Chef Jeong-sun
Agwi-jjim (Braised Monkfish with Bean Sprouts)
Firm monkfish buried under crisp soybean sprouts, minari, and a red gochugaru sauce thickened at the end; Masan's market dish asks for heat, timing, and a steady hand.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Galchi-jorim (Braised Hairtail)
Created by
Silver-skinned hairtail laid over thick radish rounds and simmered in a spicy soy braise, the weeknight Jeju pot where the radish becomes as prized as the fish.
Main Dishes
Korean
Weeknight
Comfort Food
20 min
Active Time
35 min cook•55 min total
Yield4 servings
At the market, good galchi announces itself without shouting: bright silver skin, clear eyes, flesh that holds firm when the fishmonger cuts it into thick pieces. Cook the month you're standing in. Hairtail is best when the fish is fat from late summer into autumn, but a careful frozen galchi will still make a proper jorim on a winter weeknight if it was handled well.
This dish lives or dies by the order of the pot. The radish goes down first, because mu (Korean radish) needs time to soften and sweeten before the fish arrives. The fish goes on top and is not stirred. You baste it with the sauce instead, spoon by spoon, because galchi is delicate and a careless chopstick will break the pieces before dinner reaches the table.
People think the red sauce should do all the work. It shouldn't. Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and a small spoon of gochujang (fermented chili paste) are enough; too much paste turns every bite the same. Let the fish taste clean and the radish taste deep. Notebook 42 says the radish is the first thing to disappear when this pot is right, and that one does it properly too.
Galchi, the largehead hairtail or cutlassfish, is strongly tied to Jeju and the southern coastal waters, where it has long been sold fresh at markets and cooked quickly because the flesh is delicate. Galchi-jorim also became famous in Seoul through Namdaemun Market's galchi alley, where small restaurants built weeknight meals around inexpensive cut fish braised with radish and red seasoning. The dish belongs to the broader Korean jorim method, a soy-seasoned braise that reduces until the sauce clings rather than covering the food like soup.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
galchi (hairtail or cutlassfish)
Quantity
800g
cut into 2-inch crosswise pieces
Korean radish (mu)
Quantity
500g
peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick half-moons
onion
Quantity
1/2 medium
sliced 1/2-inch thick
long green chili
Quantity
1
sliced on the diagonal
red chili (optional)
Quantity
1
sliced on the diagonal
scallions
Quantity
2
cut into 2-inch lengths
anchovy-kelp broth or water
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
soy sauce
Quantity
4 tablespoons
gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
mirim or rice wine
Quantity
1 tablespoon
maesil-cheong (green plum syrup) or sugar
Quantity
1 tablespoon maesil-cheong or 2 teaspoons sugar
garlic
Quantity
1 tablespoon
minced
ginger
Quantity
1 teaspoon
grated
toasted sesame oil
Quantity
1 teaspoon
black pepper
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| galchi (hairtail or cutlassfish)cut into 2-inch crosswise pieces | 800g |
| Korean radish (mu)peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick half-moons | 500g |
| onionsliced 1/2-inch thick | 1/2 medium |
| long green chilisliced on the diagonal | 1 |
| red chili (optional)sliced on the diagonal | 1 |
| scallionscut into 2-inch lengths | 2 |
| anchovy-kelp broth or water | 1 1/2 cups |
| soy sauce | 4 tablespoons |
| gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) | 2 tablespoons |
| gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste) | 1 tablespoon |
| mirim or rice wine | 1 tablespoon |
| maesil-cheong (green plum syrup) or sugar | 1 tablespoon maesil-cheong or 2 teaspoons sugar |
| garlicminced | 1 tablespoon |
| gingergrated | 1 teaspoon |
| toasted sesame oil | 1 teaspoon |
| black pepper | 1/4 teaspoon |
| toasted sesame seeds (optional) | 1 teaspoon |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide shallow braising pot or 10 to 12 inch saute pan with lid
- •Wide serving spoon or fish spatula
- •Small mixing bowl
Instructions
- 1
Clean the fish
Rinse the galchi pieces briefly under cold water and pat them dry. If you see dark blood or black membrane inside the belly cavity, wipe it out with a paper towel or rinse it away, because that is where the muddy taste hides. Leave the silver skin alone; it is part of the fish and helps the pieces hold together.
- 2
Mix the seasoning
In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, gochugaru, gochujang, mirim, maesil-cheong or sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, black pepper, and 3 tablespoons of the broth. The sauce should be loose enough to spoon, not a paste. The gochujang is only one tablespoon because this is a braise of fish and radish, not a pot of chili paste.
- 3
Start the radish
Lay the radish half-moons in a wide shallow pot in one even layer, then scatter the sliced onion over them. Pour in the remaining broth, cover, and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. The radish goes first because it needs time to turn tender and sweet before the fish cooks, and the fish cannot wait for it later.
Use a wide pot, about 10 to 12 inches across, so the fish can sit in a single layer. A deep narrow pot makes you stack the fish, and stacked galchi breaks. - 4
Add the galchi
Open the pot and lay the galchi pieces over the softened radish, skin side up when you can. Spoon the seasoning sauce over the fish and around the pot. Do not stir. Bring it back to a steady simmer, then cover and cook for 8 minutes so the fish sets gently.
- 5
Braise and baste
Uncover the pot and simmer 12 to 15 minutes more, spooning the sauce over the fish every few minutes. The liquid should reduce until it looks glossy and a little thick at the edges of the pot. This basting is the whole technique: the fish seasons from above while the radish drinks the sauce from below, and nothing gets broken by stirring.
- 6
Finish with chilies
Add the green chili, red chili if using, and scallions during the last 3 minutes, just long enough for them to soften and scent the sauce. Taste the sauce from the edge of the pot. If it is too salty, add 2 tablespoons water and simmer one minute; if it tastes flat, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce, not another spoon of gochujang.
- 7
Serve the pot
Scatter sesame seeds over the top if you use them and carry the pot to the table with hot rice. Lift the fish with a wide spoon, not chopsticks, and serve each person radish from the bottom. The radish is not a cushion. It is half the reason we made dinner.
Chef Tips
- •Buy galchi with bright silver skin, firm flesh, and no sour smell. If fresh hairtail is poor, use good frozen fish rather than forcing a tired one into the pot. My teacher would have sent it back without a word.
- •Cut the radish thick enough to survive the braise, about 1/2 inch. Thin radish collapses before the fish is done; thick radish turns sweet and holds the sauce.
- •Potato is common in some home kitchens and restaurants, especially when radish is out of season. Use 300g potato in thick rounds in place of half the radish, but do not skip the radish entirely unless the market gives you no decent one.
- •Frozen galchi works if you thaw it slowly overnight in the refrigerator and pat it dry. A quick thaw in warm water loosens the flesh and makes the pieces break in the pot.
- •Leftovers keep 2 days refrigerated. Reheat gently in a covered small pot with 2 to 3 tablespoons water; hard boiling makes the fish dry and pushes saltiness into every bite.
Advance Preparation
- •The seasoning sauce can be mixed up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Stir it before using because the gochugaru will swell and thicken it.
- •The radish can be peeled and cut a day ahead, then kept covered in cold water in the refrigerator. Drain it well before cooking so it does not dilute the braise.
- •Do not cook the fish ahead for a dinner you care about. Galchi-jorim is best when the fish has just set and the sauce has reduced around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 365g)
Calories
355 calories
Total Fat
13 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
10 g
Cholesterol
120 mg
Sodium
1250 mg
Total Carbohydrates
17 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
9 g
Protein
39 g
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