This is a gooey, corny, cheesy, sweet-savory side dish that may be served as an appetizer in Korean restaurants. It can also be enjoyed at breakfast or any meal. It’s an easy quick dish that uses canned corn and vegetables and can include leftover rice or beans. Those are not minature marshmallows on top, but pieces of “garaetteok,” a cylinder-shaped rice cake that you can buy frozen in Korean or oriental markets. You can make ropes of garaetteok with rice flour, salt, toasted sesame oil and water, but I have only used the frozen kind. They are chewy and used in many Korean dishes. It’s important to squeeze out all the excess water in the vegetables or you will have a soggy mess and not the tasty snack shown here. You can also use jalapeno peppers instead of the mild bell with gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) if you want more heat. Chopped basil leaves are nice, too.
Ingredients
1 can of unsalted corn (15¼ ounces), strained with the excess water squeezed out
¾ cup of chopped onion, red bell pepper and/or green bell pepper mixed together
a pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup
5 to 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced thinly
2 ounces garaetteok (white rice cake), sliced into small pieces
Directions
Place corn on clean dish towel and mix with pinch salt. Let sit for 5 minutes, then squeeze out water.
Combine the chopped onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix them well. Let it sit for 5 minutes before wrapping it all in a cotton cloth and squeezing out the excess water.
Add butter and drained corn to skillet or casserole and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add vegetables and stir for 30 seconds. Add mayonnaise, sugar or maple syrup, and anything else you want to add and mix well. Place cheese and rice cakes on top of corn mixture, cover and cook for 7-8 minutes more. I use and love by ttukbaegi–a small black Korean clay pot with lid that is perfect for this and many Korean and other dishes. The last time I checked, Amazon was out of these traditional individual serving casseroles, but they are wonderful for cooking and serving solo meals.
Add comment