Seafood kalguksu with fresh kimchi

  • medium
  • 4
  • 1 hour 30 minutes plus 3 hours brining and resting time
Not yet rated

The Korean dish 'kalguksu' translates to English as knife-cut noodles, which are the star of this aromatic seafood soup. Joo recommends the kimchi side salad is best when eaten fresh, but if you want to make a fermented kimchi, remove the corn syrup from the recipe and leave to ferment at room temperature for anywhere between 1 week and 6 months.

First published in 2021

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

​​Noodles

  • 150g of plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 50g of strong white bread flour
  • 2g of salt
  • 3g of bicarbonate of soda
  • 100g of water

Stock

  • 3l water
  • 1 sheet of kombu, approx. 15cm square (kombu is known as dashima in Korea)
  • 150g of mooli, peeled
  • 100g of shiitake mushrooms, known as pyogo in Korea
  • 30g of dried anchovies, specifically Korean dried anchovies known as mareun-myeolchi, heads and guts removed then toasted in a dry pan (optional)

kimchi salad

Chilli paste

Broth

  • 500g of mussels, and/or clams, cleaned
  • 4 large king prawns, still in their shells, plus any extra seafood you desire (Joo adds some baby octopus)
  • 100g of courgette, julienned
  • 70g of carrots, julienned
  • 50g of onion, julienned
  • 1 tsp fish sauce, ideally Korean fish sauce
  • salt

To serve

Method

1

Begin by preparing the kimchi salad. Mix the water and salt together, then chop the cabbage into roughly 2cm strips. Submerge the cabbage in the brine for 2 hours

2

Next, make the dough for the noodles. Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir in the water with a fork until it comes together into a dough. Tip out onto a clean surface and knead for 5 minutes. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 2 hours

  • 150g of plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 50g of strong white bread flour
  • 2g of salt
  • 3g of bicarbonate of soda
  • 100g of water
3

To make the chilli paste for the salad, grate the onion and pear as finely as possible and finely chop the garlic and ginger. Finely chop the dried shrimp, then mix all these together with the rest of the ingredients for the paste

4

After 2 hours, drain the cabbage and rinse twice in cold water, then drain and leave for at least one more hour to fully dry

5

To make the stock, clean the kombu with a wet cloth to remove the dusty substance on the surface then place in a pan with the water, shiitake mushrooms, mooli and dried anchovies. Slowly bring to a simmer to bring out the maximum flavour of the kombu. Once it starts to boil, remove the kombu and discard

  • 1 sheet of kombu, approx. 15cm square (kombu is known as dashima in Korea)
  • 3l water
  • 100g of shiitake mushrooms, known as pyogo in Korea
  • 150g of mooli, peeled
  • 30g of dried anchovies, specifically Korean dried anchovies known as mareun-myeolchi, heads and guts removed then toasted in a dry pan (optional)
6

Continue to simmer the broth for 20 minutes, then remove the anchovies and discard (or eat them). Remove the mushrooms and mooli, slice finely then return to the stock. At this point you don't want to cook the broth any longer, so either keep it warm over a very low heat or remove from the heat completely and reheat later

7

After the cabbage has been draining for 1 hour, massage the chilli paste into it and set aside in a bowl until ready to serve

8

To make the noodles, unwrap and roll the dough out as thin as possible on a surface dusted with flour. Cut the noodles to about 5mm wide and dust with a little extra flour so they don’t stick together

9

Place the noodles in a sieve to shake off excess flour, then ensure the broth is brought back to the boil. Add the noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously to ensure the noodles don’t stick together and the stock doesn’t boil over

10

Once the noodles are almost cooked through, add the seafood and vegetables and cook for another minute or two until the mussels (and/or clams) have opened and the vegetables are cooked al dente

  • 500g of mussels, and/or clams, cleaned
  • 4 large king prawns, still in their shells, plus any extra seafood you desire (Joo adds some baby octopus)
  • 100g of courgette, julienned
  • 70g of carrots, julienned
  • 50g of onion, julienned
11

Taste the broth and season with salt and fish sauce. You can serve this dish either in a single big bowl to share, or divide between individual bowls. Sprinkle with chopped spring onion, drizzle with sesame oil and serve with the fresh kimchi salad on the side

First published in 2021

Combining the flavours of his native Korea with the European dishes and techniques he's prepared professionally for years, Joo Won's cooking style is offering a new twist on a much-loved cuisine.

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