Skewer Fish Cake Soup (Kkochi Eomuk Tang)
Fish Cake Soup
Craving a warm, comforting soup? Try making Kkochi Eomuk Tang! This delightful soup features fish cakes on skewers, swimming in a clear, savory broth infused with vegetables. It’s perfect for a chilly day or as a flavorful accompaniment to any meal.
Main Ingredients
- 2 blocks of square fish cakes
- 1 stick of long fish cake
- 2 flat round fish cakes
- 1/4 carrot
- 1/6 Korean radish (daikon)
- 1/2 stalk of green onion
- 1/4 onion
- 1/2 bunch of crown daisy (ssukgat)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 Korean chili pepper (cheongyang)
Broth and Seasoning
- 1200ml water
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
- 1200ml water
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the vegetables for the broth. Dice the Korean radish and carrot into bite-sized pieces, roughly the size of chestnuts. Gently round off the sharp edges – this helps them hold their shape better while boiling and looks nicer. Aim for about 5-6 pieces of each.
Step 2
In a pot, add 1200ml of water to create the broth base. Add the prepared carrot and radish. For the broth’s depth of flavor, roughly chop the onion, green onion, and garlic cloves and add them to the pot. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat for about 5 minutes, then reduce to medium heat and simmer for another 5 minutes to extract their flavors.
Step 3
While the broth is simmering, prepare the other ingredients. Thinly slice the Korean chili pepper diagonally for a hint of spice. Separate the stems and leaves of the crown daisy, as they will be added at different times. Skewer the fish cakes onto wooden skewers, creating an appealing presentation. If you have any leftover fish cake, cut it into uniform, bite-sized pieces to cook alongside the skewers.
Step 4
After 10 minutes of simmering, your broth should be flavorful. Carefully remove and discard the onion, green onion, and garlic from the pot. Keep the radish and carrot in the broth, as they will continue to add flavor and texture.
Step 5
Now, add all the prepared fish cakes (skewered and cut pieces) to the flavorful broth. Season the soup with 1 Tbsp of soy sauce for savory depth and 1/2 Tbsp of salt to adjust the taste. Bring back to a strong boil over high heat for about 3 minutes, allowing the fish cakes to absorb the delicious broth.
Step 6
After 3 minutes of boiling, when the fish cakes have softened slightly, add the reserved crown daisy stems and the sliced Korean chili pepper. Continue to boil over high heat for about 2 more minutes. This will infuse the soup with the fresh aroma of crown daisy and a pleasant kick from the chili.
Step 7
To serve, carefully arrange the skewer fish cakes in a beautiful serving pot. Ladle the hot broth and the remaining fish cakes over them. Finally, garnish with the fresh crown daisy leaves. Your delicious and visually appealing Kkochi Eomuk Tang is ready to be enjoyed!
