Fish-Shaped Fish Cake (Bungeoppang Fish Cake)
Fish-Shaped Fish Cake (Bungeoppang Fish Cake)
Lee Young-ja’s Special Recipe! Gobchu Japchae Fish Cake Made with a Fish-Shaped Bread Mold
Introducing Lee Young-ja’s ingenious ‘Bungeo-mook’ recipe, featured on the TV show ‘Pyeonstorang’! Instead of long, standard fish cakes, this unique dish uses a cute fish-shaped bread mold, filled generously with chewy fish cake batter and a spicy-sweet Szechuan-style gobchu japchae (stir-fried vegetables and meat) filling. It’s perfect as a snack and will surprise everyone with its delightful taste and appearance, making it a hit with both adults and children. Forget ordinary fish cakes and try this special Bungeo-mook today!
Gobchu Japchae Filling Ingredients- 1 green bell pepper, thinly julienned
- 1 shiitake mushroom, thinly julienned
- 1 white part of green onion, thinly julienned
- 1/4 onion, thinly julienned
- 100g pork (for stir-fry/japchae)
- 1 Tbsp cooking wine or rice wine
- Pinch of black pepper
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp chili oil
- 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
- Olive oil for stir-frying
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the vegetables for the gobchu japchae filling. Thinly julienne the green bell pepper, shiitake mushroom, the white part of the green onion, and the onion.
Step 2
In a bowl, combine the julienned pork with a pinch of black pepper, salt, and 1 Tbsp of cooking wine (or rice wine). Mix well and let it marinate for a short while. This step helps to remove any gamey smell from the pork and season it.
Step 3
Heat a pan with a little olive oil. Add the marinated pork and stir-fry until it’s partially cooked. Then, add all the julienned vegetables to the pan and stir-fry them together with the pork.
Step 4
Continue stir-frying until the vegetables and pork are well combined. Add 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 Tbsp oyster sauce, and 1 Tbsp chili oil. Stir-fry again until all ingredients are evenly mixed to create a delicious gobchu japchae filling.
Step 5
Once the gobchu japchae filling is cooked, let it cool slightly. Then, finely chop it into pieces about 1cm in length, making it easier to fill the fish-shaped bread mold.
Step 6
Now, prepare the fish-shaped mold. Lightly grease the inside of the mold with oil to prevent the batter from sticking. Carefully pipe or spoon the fish cake batter to fill about half of the mold. Be cautious not to overfill, as it might spill out.
Step 7
Generously spoon the prepared gobchu japchae filling onto the fish cake batter in the mold. Be sure to add plenty of filling to ensure a flavorful center. Then, cover the filling with the remaining fish cake batter to complete the fish shape.
Step 8
Close the mold and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. Ensure the fish cake batter is fully cooked through. Your delicious Gobchu Japchae Fish Cake is now ready! It’s best enjoyed warm.
