Name: Ohsek Kkochi Jeon (Sanjeok)
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H35M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT0H35M0.000S
Yield: 6 skewers
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: 6 cylindrical tteok (Korean rice cakes); Twelve 3.5-inch imitation crab sticks; 3 to 4 scallions, white and light green parts only; 3 strips pre-cut danmuji or pickled yellow radish (about 2 ounces; see Cook’s Note); 4 ounces Korean smoked fish ham (from a 16-ounce slab; see Cook’s Note); 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 3 large eggs; 2 tablespoons canola oil; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar; 1/4 teaspoon sugar; 1/4 teaspoon gochugaru, optional

Directions

Special equipment:

six 6-inch wooden skewers

For the skewers: Soak six 6-inch wooden skewers in a bowl of water while you prepare the ingredients.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the tteok and cook, stirring constantly to prevent sticking, until soft but bouncy, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander. If any of the tteok stick together, separate them with a wet hand. Cool slightly until ready to handle.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Meanwhile, cut the imitation crab sticks, scallions, danmuji and smoked fish ham the same size as the tteok. To assemble, thread the ingredients on the skewers, about 1/4 inch from the end of each ingredient rather than down the center, as follows: imitation crab stick, scallion, danmuji, fish ham, tteok and a second crab stick. Line up each layer and push the layers close together. Lay the finished skewers on a baking dish or plate in one layer.
Add the flour to a large rimmed plate and whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Heat a large nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-low heat.
One at a time, dredge all the skewers in the flour, coating them well on all sides; leave the dredged skewers on the baking dish. Working with one dredged skewer, shake off any excess flour, then dip and roll the skewer around in the eggs, making sure to coat it thoroughly with no flour peeping through. Place the skewer in the skillet; most of the egg will slide and drip to the bottom, creating a desirable “skirt," which will secure and glue the layers together. Repeat with 2 more skewers, or as many as will fit in the skillet without crowding.
Cook, undisturbed, until light golden underneath, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until the other side is light golden, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the skewers to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and keep warm in the oven.
Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-low heat. Repeat with the remaining floured skewers, dipping and rolling each one in the egg right before adding it to the skillet. Cook until light golden on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
For the dipping sauce: Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, gochugaru, if using, and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
Serve the skewers immediately with the dipping sauce. You can also slide the ingredients off the skewers right before serving if you prefer.

Cook’s Note

Danmuji come both pre-cut in long strips for kimbap and also as whole round logs that can be cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips; choose the pre-cut strips for this recipe. If smoked fish ham is not available in the frozen section of Korean grocery stores, you can substitute Spam or any thick ham steaks.