Maeuntang

Maeuntang is a hot and spicy Korean fish soup, cooked with gochujang chili paste, ground chili and plenty of vegetables. It is one of the dishes most closely associated with drinking and social eating in Korea.

History

The available sources do not allow the exact time and place of the dish's origin to be fixed, although its basis of fish simmered with vegetables and chili seasonings belongs to traditional Korean cooking. The name combines maeun, from the adjective meaning hot and spicy, with tang, meaning soup.

The fish is cut into pieces and simmered with minced beef, watercress, onion, radish, chili, garlic and, depending on the recipe, zucchini or tofu. These ingredients absorb the chili paste, the main seasoning, and the broth is finished with ground chili, garlic, soy sauce and more gochujang to taste.

In its present form, the dish has spread through seafood restaurants, where diners can choose their fish from an aquarium.

Culture

Maeuntang is closely tied to drinking culture and is considered one of the most popular dishes to share with soju. It appears at communal meals and gatherings with friends, and its bold flavor suits the lingering conversation at the table.

It is made with saltwater fish such as red snapper, sea bass, yellow corvina, codfish or pollock, and also with freshwater fish such as carp or trout. Some versions add crabs, clams or oysters to enrich the broth.

When ordered with hoe, that is, with raw fish, the soup is often made from the leftover parts of the fish, a practical habit that makes use of the whole catch.