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Bugeo guk
Dried pollack soup
Bugeo-guk (북엇국): dried pollack soup with radish and egg, Korea's classic hangover cure
In Seoul, little restaurants near Mugyo-dong have served bugeo-guk since dawn for decades to office workers recovering from the night before, and at home it is the light, fortifying soup for any cold morning: shreds of air-dried Alaska pollack fried briefly in sesame oil, then simmered with radish and tofu into a milky, savoury broth, with beaten egg swirled in at the end. It is clean and comforting. Fish and egg are the allergens. A bowl is about 130 kcal. The most common mistake is using the dried shreds straight from the bag; soak and squeeze them first, or they stay tough and the soup is salty. Chef's tip: fry the pollack in sesame oil until it smells toasty before adding water; it is what turns the broth white and rich.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅜ oz dried shredded pollack (bugeo)rinsed and soaked for 5 minutes, squeezed
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 5 ½ oz Korean radish (mu) or daikoncut into thin matchsticks
- 2 garlic clovesminced
- 4 ¼ cups water
- 5 ½ oz firm tofu (optional)cut into small cubes
- 1 tbsp soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)or light soy sauce
- ¼ tsp saltto taste
- 1 eggbeaten
- 1 spring onionsliced
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Cut the soaked 1 ⅜ oz dried shredded pollack (bugeo) into bite-sized pieces. Heat 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil in a pot over a medium heat and stir-fry the pollack for 2–3 minutes, until it smells toasty and the edges turn golden.
3 minStep 2: Add 5 ½ oz Korean radish (mu) or daikon and 2 garlic cloves and stir-fry for 1 minute. Pour in 4 ¼ cups water and bring to the boil.
5 minStep 3: Simmer for 8 minutes, until the broth turns milky and the radish is tender. Add 5 ½ oz firm tofu and 1 tbsp soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) and simmer for 2 minutes more. Taste and add ¼ tsp salt.
10 minStep 4: With the soup at a steady boil, pour 1 egg in a thin stream around the pot and leave it for 20 seconds before stirring gently, so it sets in soft ribbons.
1 minStep 5: Add 1 spring onion and serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bugeo guk take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of toasted sesame oil?
- Toasted sesame seeds ground with a little vegetable oil.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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