Chef Jeong-sun
Al-tang (Fish Roe Stew)
A weeknight fish roe stew with radish and crown daisy in a clean spicy broth, where the whole success depends on adding the roe late enough that it sets tender, not chalky.
Culinary Explorer
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Yongbong-tang (Dragon and Phoenix Soup)
Created by
A Jeolla soup for the hottest weeks, where carp stands for dragon and chicken for phoenix, simmered slowly with ginseng until the broth turns clean, deep, and steady.
Soups & Stews
Korean
Special Occasion
Comfort Food
35 min
Active Time
2 hr 10 min cook•2 hr 45 min total
Yield4 to 6 servings
In the hottest part of summer, Korean kitchens do not only chase coolness. We also cook heat against heat, iyeolchiyeol (fighting heat with heat), because a body tired from the season needs broth, salt, and strength. Yongbong-tang belongs to that table. The carp is called the dragon, the chicken the phoenix, and yes, the name is grand. The pot itself is country practical: one good fish, one small chicken, clean water, roots, patience.
I first wrote this one from a Gwangju cook who scolded me before she taught me. She said people remember the name and forget the discipline. Carp has a muddy smell if you handle it carelessly, and chicken can cloud a broth if you boil it hard. So the work tonight is not difficult, but it asks for attention: clean the fish well, blanch the meats, skim without laziness, and keep the simmer low enough that the broth stays clear.
This is not a soup to bury under chili or soy. The seasoning is salt at the end, just enough to let the carp, chicken, ginseng, and ginger read as themselves. Serve it with rice, a sharp kimchi, and maybe one clean namul. Write down your salt. Memory is a borrowed bowl, and a soup this old-fashioned deserves better than guessing.
Yongbong-tang is associated especially with Gwangju and the Jeolla table, where generous restorative soups were served in the hottest summer period and for people recovering strength. The name uses auspicious symbolism: yong (dragon) for carp, a fish long linked with ascent and vigor in East Asian culture, and bong (phoenix) for chicken. Unlike court dishes with written royal records, this soup's importance is regional and household-based, carried through restaurants, markets, and family kitchens rather than palace ceremony.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole carp
Quantity
900g to 1.1kg
scaled, gutted, gills removed, rinsed well
small whole chicken
Quantity
about 1.2kg
excess fat trimmed
water
Quantity
14 cups
divided
coarse salt
Quantity
2 tablespoons
for scrubbing the fish
rice wine or soju
Quantity
1 tablespoon
for rinsing the fish
ginger
Quantity
1 thumb-size piece
thinly sliced
garlic
Quantity
10 cloves
peeled
fresh ginseng roots
Quantity
2 roots, 25g to 35g total
rinsed
dried jujubes (daechu)
Quantity
6
rinsed and slit
dried shiitake mushrooms (optional)
Quantity
2
rinsed
dried kelp (dasima)
Quantity
1 small piece, about 3 inches square
Korean radish
Quantity
200g
peeled and cut into 2 thick slabs
scallions
Quantity
2
white parts bruised, green parts thinly sliced
whole black peppercorns
Quantity
1 teaspoon
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons, plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
toasted sesame oil (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
for serving
cooked short-grain rice
Quantity
to serve
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole carpscaled, gutted, gills removed, rinsed well | 900g to 1.1kg |
| small whole chickenexcess fat trimmed | about 1.2kg |
| waterdivided | 14 cups |
| coarse saltfor scrubbing the fish | 2 tablespoons |
| rice wine or sojufor rinsing the fish | 1 tablespoon |
| gingerthinly sliced | 1 thumb-size piece |
| garlicpeeled | 10 cloves |
| fresh ginseng rootsrinsed | 2 roots, 25g to 35g total |
| dried jujubes (daechu)rinsed and slit | 6 |
| dried shiitake mushrooms (optional)rinsed | 2 |
| dried kelp (dasima) | 1 small piece, about 3 inches square |
| Korean radishpeeled and cut into 2 thick slabs | 200g |
| scallionswhite parts bruised, green parts thinly sliced | 2 |
| whole black peppercorns | 1 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | 1 1/2 teaspoons, plus more to taste |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/4 teaspoon |
| toasted sesame oil (optional)for serving | 1 teaspoon |
| cooked short-grain rice | to serve |
Equipment Needed
- •Large heavy stockpot, 7 to 8 quart capacity
- •Wide slotted spoon or spider
- •Fine-mesh strainer
- •Kitchen tweezers or small pliers for stray fish bones
Instructions
- 1
Clean the carp
Rinse the carp under cold water, then rub the skin and belly cavity with the coarse salt for 1 minute. Rinse again and splash with the rice wine or soju. Pay attention to the bloodline along the spine and any dark membrane inside the belly; remove them with the tip of a spoon. This is where the muddy smell hides.
