Hi everybody! I’m introducing you to a very very simple, fast, and delicious recipe today!
Myeolchi-muchim is a simple dish that you can make in a few minutes. It’s made with crispy dried anchovies, and once they’re coated with the delicious seasoning mixture I’m going to show you, they make for an awesome, delectable, easy-to-make side dish.
It goes great with rice, kimchi, and a bowl of doenjang-jjigae, like I showed you in the video. It’s a very common lunchbox item in Korea, because it keeps well and has a lot of calcium. And if you have sudden, unexpected guests and you’d like to have something to serve them with the beer or wine, make them some of this and I guarantee they’ll love it.
I love dried anchovies, and I often eat them straight up as a quick snack! They are also great stir-fried, so if you love them like I do, check out my myeolchi-bokkeum recipe, too!
Ingredients
- ½ cup tiny dried anchovies
- 1 teaspoon Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon white or cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon rice syrup or corn syrup
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Directions
- Combine hot pepper flakes, soy sauce, vinegar, rice syrup, garlic, green onion, sesame seeds, and 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil in a mixing bowl. Mix well with a spoon.
- Add the dried anchovies and mix well. Transfer to a serving plate or bowl. Sprinkle some chopped green onion over top and add 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.
- Serve as a side dish for rice or with beer.
I have medium sized anchovies… not tiny but not the big guys for making stock either. Do you think they’ll work for this kind of side dish, or are they too big? Thanks!
I made this for a party, and it was a big hit. Then I made it without anchovies, and used 1-1/2 cups of raw cashews and walnut pieces–and it is delicious. No need for vegans to miss out.
Another great tip for my vegan readers!
Hi Maangchi,
How long can this keep in fridge?
It will go soggy fast, so make just enough for your meal. It won’t go bad, but you will lose crunchiness if you keep it in the fridge.
This is delicious :) When I made it I cooked the anchovies 1 minute in a dry skillet preheated on medium high heat, then added a TBSP olive oil and cooked another minute – just like the myeolchi-bokkeum recipe says to do. I love it! I tripled the recipe and this is only going to last about 2 days total.. 3 days max LOL! Thanks Maangchi – I would have never known about dried anchovies if it weren’t for you… This is a recipe I’ll enjoy for years to come. I ate this delicious side dish with sticky rice and radish leaf kimchi :)
Hi, this look v interesting. Do I need to wash the anchovies?
No you don’t.
Thanks for sharing this. It’s one of my favorites that I used to make all the time in Korea. I got the recipe from a coworker. Her recipe uses honey but no hot spices. I am looking forward to trying your version.
Maangchi,
Last weekend when I did myeolchi bokkeum, I also saw this so I made some last night to have with baechu doenjangguk. My wife and her sister really liked the myeolchi bokkeum and used it in their omelettes for breakfast. I think that is where my extra myeolchi muchim will end up too! ^__^
Dave
They added crispy anchovies to their omelette? It sounds very creative!
OMG, Maangchi ssi!
I made this yesterday & made doenjang jigae with radish leaves kimchi. Super delish. Awesome combo. I don’t know how to include my pic in this comment.
Thanks for sharing the recipes
Ima
OMG, this looks so yummy! You know what, this is what I crave in the summer time when it’s too hot to cook! Make this and eat with cold rice and water. For those of you not from Asia, we Asians mix cooked rice in cold water or tea (or hot water/tea) instead of soup because some of these side dishes are very salty. I LOVE anchovies!!! Thanks for another great recipe, Maangchi!!!
Yes, I agree with you! When you lose your appetite (that seldom happens to me though), or you don’t have any special side dishes on hand, this will be something that you can make in a few minutes. Delicious!
Hi Maangchi, can I use dark maple syrup in lieu of corn/rice syrup?
yes, you can.
I just found some mini anchovies in my cupboard yesterday and was wondering what to do with them. Luckily you posted this recipe and now I can use them:)
kristi, I know you will love this side dish. : ) You won’t care about the tiny eyes of the dried anchovies. You are one of my hardcore Korean cook readers!
Hi Maangchi :). Thank you for sharing all these wonderful recipes, I love to make delicious Korean food at home with them! The only problem I have, since I’m a Westerner and have never actually been to a Korean restaurant, is that I’m having trouble figuring out which dishes to put together to make a meal. I know rice is the main part of the meal and there’s always a soup but I’m never sure which banchan go together. Would you be able to include a note in each side/main dish recipe listing what banchan and soup you would serve together with it for a meal? It would really help me to serve authentic Korean meals to my family. I’m sure individual taste is a big part of putting a meal together but I was hoping for some guidelines until I really get used to Korean cooking.
If it’s too much work don’t worry about it :). Thanks again for all the great recipes!
Thanks,
Sara
Hi Sara,
Thanks for your comment!
In my newer videos and recipes I’m adding information on table settings, and I’m planning to add more of this info to my website. But very basically, yes, rice is the main, plus a soup and kimchi, and then your favorite side dishes.
Maangchi ssi,
Do you just mix the jiri myeolchi with the seasoning? No need to cook or fry it first?
yes, you can eat them as snack. You don’t need to cook the anchovies before mixing with seasonings.
Finally I can make them :)
A Korean friend of mine once made me Myeolchi muchim and it tasted so good. At first I was a bit afraid to eat the whole little fish but when I tasted it was delicious. She also added some nuts to the anchovies and also some little chillies. She then explained to me that she used to give this meal to her children when they were young because the anchovies contain lots of minerals that are necessary especially for children.
Thank you Maangchi!
Toto, good luck with making this easy and delicious side dish!