Hwangtae-haejangguk (Dried Pollock Hangover Soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3-quart heavy pot or ttukbaegi
• •Mixing bowl for moistening the pollock
• •Chopsticks or tongs for stirring the egg

Instructions

1. 1

   Soften the pollock

   Tear the hwangtae into bite-size strips, removing any sharp bones or hard skin. Put it in a bowl, sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of water, and turn it with your hands until it bends instead of snapping. Let it sit 5 minutes. Dry pollock thrown straight into the pot stays stringy; a little moisture lets it toast evenly and give itself to the broth.

   If your hwangtae is very salty, rinse it quickly, squeeze it dry, then moisten it with only 1 tablespoon of water. Taste one strand before you season the soup later.
2. 2

   Toast with garlic

   Set a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sesame oil and neutral oil, then the softened pollock and minced garlic. Stir for 3 to 4 minutes, until the strips curl slightly, the garlic loses its raw bite, and the bottom of the pot looks lightly creamy from the fish. Do not brown the garlic. This toasting is the reason the broth turns pale and sweet.

3. 3

   Build the soup

   Add the radish and stir for 1 minute so it takes on the oil. Pour in 6 cups of water, anchovy-kelp broth, or rice-rinsing water, scraping the bottom of the pot. Bring it to a steady boil, then lower to a lively simmer for 12 minutes. The radish should turn translucent at the edges, and the broth should look cloudy rather than clear.

   Rice-rinsing water is a good weeknight shortcut here. Use the second rinse, not the first dusty one. It gives body without making a separate stock.
4. 4

   Cook the sprouts

   Add the soybean sprouts. Either keep the lid on for 6 minutes, or leave it off the whole time. Pick one and don't peek. The sprouts should stay crisp at the stem and lose their raw smell. This rule is not superstition; uneven cooling is what gives half-cooked kongnamul that unpleasant odor.

5. 5

   Season with restraint

   Stir in the guk-ganjang, fish sauce or saeujeot brine if using, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Taste the broth after 1 minute, when the seasoning has settled. Add more salt only 1/8 teaspoon at a time. Hwangtae varies from sweet to quite salty, so the final measure belongs at the end, not the beginning.

6. 6

   Finish the bowl

   Add the tofu, if using, and simmer 2 minutes to warm it through. Turn the heat low and pour in the beaten eggs in a thin circle. Wait 10 seconds, then draw one gentle line through the pot with chopsticks so the egg sets in soft ribbons instead of clouding the whole soup. Scatter in the scallions and green chili if using, then turn off the heat.

   For a cleaner broth, skip the egg. For a softer morning bowl, use it. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too, but the pollock still has to be toasted first.
7. 7

   Serve with rice

   Ladle the soup into bowls while the sprouts are still lively. Finish with sesame seeds if you like, and serve with hot rice and one or two sharp banchan, such as kkakdugi (radish kimchi) or oi-muchim (seasoned cucumber). This is not a soup that wants a crowded table of strong flavors. Let the broth do its quiet work.

Chef Tips

• •Buy hwangtaechae that looks pale yellow and fibrous, not dark brown or oily. It should smell clean and faintly sweet, like dried fish and cold air, not stale fat.
• •Do not replace hwangtae with fresh pollock. Fresh fish makes a different soup. If you only have bukeochae, the more simply dried pollock, you can use it, but soak it 10 minutes and expect a firmer texture and less sweetness.
• •Bean sprouts are not decoration in this soup. Use soybean sprouts with yellow heads, not mung bean sprouts, because their nuttier flavor stands up to the dried fish and their stems keep a proper bite.
• •The safe shortcuts are rice-rinsing water instead of stock, pre-torn hwangtaechae, and skipping the egg. The corner you do not cut is the sesame-oil toasting. That is the dish.

Advance Preparation

• •The hwangtae can be picked over and torn a day ahead, then kept covered at room temperature if your kitchen is dry. Moisten it only right before cooking.
• •Anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for 1 month. Pull kelp from the broth as soon as it simmers so it does not turn bitter.
• •Leftover soup keeps 2 days in the refrigerator, but the sprouts soften. Reheat gently and add a handful of fresh sprouts for the last 4 minutes if you want the bowl to come back to life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 500g)