Korean Loach Soup (Blended Loach and Dried Radish Greens Tonic)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 75 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Chueo-tang is a southern Korean tonic soup made by blending blanched loach into a smooth puree, straining out bones and skin, then simmering the liquid with doenjang and gochujang for depth.
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The straining step is what separates a clean, richly flavored broth from a gritty one; every bit of bone and skin must be removed before the long simmer begins. Dried radish greens, siraegi, are added midway and cooked for twenty-five minutes, contributing a fibrous chew that contrasts the velvety broth. Perilla seed powder stirred in near the end thickens the soup to a creamy, pale consistency and layers in a pronounced nutty fragrance that carries through each spoonful. A final pinch of ground sansho pepper leaves a tingling numbness on the tongue that clears any lingering earthiness from the freshwater fish. Loach is high in protein and calcium, and the soup has long been eaten as a summer restorative; a broth that is thick and deeply concentrated is the standard by which a well-made chueo-tang is judged.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Put 600 g cleaned loach into rapidly boiling water and blanch over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
When foam and impurities rise, drain the fish in a colander and let it cool completely before blending.
- 2Step
Blend the cooled loach very finely, adding a little of the measured water only as needed so the blades move smoothly.
Press the puree through a fine sieve several times until bones and skin no longer pass through.
- 3Step
Pour the strained loach liquid into a pot and add the remaining measured water to make 1700 ml total.
Whisk in 1.5 tablespoons doenjang, 1 tablespoon gochujang, and 1 tablespoon minced garlic until no large paste lumps remain.
- 4Control
Set the pot over medium heat and stir along the bottom while it comes to a boil.
Once it bubbles, skim the foam, lower to medium-low, and keep stirring occasionally so the blended fish does not scorch.
- 5Control
Add 180 g boiled siraegi and simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes.
Cook gently until the stems soften but still have a chew, and the broth looks thicker and more concentrated rather than watery.
- 6Finish
Stir in 3 tablespoons perilla seed powder little by little and simmer 5 minutes more so it thickens without clumping.
When the soup turns creamy and pale, add 50 g green onion and finish with 0.2 teaspoon ground sansho pepper.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Chueo-tang yields a smooth, protein-rich loach puree simmered with earthy dried radish greens and doenjang.
- Finish cue
- Stir in 3 tablespoons perilla seed powder little by little and simmer 5 minutes more so it thickens without clumping.
- Avoid this
- Do not skip straining; it defines the final texture.
- Storage and reheating
- When foam and impurities rise, drain the fish in a colander and let it cool completely before blending.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
75min, 9 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 310 recipes
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