Korean Zucchini (Aehobak)
์ ํธ๋ฐae-ho-bak
Tender, pale-green Korean summer squash
Aehobak is a light-green summer squash, rounder and more tender than the usual zucchini, with thin skin, few seeds and a sweet, nutty taste. In Korea it is often sold in a tight plastic sleeve that keeps it straight and uniform as it grows.
- Korean name
- ์ ํธ๋ฐ (ae-ho-bak)
- What it is
- Tender, pale-green Korean summer squash
- Storage
- Refrigerate, wrapped, for up to a week.
- Substitute
- Regular zucchini or yellow summer squash (slightly more watery โ cook a minute less).
- Recipes
- Used in 69 recipes on coo K food
How it is used
Aehobak is essential in doenjang-jjigae and is cut into rounds, dipped in flour and egg and pan-fried as hobak-jeon. It is stir-fried with salted shrimp (aehobak-bokkeum), simmered in knife-cut noodle soup and sujebi, and julienned and sautรฉed as a topping for bibimbap, gimbap and noodles. Sliced and sun-dried, it becomes hobak-goji, a winter namul.
Cutting it
Use half-moons for stews, 0.5 cm rounds for jeon and fine julienne for toppings. A light sprinkle of salt for ten minutes draws out moisture so pancakes stay crisp and stir-fries donโt get watery.
๐ง How to store it
Refrigerate, wrapped, for up to a week. Wrap cut ends tightly in plastic.
๐ Substitutes
Regular zucchini or yellow summer squash (slightly more watery โ cook a minute less). Lebanese or Mexican gray squash is even closer.
๐ Where to buy
This is a fresh ingredient, so it is best bought in person at a Korean or pan-Asian grocery store such as H Mart, or through an online Asian grocer that delivers fresh produce in your area. Look for it under its Korean name, ์ ํธ๋ฐ (aehobak).
