Myeolchi Bokkum 멸치볶음 Spicy Anchovy

I did mentioned I prepared a few banchan didn't I? This is my all time favourite and it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. I used to pay $5 for a tiny little tub from the Korean grocer but that was before I learnt how to make it myself.  I do suggest to double or triple the quantity as you will soon find out why. This will make any Korean meal a memorable one but I am happy to have just this with rice any day. 

P.S There are two types of myeolchi bokkum, I will post the other version at a later date.

makes enough for a meal of 4
you'll need;
1 cup of dried anchovies*
1 tbs of cooking oil
1 tbs of gochujang (hot pepper paste)
1/2 tbs of sugar
1/2 tbs of mulyeot (corn syrup)
1 tsp of minced garlic
5 tbs of water
*small or medium size are more suitable, leave the large ones for stock making

I prefer the tiny anchovies.

Prepare the sauce - mix everything in a bowl (except the anchovies and cooking oil).

Dry fry anchovies for a minute or two on medium heat. Stirring constantly.

Add a tbs of cooking oil and continue to fry for a further minute or two. They should start to crisp up and turn a golden shade.

Push the anchovies to aside and pour in the sauce. Mix everything well immediately and turn the heat off.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serves as part of a Korean meal. This keeps well in the fridge for days and it is perfect to have on its own or with plenty of steamed rice.