Eomjine Pocha-style Cockle Bibimbap
Make Delicious Cockle Bibimbap Like a Gangneung Famous Restaurant! + How to Boil Cockles
During my day trip to Gangneung in April 2017, I received invaluable help from my sibling, who is from Gangneung. Trusting my sibling, I only did a cursory research on famous spots in Gangneung and traveled light with just a small bag. I visited Anmok Beach and its cafe street, Gyeongpo Beach, the Heo Gyun and Heo Nanseolheon Memorial Park, and Gyeongpo Lake, packing a lot into just one day. It turned out to be a renowned restaurant that seemingly everyone but me knew about: Eomjine Pocha! Their top-selling menu item is the cockle bibimbap. I’ve always loved cockles, and my mother used to make them often as a side dish. However, the visual of the cockle bibimbap I saw on the restaurant table was extraordinary. My sibling then took me to Eomjine Pocha, saying it was delicious and people waited in line to eat there. They said everyone in the know recognized it, but since I had only done minimal research, I didn’t realize it was such a famous place. The cockle bibimbap’s appearance immediately explained why it was so popular. During my Gangneung trip, the most delicious thing I ate was this cockle bibimbap, and now that it’s cockle season, I’ve decided to make it at home. While eating it back then, I had a feeling that I could probably make it myself, and I thought about it briefly, but it took over a year to finally make it today. I’ve strived to recreate it as closely as possible to Eomjine Pocha’s version. Since I managed to make it, I’m sure you can create an even more delicious and beautiful version!
Cockle Bibimbap Sauce- 7 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 3 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Maesil Extract (Plum Extract)
- 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
- 2 Pinches Salt
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, rinse the cockles under running water until thoroughly clean. It’s important to remove any mud or debris clinging to the shells.
Step 2
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Once the water is boiling vigorously, add the cleaned cockles and boil for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them, as they can become tough. Stick to the time limit.
Step 3
Once boiled, immediately remove the cockles from the water and let them cool slightly. Trying to shell them while they are too hot can make them difficult to handle.
Step 4
Don’t discard the cockle boiling water! It can be reused. The boiling water might contain sediment or impurities from the cockles. Carefully pour off the clear top layer of water, discarding the sediment settled at the bottom.
Step 5
With the cockles cooled enough to handle, use a spoon or chopsticks to carefully remove the shells. Work gently to avoid breaking the cockle meat.
Step 6
Rinse the shelled cockle meat briefly in the reserved clear cockle boiling water. This step helps remove any small lingering debris or fishy taste from the cockles.
Step 7
Drain the rinsed cockles thoroughly in a colander. Excess water can dilute the sauce and make the bibimbap bland.
Step 8
Now, prepare the vegetables. Finely julienne the carrot. Seed the cucumber and slice it diagonally into about 0.5cm thick pieces. Cut the green onions into 3cm lengths. Cutting the vegetables into similar sizes as the cockles makes for a visually appealing dish.
Step 9
In a large bowl, combine the drained cockles, soy sauce, gochugaru, sugar, maesil extract, sesame oil, minced garlic, toasted sesame seeds, and salt. Mix well until the sauce is evenly distributed. Gently fold in the prepared carrot, cucumber, and green onions to create the seasoned cockle mixture. Transfer this mixture to a nice serving dish.
Step 10
Prepare the rice to mix with the cockle topping. You can use any residual sauce left in the bowl after mixing the cockles, or make a separate simple seasoning for the rice (Basic seasoning ratio suggestion: 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, a pinch of gochugaru, toasted sesame seeds).
Step 11
Serve the cooked rice in a bowl, and generously top it with the delicious cockle mixture prepared earlier. Your Gangneung Eomjine Pocha-style Cockle Bibimbap is complete! For an extra touch, consider adding crumbled roasted seaweed (gim) or a fried egg.
