Recipe: Ban Chan – seasoned dried squid (Ojinguh Moochim)
20 Feb
Every traditional Korean meal contains dishes of ban chan (or side dishes). Ban chan usually consists of different meats or vegetables that are often boiled and then seasoned. Even when you eat at a Korean restaurant, you will notice that every restaurant has different ban chan, depending on the day.
The dishes are smaller in portion, and I often hear people calling it “appetizers.” Technically, this is not the case since it is eaten as a part of your meal, like a side dish, as opposed to before the entrée.
I could eat this dish alone with rice and I’ll be a happy camper. When I was in college, this was one of the must-have items that I would bring back to school.
I bought 8 oz. bag of what I thought was called dried squid. But the English translation says cuttle fish. I’m not sure what is right. In any case, here’s what the bag looks like:
My mom thoroughly rinses the contents with cold water, then fries it in a pan without any oil just to get rid of the moisture. Plus, roasting it adds an extra layer of goodness! The only downside to this is what you will have to wait for it to cool before adding your spices.
The surprise ingredient of extra deliciousness is mayo. While I hate mayo, adding it to this dish softens the texture of the dried squid, and lightens the strong flavor of the spices. You can’t even taste it, which is even better!
Makes 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
2 1/3 tablespoons of red pepper paste (gochujang)
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
3 teaspoons of red pepper flakes (gochugaru, less if you prefer)
2 teaspoons of finely minced garlic
Hint of sesame oil
Sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional)
Procedure:
1. Take contents out of bag. Here you have the option of rinsing it under cold water, then roasting on a pan. Let’s pretend that we’re on TV, and that we finished roasting and cooling and move onto step #2.
2. In a bowl, combine garlic, gochujang, gochugaru and mayo. Set aside.
3. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the fish strips into more manageable pieces. Some of them will be as long as a noodle, making it hard to eat.
4. In a large bowl, combine everything, using your hands (or a disposable glove). Make sure you break clumps of seasoning, as gochujang can be a bit sticky.
6. Add sesame seeds (optional). Keep refrigerated.
The longer it keeps in the fridge, the yummier it gets, since the flavors come together!
