“Dongtae, caught and frozen in the wintertime, chuntae, caught in the spring during March and April, meatless Kkuptae left with bones only because it just bore eggs, unfrozen saengtae, and hwangtae, dried being frozen and melted in the winter under the snow.” These are the lyrics to a song called 'Myeongtae,' sang by King Saneh, a Korean folk-rock singer. As you can see from the lyrics, myeongtae or pollack is a fish that goes by many different names depending on the way it’s caught or the way it’s processed. There are over 30 names pollack can have. Fresh pollack that’s just been caught is called ‘saengtae.’ The frozen form of this is called ‘dongtae,’ while the dried form of pollack is called ‘booguh,’ or ‘guntae.’ Frozen baby pollack is called ‘nogari.’ And ‘hwangtae’ is what you would call a pollack that’s gone through a repetitive process of being frozen and melted in the winter winds, then finally dried till tender! If the temperatures are too high and the pollack is not completely dried and turns black as a result, it’s called ‘muhktae;’ and if the temperatures are too low and it turns white, it’s called ‘baektae.’ If you add salt during the process of drying, it’s called ‘jjaaktae,’ and if you dry it wrong, making it turn red on the inside, the result would be called ‘goltae.’ The fact that pollack has so many different names in Korea can suggest that it is an extremely familiar fish variety to Koreans. Hwangtae, especially, has a texture that’s tender yet chewy despite it being a dried product and can be used to give a broth a more refreshing flavor, so it’s used in a variety of dishes like gui, muchim, Korean soup recipes, as well as jjim, bokkeum, and Korean hot pot recipes. Hwangtae is rich in many different nutrients, including methionine, tryptophan, glutamate, glycine, and alanine, making it a popular healthy food product beneficial for everyone and anyone. It’s also a great healthy diet food because it has a high protein content.
Hwangtae can be a nostalgic food for displaced people that came over to South Korea after the Korean War. Hwangtae was first made in Myeongcheon of Hamgyeongbuk-do Province because this region has the best environmental condition to produce the best quality hwangtae that’s aged well with a golden hue on the inside. Before the truce line was created, people would bring pollack caught in South Korea and take it to Hamgyeongbuk-do Province just to enjoy it as hwangtae. Although hwangtae is produced in many parts of Gangwon-do Province, it is still a food that brings nostalgia about the hometown for many. On that note, the recipe we’ll be introducing you to today, hwangtae maeuntang or spicy dried pollack stew, would surely be a recipe that will bring back memories and flavors from hometown for someone.
Using a meat mallet, lightly pound the hwangtae to tenderize the meat.
Rinse the tenderized hwangtae in running water, and remove the moisture. Then, cut away the tail and fin.
Cut the white radish in large, flat pieces, and thinly julienne cut the red chili pepper and Chungyang red pepper.
Make the marinade by mixing the plum extract, soy sauce for soup, brewed soy sauce, minced garlic, red chili powder, red chili pepper, and Chungyang red pepper with 500ml water.
Directions
Lightly grill the hwangtae over low heat. Then, cut into appropriate-sized pieces.
Layer the bottom of the pot with the white radish, then top off with the cut hwangtae pieces.
Pour in 500ml of water, then bring to a boil.
Add in the marinade, then reduce the mix down over low heat.
Once the hwangtae has absorbed much of the marinade, add in a cup of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
When the maeuntang starts boiling, add in the large green onion.
Once the white radish is fully cooked, add in the bean sprouts and tofu.
Add in the water parsley and crown daisy once the bean sprouts are fully cooked.
Recipe Note
･ When adding the dried pollack into the pot, put the head in first, followed by the body. That way, the broth will have a more refreshing flavor. ･ Adjust flavor with salt, if needed.
