Chueotang with perilla seed

추어탕 · Chueotang

Chueotang

추어탕

What exactly is it?

Loach is simmered with greens, either ground into the soup or left more intact. Namwon-style and Gyeongsang-style bowls differ; some Gyeongsang versions emphasize cabbage and a lighter broth. Prickly-ash seasonings can taste strikingly aromatic or numbing.

Main ingredients

Loach, greens or vegetables, perilla seed

Ordering and serving

Ask whether the fish is ground if you do not want whole loach. Start with very little prickly-ash seasoning; you can always add more after tasting.

Origins and changes

Regional methods grew around cooking loach from rice-field and freshwater environments. Namwon is not the only style. Grinding or retaining the fish and the balance of soybean paste, cabbage and perilla distinguish the local preparations.

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Chueotang

추어탕

Main ingredients
Loach, greens or vegetables, perilla seed
Flavor and character
Loach is simmered with greens, either ground into the soup or left more intact. Namwon-style and Gyeongsang-style bowls differ; some Gyeongsang versions emphasize cabbage and a lighter broth. Prickly-ash seasonings can taste strikingly aromatic or numbing.
How to eat it
Ask whether the fish is ground if you do not want whole loach. Start with very little prickly-ash seasoning; you can always add more after tasting.
Read about this dish →

Spicy fish stew

매운탕

Main ingredients
Fish and bones, radish, tofu, water dropwort, chili powder; sometimes gochujang
Flavor and character
Maeuntang is a family of chili-seasoned fish stews using marine or freshwater species. A pot containing a whole fish differs from the bone-and-head soup prepared after sashimi. The name alone does not tell you which fish or how much flesh it contains.
How to eat it
At a raw-fish restaurant, ask whether the stew and rice are included or charged separately. Freshwater versions may offer dough pieces or noodles as add-ons. Keep a spare bowl for bones.
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