want to or just add in a tablespoon.  Stir very well, making sure all the anchovies and walnuts are flavored.

5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and add the starch syrup.  Stir for a minute and then turn off the heat.
(Sesame oil fans also add some of it and mix after pan is removed from heat.  I'm not a fan though so I don't put any on my anchovy side dishes.)

6. If you're using a corn syrup, this might clump the side dish altogether so allow it cool.  After 5 minutes, check your finished "banchan" and try separating them when they started to clump.  

Ah! Jongmal masshissoyo!

7.  When totally cooled down or if you have left overs after your meal, you can actually keep this in an air tight container and keep in the refrigerator.  This keeps for several days...  I actually make so much to last me for a week and a half..  

My usual lunch when SooAe was about 5-6 months old.... (Indeed, long overdue post.. kkk)

(stir fried broccoli, stir fried tiny anchovies, kim/dried seaweed,

home made pickled radish and fresh greens with kiwi salad dressing)

VERSION 2: GARLICKY STIR FRIED TINY ANCHOVIES

For this version, you can either just add 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced, or replace the nuts with the garlic to the above version.

I don't have a picture with me but yes, I gave my cousin (in the US Army stationed at Yongsan) and his wife some of it and they liked it.

How to cook:
***After dry frying the anchovies, remove from pan. (If you have walnuts, dry fry too and then remove from pan.)  Clean the pan and put cooking oil.  Add the garlic and just before it starts to brown, quickly put the anchovies (and walnuts).  Lower the heat and add soy sauce, making sure all the anchovies (and walnuts) are flavored.   Quickly add the starch syrup, mix well and turn off heat.


VERSION 3:  MIXED NUTS STIR FRIED TINY ANCHOVIES

Well, the picture speaks for itself.. Same procedure as above.. Only, I added in pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds...

VERSION 4: SPICY STIR FRIED WRINKLED CHILI PEPPER AND ANCHOVIES

Ingredients:
3 handfuls of anchovies
3 handfuls of wrinkled peppers
3 T grapeseed/cooking oil
sesame seeds for garnishing

sauce:
1 T cooking wine
1 and 1/2 T brown sugar
1 and 1/2 T starch syrup
2 T soy sauce
1 and 1/2 T gochujang/red pepper sauce or (1 T red pepper flakes--I prefer using this) ***OPTIONAL
2 T minced garlic
***mix sauce ingredients first before cooking...

1. Dry fry the anchovies in HOT pan.  When done, remove from pan and set aside.

2. Put grapeseed/cooking oil in pan and add the wrinkled chili peppers.  As always, stir fry them until they are coated (glistening) with oil.  Add the anchovies and stir fry some more until they are also coated with oil.  After a minute, remove them from the pan.

(wrinkled chili peppers)

2.  Actually, you can just move the peppers and anchovies to the side to cook the sauce but I prefer removing them from the pan completely.

In the same heated pan, add the mixed sauce ingredients, stir constantly.

4.  When the sauce starts to boil, put in the peppers and anchovies.  Mix well while stir frying. When everything's covered with the sauce, turn off heat and let the "banchan" cool...

For this version, the wrinkled chili peppers can be spicy or hot already although they tell you at the mart that they aren't hot at all. That's why as you might have noticed, I placed "optional" after the gochujang and red pepper flakes ingredient(s).  My MIL has another version of this but the side dish clamps and so, I prefer doing this, following Aeri's kitchen's sauce.

There's one more version of this I was able to research on before but I never got around to following or trying it.  The anchovies in that version are washed/soaked first before cooking.  It's actually the original version we've tried many times at Hodori's restaurant along Session Rd., Baguio City.  The Korean BBQ at SM North Edsa and Trinoma, I believe, dry fry their anchovies first.  My husband's friend also brought some of his wife's anchovies side dish and they were just mixed soaked anchovies, thickly sliced garlic and wrinkled peppers cooked in simple soy sauce.

Ah... There's a lot to try... Share yours, okay?

Happy "Stir Fried Tiny Anchovies" cooking...

BTW, I always use the tiniest size of anchovies like the ones in the first picture.  When photos were taken though, it happened that they were OOS so we settled for the inch long ones. Last week, I just made a "garlicky tiny tiny tiny anchovies" side dish for Sooae (minus the soy sauce and starch syrup and nuts) just because she really loves them...

In Korea, btw, they have like 3 (or 4?) sizes of anchovies.  The big ones are used in making broths.  The inch long and the tiny ones are used for ban chans...

