Galchi Jorim: Korean Beltfish Stew

September 17, 2020

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As a child, my mother would cook all kinds of homemade Korean dishes. She is an incredible cook; one of the best that I’ve ever come across, and no, I’m not biased (so I tell myself). She grew up as a pescatarian, so most of the dishes she made for us were fish-based.

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How to make my mom’s secret Galchi Jorim (갈치조림) recipe ##QuickRecipes ##koreanrecipes ##koreanfood
♬ She Share Story (for Vlog) – 山口夕依

One of the dishes that really stood out to me with Galchi Jorim: Korean Beltfish Stew. This savory and spicy stew is packed with delicious umami flavor and rich with vitamins for a healthy kick. It’s also great if you’re feeling a bit under the weather and need a pick me up.

I remember when I was little, I was afraid of how spicy and red it was. At dinner time, I would grab a tiny bowl and fill it with water and rice. I would then wash the pieces of fish in the bowl so it wouldn’t be so spicy, though it idd end up losing most of that delicoius flavor.

As I got older, I learned to appreciate the full-bodied flavor of this dish and how it tantalizes the 5 tastes (including umami). To this day, it is one of my favorite Korean dishes.

Now, I’m going to share with you my mom’s secret recipe. That’s right, it’s no longer a secret. Let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

Sauce Ingredients

1 TBSP diced ginger
1/3 cup diced garlic
1/4 cup gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 TBSP mirin
2 TBSP sesame oil
2 TBSP Korean rice syrup (or honey)

Main Ingredients

2 lbs of cut belt fish
2 cups water or anchovy broth
1/4 daikon radish sliced
3 chopped scallions
1 medium onion sliced
2 jalapeño peppers sliced

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, add ginger, garlic, gochugaru, soy suace, mirin, sesame oil, and korean rice syrup. Mix really well until the sauce is smooth in texture.

In a large shallow pot, add 2 cups of water or anchovy broth and bring it to a boil. Then, add your sliced daikon radish to the pot. Cover and cook down for about 10 minutes until the radish is tender.

Then, add only half of the sauce mixture and mix it into the water and daikon radishes until it’s fully dissolved. Top off with the rest of the sauce and cover the fish filets as much as you can. Lastly, add your scallions, onion, and jalapeno peppers.