Zucchini are coming into season in California now, and I received a medium-sized one in my community-supported agriculture package last week.
I could have again made 호박전 hobak jeon (zucchini pancake), which is always tasty. Another option was 궁중 떡볶이 gungjung tteokbokki, the royal ancestor of the spicy, warm 떡볶이 tteokbokki (rice cake stew).
Yet hobak bokkeum is a simple dish and once you make it, you can either serve it on the spot in banchan form, or you can set it aside and put it into your bibimbap.
The zucchini I used here was a little fat for bibimbap but it work well as a typical American side dish.
Hobak bokkeum 호박볶음
1 medium zucchini (about 10–12 ounces)
1 tablespoon grapeseed, rice bran or high-heat oil (recommend: non-GMO)
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
Directions
1. Slice zucchini thin.
2. Heat a pan with the grapeseed oil over medium high heat.
3. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, creating a sauce.
4. Add the zucchini to the skillet, and cook for one to two minutes.
5. Add the sauce and cook for one to two more minutes, stirring well until the zucchini is softened and turns translucent.
6. Drizzle with sesame oil before serving.
Notes
You can make the Sesame Seed Powder by grinding them in a coffee grinder or pummeling them with a pestle and mortar.
To make it more authentic, do the following.
Use red leaf lettuce.
Substitute the Sesame Seeds with Wild Sesame Seeds (Deulkkae ??)
Substitute Sesame Oil with Wild Sesame Oil (Deulkkae Gireum ????)
Substitute the Sugar and Rice Syrup with Korean Plum Extract (Maesil Ek ???)
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 package Acorn Jelly (Dotorimuk ????)
- Lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
- Onion (sliced thinly and soaked in water with vinegar)
- Cucumber, sliced
- Carrot, julienned
- Sesame Seeds (for garnish)
Dressing
- 5 T Soy Sauce
- 3.5 T Gochugaru (Korean Chili Powder)
- 1.5 T Toasted Sesame Seed Powder
- 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
- 1/2 T Sugar
- 1.5 T Rice Syrup (or any sweet syrup, like Corn Syrup)
- 1.5 T Sesame Seeds, toasted
- 0.5 T Rice Vinegar
- 1 T Sesame Oil
Instructions
- Whisk together all the contents for the Dressing
- Lightly toss the Lettuce with a few spoonfuls of Dressing and plate the Lettuce
- Drain the Onions, and add them to the salad.
- Add the rest of the vegetables.
- Slice the Acorn Jelly into your desired shape and thickness.
- Arrange the Acorn Jelly on or around the salad.
- Dap the Acorn Jelly with leftover dressing.
- Garnish with Sesame Seeds.
