I may not care one way or another who wins on Super Bowl Sunday as long as there are some good eats to be had. This dip takes a local Hawaii favorite – kim chee dip – and levels it up with the addition of taegu. Serve it up with some kettle, taro, or ulu (breadfruit) chips, and you have a real winner.

What is taegu?

Taegu is a local Hawaii version of a Korean banchan. It is spicy, seasoned dried codfish or cuttlefish that is often served at Korean restaurants and take-outs. The original Korean version, ojingeochae bokkeum, is dried seafood stir-fried in a spicy sauce whereas taegu is simply marinated dried seafood. Taegu has a chewy texture and is delicious with a hot bowl of rice.

This recipe uses soft taegu which has a softer, more delicate bite and blends more easily with the other ingredients.

Tips

• Won bok is best – Depending on where you live, you may be able to find a wide variety of kim chee. A won bok (or leafy cabbage) style is best for this recipe.
• Choose your spice level – we like things spicy so we use hot kim chee, hot taegu, and hot sesame oil but you can use whatever level of spicy your palate can handle. Just remember the cream cheese and sour cream will mellow out the spice.
• Soft vs. firm – if you can’t find soft taegu, regular (firm) taegu will work just as well.
• Can’t find taegu? An all kim chee dip is a classic and just as tasty.

Kim Chee Taegu Dip

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• Author: She’s Almost Always Hungry
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

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Description

Taegu (Korean dried, seasoned codfish or cuttlefish) is added to this leveled up kim chee dip for a new twist on a popular Hawaii dish.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 cup kim chee (preferably won bok)

4 ounces soft taegu (about 1 cup)*

8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

½ teaspoon sesame oil

Sliced scallions, for garnish

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Instructions

Drain the kim chee and reserve the juice

In a food processor, pulse the kim chee and taegu until finely minced but not puréed.

Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and sesame oil and pulse until evenly blended.

Place in a serving bowl and garnish with sliced scallions and reserved kim chee juice (optional).

Serve with kettle chips or crackers.

Notes

*Regular (firm) taegu may be used in place of soft taegu.

For kim chee and taegu, choose the spice level for your palate

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Dips
• Cuisine: Hawaiian-American

Nutrition

• Calories: 213
• Sugar: 2 g.
• Sodium: 810 mg.
• Fat: 18 g.
• Saturated Fat: 9 g.
• Carbohydrates: 5 g.
• Fiber: 0
• Protein: 8 g.
• Cholesterol: 58 mg.

Keywords: kim chee, soft taegu, cream cheese, sour cream