Fish Cake Stew (어묵탕 eo muk tang)

It snowed a lot in New York yesterday. It started snowing in the morning and it came down all day, diagonally and horizontally for the most part. By noon, my work for the day and today got canceled. Wow, I got snow days?!!

Certain weather conditions call for certain dishes. Yesterday's snow reminded me of the fish cake stew (어묵탕 eo muk tang) I was planning to make in a few of days. I already had most of the ingredients. And it just so happened that the fish cake stew called for soju (or was it me who wanted soju on a snowy day?). Surprise, surprise, I had a bottle of soju, too. A snowy evening that was wide open, ingredients for fish cake stew and soju. It's not a tough decision to make.

This is a simple version of fish cake stew (어묵탕 eo muk tang), also known as oh deng tang (오뎅탕) which originates from the oden dish of Japan. You can buy packages of deep-fried fish cakes in the frozen section of Asian markets. Many of them also come with seasoning packets, which should make your job easier. I had deep-fried fish cakes I made a few days ago (recipe to follow soon), so the stew became an extra-special treat.

The most important ingredients for this stew are fish cakes and a daikon radish. I like daikon slices in the stew as much as I like fish cakes. Each radish slice is hearty stew packed into one soft bite. At the same time, radish releases its own juice and adds a refreshing undertone, which makes the stew hearty and refreshing all at once. Crown daisy (쑥갓 ssuk gat), greens that are added at the end in many of Korean stews, enoki mushrooms (팽이 버섯 paeng yi beo seot), carrot, leek and garlic also do their part and make the broth more interesting than any seasoning packet alone can achieve.

A rare snow-stormy evening gave me a pause in my routine. Kids in the neighborhood were out and happy to make a mess out of snow. I was happy to sit by the window, watch the snow dance, slurp the fish cake stew broth, and sip on soju in an espresso glass that doubled as a soju glass for the evening.

Fish Cake Stew (어묵탕 eo muk tang / 오뎅탕 odeng tang)
Yields: 3-4 Servings

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups Water or seafood stock (you may need additional 1~2 cups)
2 Pieces Dried kelp (다시마 dashima), About 2-inch square each

2 Cups    Daikon radish, peeled, quartered and sliced
1                 Leek, white part only, trimmed, halved and cut to 2-inch pieces
1                  Skinny carrot, peeled and cut to 1/2-inch pieces
1 Clove    Garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Soy sauce
1 teaspoon    Fish sauce

20                Deep-fried fish cakes (어묵 eomuk / 오뎅 odeng)*
find my recipe here
                            or follow the package portions if store-bought
1 Cup          Hot water

Optional Garnishes)
1/2 Jalapeno pepper or red Fresno pepper, thinly sliced with seeds
to add spicy heat
1/2 Cup Enoki mushrooms (팽이 버섯 paeng yi beo seot), cut to 1-inch length
1 Cup Crown daisy (쑥갓 ssuk gat), cut to 1-inch length

DIRECTIONS:
1. Soak dried kelp in 2 cups of water in a pot that you will cook the fish cake stew. Set aside and prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2. Add daikon radish, leek, carrot, garlic, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce to the pot. Bring it up to a boil over high heat then simmer until radish slices turn translucent and soft, about 15 minutes.

3. In the meantime, pour hot water over fish cakes then strain. Discard water and reserve fish cakes. This is mainly done to wash off a little bit of oil (since fish cakes are deep fried).

4. Add fish cakes to the pot when radish slices become soft. If you want to add spicy heat, add pepper slices with seeds at this time. Bring it up to a boil again. When the fish cakes become soft and warm, reduce heat to low. If necessary, adjust the level of broth by adding 1~2 cups of stock or water and another teaspoon of soy sauce. Bring it up to a boil again. Turn off heat and add enoki mushrooms and crown daisy. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve while it's hot.