Braised Dishes
Galchi-jorim (Braised Hairtail Fish)
Once the radish is half-cooked, lay the hairtail on top, spoon over the sauce, and braise over medium heat. When the sauce has reduced and the radish turns translucent, finish with leek and chili.
한국어로 보기 (Korean version)
Steps
- 1
Clean the hairtail, soak it in rice-rinsing water for 10 minutes, then pat dry. Cut the radish into 1 cm thick half-moons and roughly slice the onion.
If you don't have rice-rinsing water, soak the fish in cold water with a pinch of salt.
- 2
In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, gochugaru, sugar, minced garlic, mirim, and 100 ml water to make the sauce.
- 3
Line a pot with the radish and onion, add 100 ml water, and simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes.
- 4
Lay the hairtail on top, spoon the sauce over it, cover, and braise for 15 minutes, basting with the liquid partway through.
If the heat is too high, the sauce burns before the fish cooks through.
- 5
Top with the leek and chili and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes more. Turn off the heat once the sauce has reduced to a thin layer.
Substitutions
| Instead of | Use | How |
|---|---|---|
| hairtail | mackerel pieces | Mackerel works with the same steps. |
| sugar | 1 Tbsp corn syrup | Corn syrup gives the dish more shine. |
Storing leftovers
Hairtail flakes apart easily once cold, so store it airtight with its sauce in the fridge and eat within 1–2 days. To reheat, bring the sauce to a boil in a pot first, then add the fish and baste it until hot all the way through. To keep it longer, freeze single portions with the sauce and use within 2 weeks.
Serve with
Rice, kongnamul-muchim (seasoned soybean sprouts), and kimchi. The braising sauce is also good mixed into rice.
Making more or less
If the hairtail pieces are large, braise 3–5 minutes longer.
Before you cook
- Check with a chopstick that the fish is cooked right up to the bone before serving.
Questions
Why cook the radish first for galchi-jorim?
Radish takes longer to cook than fish. If you add them together, the hairtail falls apart while the radish is still crunchy, so simmer the radish for 8 minutes first until half-cooked, then lay the fish on top. The radish underneath also shields the fish from the heat of the pot so it doesn't stick.
More with the same ingredients