"Mommy, I'm Dirty..." (Ma, jjijji!)

I used to speak to SooAe in pure English.  But when I realized that some Korean words are simpler and easier for her to understand and pronounce, I started talking to her in English and then translating the main ideas or topics in Korean after.  

Take for example the face:

eyes=noon

nose=kuh

ears=kwi

head=mori

or food:

rice=bap

side dish=ban chan

soup=guk

water=mul
milk=u-yu

and a few "things" I know like:

ball=kong
door=moon
window=changmoon
book=check

I can understand 30-40% of what's being said or talked about by Koreans.  I can never start a conversation with them but I can definitely answer when being asked about something.  When I really don't know, I just shake my head and say "Mollayo."  ^^,

I can only talk to SooAe in simple sentences like these:

Give me a book, SooAe.==SooAe, check juseyo.
What's this?==Ee-go moya?
Would you like to eat rice now?==Jigeum, bap mokgo shippo? (I don't even know if this one's correct.  But I still do my best to talk to her both in English and Korean.)
Give me a kiss.==Ppoppo juseyo.

I used to say "dirty" for things she's not supposed to touch or play with.  One time,  "Jjijji!" (dirty in Korean? I don't exactly know it's meaning but it's what I always hear from the Halmonis/ajummas when they don't want their grandchild/child to touch something they're not supposed to touch) suddenly came out of my mouth and I was so surprised when she repeated after me without even blinking an eye... 

Since then, whenever I change her diaper, I show her the poop or how the dirty diaper looks like, say "jjijji" and we laugh at it together. 

Last Saturday, while I was busily arranging things in the kitchen, SooAe came up to the gate (we bought a baby room to gate her off from the kitchen and main door) and repeatedly said "Mmaaa!! Jjijji!!"  

Kindly excuse the clutter ^^, 

When we're both feeling bored, I reinstall the babyroom

at the living room like this for her to play inside.

Since I thought she was being bossy and trying to just get me into letting her in the kitchen, I told her to go back to her play area and started singing her favorite song "She'll be coming round the mountain" but she screamed "Ma!!! Jjijji!!" to drown my voice and cried... 

I know though that when she gets restless, I have to check or change her diaper and that's just what I did.  I was so surprised when I smelled poop indeed.  I couldn't help but hug and kiss my baby for having done that a day before she turned 14 months.  Maybe it's too late for SooAe and I to have accomplished this (I've read of infant potty training), but I'm just so happy that she's been trying to communicate more clearly after she turned one.

I actually thought I was just imagining things but 2 hours after changing her, she again said "Mmaa, jjijji!!"  When I checked her diaper, it was really soiled.... ^^,

But after giving us the thrill, she seldom says "jjijji" now and concentrates more on some sounds she makes when she stumbles unto or drops something.   She makes background noise for things she does like "patty patty patty patty...." when trying to tickle me or her dad or even herself, LOL!

Nubian Heritage African Black Soap: Acne Fighting, Detoxifying & Healing

I didn't mean to be this lazy this year with my blog but I just can't seem to find the time sometimes.  SooAe has become so difficult to feed.  I see two teeth coming out and she's acting like a "baby" and only wants to be carried around.  I'm so tempted to buy a "Mei Tai" or a "podaegi" (like the one shown HERE.. )   When you want a good laugh, just watch how mommies "toss" their babies over their shoulders to their back to "wear" or wrap their babies.. soooo cute...

And back to this post's title, I bought through my friend,not too long ago, a Nubian Heritage African Black Soap.  I've watched reviews of beauty bloggers about how wonderful "African Black Soap is.  Been lemming for one and I really couldn't believe it when I saw about 4 brands on iherb.com.  I wasted no time and requested my friend to get me this one.

