D is for Dduk Bok-kee: Korean Rice Dumpling Saute

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Jan 18th 2006 @ 7:47PM

korean rice dumpling saute - dduk bok-ki

Can you tell we're a little krazy for Korean kuisine here at Slashfood? Really, it has nothing to do with my personal agenda of making Korean food the haute cuisine of 2006 all over the world. Nothing, I swear. Can we really help it that so many Korean dishes start with the "D'" sound?

Dduk bok-kee (also "bok-ki" or "bokki") is a saute of the Korean rice dumplings called dduk. I've mentioned dduk here a few times before on Slashfood - the term refers to an entire class of foods in Korean cuisine made from rice flour, similar to noodles or dumplings. Sometimes dduk is sweet, but in dduk bok-kee, it's savory. It doesn't have to be, but it is often spicy, too.

Dduk bok-kee is a sort of homestyle Korean comfort food. Because it's more casual, it's served in Korean "cafes," similar to the way certain casual, comfort foods are served in American bars or diners. But still,nothing beats having it your way at home. Of if you use the following recipe, then I suppose it's my way.

Dduk Bok-kee

Soak a large package of dduk in cold water. Since dduk comes in many shapes (just like pasta does!), use whichever you like. I prefer the cylindrical ones.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 Tbsp each of soysauce, sugar, and sesame oil, 1 tsp of rice wine (sake), a few dashes of black pepper, and 1 finely minced clove of garlic. Thinly slice about ½ lb of any cut of lean beef, add to bowl, mix, and let marinate while you cook the dduk. If you leave the meat out, this dish is vegan.

Cook the dduk in a large pot of boiling water for about 5-10 minutes, until they are soft. Drain and reserve about half a cup of the cooking water for later. Don't rinse the cooked dduk under cold water (this is where dduk is not like pasta).

A lot of people add all kinds of chopped vegetables like carrots, mushhoms, and bell peppers,which I certainly don't mind, but I don't do it at home because I will have plenty of vegetables on the table as bahn chan. However, I usually do add sliced white onions and/or green onions. Whatever vegetables you choose, cut them into similar size and shape as the dduk.

In a small bowl, prepare the sauce by mixing 1 Tbsp soysauce, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 1 Tbsp sugar, 4 Tbsp koh-choo-jahng (Korean red pepper paste), and black pepper to taste. If you like things spicier, you can add more koh-choo-jahng.

Heat about 2 Tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Begin sauteing onions, green onions, and any of the vegetables you want in the oil for about 1 minute. Add the marinated beef and saute for another few minutes until the beef is almost, but not completely, cooked. Add the cooked dduk along with the sauce, saute until the meat and vegetables are fully cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes. If the pan gets too dry while sauteing, add a few tablespoons of the reserved cooking water from the dduk.

Pour it all onto a serving plate, hit it with some sesame seeds to make it ooh-la-la, and definitely eat it while it's hot.

Filed Under: Vegetarian, Brought to you by the letter D, Ingredients
Tags: appetizers, asia, beef, dinner, grains, hors doeuvres, lunch, vegetables