Ask the fishmonger to scale, gut, and remove the gills, but inspect it yourself at home. Fishmongers work fast. Soup remembers what they missed. - 2
Trim the chicken
Trim away the thick yellow fat around the cavity and tail end of the chicken. Rinse briefly and drain. Do not soak the chicken in water; it only washes flavor away. The trimming matters because excess fat floats up and makes the broth heavy.
- 3
Blanch both meats
Bring 6 cups of the water to a boil in a wide pot. Lower in the chicken and boil 3 minutes, then lift it out and rinse off any scum. Blanch the carp separately in the same boiling water for 1 minute, just until the skin firms, then lift it out carefully. Discard the blanching water. This step is not for cooking; it is for a cleaner final broth.
- 4
Start the broth
Wash the pot. Add the remaining 8 cups water, the chicken, ginger, garlic, ginseng, jujubes, shiitakes if using, kelp, radish, scallion whites, and peppercorns. Bring it slowly to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Pull the kelp out after 10 minutes, before it turns the broth slick and bitter.
- 5
Simmer the chicken
Keep the pot at a quiet simmer for 55 to 60 minutes, skimming the surface whenever foam or fat gathers. The broth should move in small trembles, not a rolling boil. Hard boiling clouds the soup and toughens the chicken before it gives itself to the broth.
- 6
Add the carp
Slide the blanched carp into the pot, nestling it beside the chicken without breaking it. Simmer 25 to 30 minutes more, still gentle. Carp flakes easily, so do not stir the pot. Ladle broth over the fish if the top sits above the liquid.
- 7
Season with restraint
Lift the chicken and carp onto a deep serving platter or into a wide serving bowl. Strain the broth if you want it clear, or leave the garlic, jujubes, ginseng, and radish in for a more generous home table. Season the broth with 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, then taste. Add salt 1/4 teaspoon at a time only if the broth tastes flat. The salt should wake the soup, not make it taste salty.
- 8
Serve the pot
Pour the seasoned broth over the chicken and carp. Scatter the sliced scallion greens on top and add a few drops of sesame oil only at the table, if you like it. Serve with rice and kimchi. Each person takes broth first, then a piece of chicken or fish. Watch for small bones in the carp, especially if children are eating.
Chef Tips
- •Buy live or very fresh carp from a market that turns over fish quickly. Clear eyes, firm flesh, and a clean water smell matter here. If the fish smells muddy before cooking, ginger will not save it.
- •A heavy stockpot is the modern vessel I accept. A traditional large pot is good, but the discipline is the simmer, not the romance of the pot. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too.
- •Fresh ginseng gives the clean bitterness this soup wants. Dried ginseng is stronger and can dominate; use 8g dried ginseng instead of the fresh roots, and do not add more because someone at the table thinks medicine must taste harsh.
- •Do not replace the carp with fillets if you want yongbong-tang. The bones and head help build the broth. If whole carp is impossible, use a whole firm white fish of similar size and call it an adaptation plainly.
- •This soup is best eaten the day it is made. If storing leftovers, remove the fish from the broth before refrigerating so it does not break apart into bones and flakes.
Advance Preparation
- •The chicken can be trimmed up to 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.
- •The carp should be bought and cleaned the day you cook. Do not salt it overnight; that firms the flesh too much for this soup.
- •The broth can be simmered through the chicken stage up to 1 day ahead, then chilled and defatted. Reheat gently and add the carp for the final 25 to 30 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 650g)
Calories
510 calories
Total Fat
19 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
13 g
Cholesterol
160 mg
Sodium
900 mg
Total Carbohydrates
39 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
45 g
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