NUBIAN HERITAGE AFRICAN BLACK SOAP, $3.27 ON iHerb.com
~~~~Acne Fighting, Detoxifying & Healing

with Oats, Aloe and Vitamin E

This soap doesn't feel like it's only 141g. 

I only wet my hands with water to create a creamy lather. I use that to cleans/massage my face, neck, shoulders and chest.  I don't leave the lather on my face though.  I immediately wash off with warm water.  When I feel like I still have to cleanse some more, I repeat the process and I'm done... In a youtube review, the blogger said she directly scrubs the soap on her body for better exfoliation.  Since it's very scarce and expensive here, I just couldn't do that.. ^^, 

At first, to really see and feel its effects, I didn't use any toner or face lotion for 3 weeks.  Every after use, I feel my skin tighten but not dry or itchy.  One might mistake this tightening feeling for dryness.  Hours later, my face is still "oil-free."  

And the best part:  When I first used this soap, I had 3 big red marks on my face, threatening to be humongous pimples in 2 to 3 days but they all instead shrank and totally disappeared just 2 to 3 days after using this soap.  Never did I see my face this breakout free in a decade.. 

My shoulder and chest breakouts were gone too.  I really love this soap.. I'm just sad that it's very difficult to order it nowadays on iHerb.  I checked GMarket and they sell this one for 9,000won each, plus delivery.  So one bar would cost me 11,500won when bought locally.  While on iHerb, that's just the total fee of our $105 worth of purchases.  You get 50%off (via Korea post) for your purchases over $60. Hurry, check the site and avail of this really cheap and fast delivery. 

The SCENT?  Oh so lovable.. In a previous post, I mentioned about a soap becoming the signature scent of our bathroom. It's actually this one.  While making a rich creamy lather with your hands, you'd also be treated to its signature shea butter, woodsy and spicy scent..  

Vegetarian? Don't worry, this is 100% vegetable soap and is not tested on animals. 

Allow me to pluck out their product description from the box:

African Black Soap, made from palm ash, tamarind extract, tar and plantain peel has been used in Africa for centuries to treat ECZEMA, ACNE, OILY SKIN, PSORIASIS, AND OTHER SKIN AILMENTS. Historical references to Shea Butter, a staple of African pharmacology, date back to the reported Shea Butter caravans of Cleopatra.

Nubian Heritage's authentic African Black Soap combines Shea butter's healing and hydrating properties with the ancient medicinal properties of palm ash, plantain peel, tar and tamarind to balance and resolve problem skin.  Our deep cleansing formula aids exfoliation and promotes new cell growth to reveal radiant, fresh, even and healthy skin. 

Three weeks of use and look how much product I still had. 

I wanted my cousin in law to try this one but the soap has been out of stock for weeks now.. So I just cut the soap into portions to send her one (with her knowledge and permission, of course) and to save more (like what other beauty bloggers do to save on their precious soaps...  ^^,).  

The whole bar can be cut into 6 portions this thick... 

We're definitely reordering.  My friend and I are just waiting for the update from iHerb that they've restocked already.  Nubian Heritage has lots of soaps to choose from actually.  If this goes OOS for long, I might just order one or two of their other soaps also good in healing skin problems including acne/breakouts.

"Mom Definitely/Precisely Knows..."

There's this set of Korean children's books I really wanted to get for SooAe but they would cost us about $500.  So I settled for the "applebee" set only costing us about $200.  The box contained more or less than 70 books.  When bought separately from the bookstores though, the total amount would still be about $450. It really was a big deal. 

SooAe and I have been repeatedly reading this book:

The story goes this way:

The little girl, Yeol Mae (I replace it with SooAe when reading), is just learning to talk and so she mispronounces words or phrases.  People in the house she talks to or whoever hears her would give her or do wrong items or things.  But her Mom always comes to her rescue so she often says "Omma-neun, ddak ara!" which means "Mom definitely/precisely knows..."  

I love it that words and phrases get repeated, making me remember and understand them better too.  Such that when I say "Omma-neun???"  SooAe would obligingly say "ttakk tata" or "ttattata" or anything that would sound like the 3 syllables she's supposed to say...

Last Tuesday night, after a discussion with husband who entered the bedroom as a sign of admitting defeat, SooAe suddenly pointed to her book saying "Omma!!!!!! Tattattata..."  Not so clear but she made it a point to also utter 6 syllables in all.. The dad was so surprised that he came out laughing and hugged her.  We'll never know why she chose that time to say it but it definitely made a mark on the dad's heart and mind, hehe! So everyday, he'd ask her "SooAe, really? Omma-neun ddar ara?" but she'd only smile... 

This is definitely a good book.  Not a day goes by without us picking up this one.  I used to bring this along when going out.  But lately, I either let her choose the books to bring or just pick up her Pororo library (block books).

There are times, admittedly, when I get so lazy to even pick out a book that SooAe would just flop herself down on the floor and pull out every single book from where they're temporarily stacked. Then she'd pick out one to read to herself.. ;(

There's so much to learn from them, so much to learn for them.. so much to do with them.. 

SooAe, I don't definitely/precisely know you well because you surprise me everyday...

I'm definitely not a good and expert parent...

But I will definitely and precisely always be here.. 

Thank you for your definite trust and love...