Jangeo Tang

About the dish

Freshwater eel, rich in protein and unsaturated fatty acids, has long ranked among Korea's classic stamina foods. Jangeo tang — the flaked flesh simmered with ugeoji greens and perilla seeds — is a riverside regional restorative that props up bodies worn down by the summer heat.

Key ingredient

Eel (jangeo) — a high-protein fish long prized for building stamina; rich in calories and fat, yet its unsaturated fatty acids keep cholesterol from building up in the vessels, with mucin proteins and collagen besides. In season in August, mainly from the south coast.

Ingredients

Main: freshwater eel, ugeoji (outer cabbage leaves), mung bean sprouts, scallion, perilla seed powder, garlic chives · Seasoning: gochujang, gochugaru, minced garlic, ginger, sancho (Korean prickly ash)

Simple recipe

1. Clean the eel, boil it until soft, then pick and mash the flesh.
2. Dissolve doenjang and gochujang into the strained broth and bring it to a boil.
3. Add the siraegi greens, mung bean sprouts and garlic chives.
4. Season with minced garlic, ginger and sancho.
5. Stir in the perilla seed powder and serve as a restorative.

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