Beef Brisket Tteokbokki with Chili Oil and Jammy Eggs

Method

1. Put the water in a pot with the kombu and dried shiitake and leave to soak for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, soak the rice cakes in cold water if hard, cut the fish cakes into triangles, the cabbage into 3 cm pieces, the green onion diagonally into 4 cm lengths and the perilla leaves into 1 cm ribbons. Pull the heads and guts off the anchovies, and mix the gochujang, soy sauce, sugar and syrup in a bowl.

   Add in this stepWater 600 mlKombu (5 × 5 cm pieces) 1Dried shiitake mushrooms 1Gochujang (Korean chili paste) 2 tbspSoy sauce 1 tbspSugar 1 tbspRice syrup or corn syrup 1 tbsp

2. Toast the anchovies in a dry 18 cm pan or pot over medium heat for 1 min to drive off the fishy smell. Pour in the soaked kombu, shiitake and all the water and simmer over medium heat for 12 min, then strain out the solids. Slice the shiitake thinly to use later. The broth should have reduced to about three quarters.

   Add in this stepLarge dried anchovies (for stock) 10

   medium heat

3. Bring water to a boil over high heat in a 16 cm pot, lower in the eggs straight from the fridge with a ladle and cook for exactly 6 min 30 sec, then plunge into ice water. The yolks will be jammy; peel once cool.

   Add in this stepEggs 2

   high heat

4. Pat the rice cakes dry and fry them in a wide 26 cm pan with half the oil over medium heat for 3 min, rolling them around, until lightly golden and puffed in spots. Set aside. The seared skin keeps them chewy even after simmering.

   Add in this stepRice-flour tteokbokki rice cakes 300 gCooking oil ½ tbsp

   medium heat

5. Add the remaining oil and the brisket to the same pan and cook over medium heat for 2 min to render the fat. Push the beef to one side, turn down to low heat and stir the chili flakes and garlic into the pooled fat for 30 sec, until the oil turns red and smells toasty (move on quickly: burnt chili tastes bitter).

   Add in this stepCooking oil ½ tbspThinly sliced beef brisket (chadolbagi) 120 gKorean chili flakes (gochugaru) 1½ tbspMinced garlic 2 tsp

   medium heat→low heat

6. Pour in the broth and the mixed sauce, add the seared rice cakes and simmer over medium-high heat for 5 min, scraping the bottom often. It is ready when the rice cakes are soft all the way through and the sauce has thickened.

   medium-high heat

7. Add the fish cakes, cabbage and sliced shiitake and cook over medium heat for another 3 min, until the cabbage has wilted and the fish cakes are plump with sauce.

   Add in this stepKorean fish cake sheets (eomuk) 100 gCabbage 100 g

   medium heat

8. Add the green onion and pepper and cook over medium heat for 1 min until glossy, then turn off the heat. Top with the halved jammy eggs and perilla leaves, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve straight away.

   Add in this stepLarge green onion (or leek) 1Ground black pepper 1 pinchPerilla leaves 4Toasted sesame seeds 1 tsp

   medium heat