Dongtae Jjigae

About the dish

Dongtae — pollack preserved by freezing — was cheap and plentiful in winter, dutifully filling the tables of ordinary households. Simmered fiery with radish and tofu, dongtae-jjigae is the bubbling pot a whole family once gathered around on cold days.

Key ingredient

Pollack (myeongtae) — the fish to reach for with a cold, a flagging appetite or sluggish digestion; excellent for hangover relief, liver health and flushing waste, with sulfur amino acids that help lower blood cholesterol. In season in January, mainly from Sokcho.

Ingredients

Main: frozen pollack, radish, tofu, soybean sprouts, minari (water dropwort), scallion, green chili · Seasoning: red-pepper powder, gochujang, minced garlic, ginger, soup soy sauce

Simple recipe

1. Cut the frozen pollack into pieces, wash it and clean the innards.
2. Slice the radish and tofu and mix a seasoning paste of red-pepper powder and minced garlic.
3. Cook the radish in boiling water, then add the pollack.
4. Add the seasoning paste and tofu and keep it boiling.
5. Top with minari and crown daisy for a clean, refreshing finish.

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