Stir-Fried Dried AnchoviesMyeolchi Bokkeum

Myeolchi bokkeum appears on the table at nearly every Korean meal. It's a banchan — a side dish — that sits in a small bowl alongside rice and whatever else is being served. Slightly sweet, savory, with that satisfying crunch from dried anchovies that have been dry-roasted until crispy and then glazed in a soy-syrup sauce.

My mother made a batch every Sunday and kept it in the refrigerator all week. It took fifteen minutes and lasted for seven days. I ate it with every meal without thinking about it as something I'd ever need to learn to make myself.

When I moved out and started cooking on my own, I called her and asked how she made it. She told me about the dry-roasting step — the tip in the recipe — that removes moisture and tones down any excess fishiness. You toss the anchovies in a dry pan for two or three minutes before adding any oil or sauce. The texture becomes slightly crisp rather than just dry.

I was living in Melbourne at the time, and dried anchovies were available at an Asian grocery near Footscray. The first batch I made was too sweet — I'd been heavy with the corn syrup. Halved it on the second try and got the balance right: sweet and savory in equal measure, with the sesame oil finishing it off after the heat is off.

A Greek a friend named Stavros couldn't figure out what to make of it when I brought a jar to a potluck. He ate one anchovy by itself cautiously, then ate six more. He kept saying they tasted like a snack, not a side dish, which I took as a compliment. They do have a snack quality — crunchy and sweet and a little addictive.

Make a double batch. It keeps for a week and gets better after a day or two.