Daegu Tang

This winter has been unkind.  As you sit by the open window in your school, cold air and snow blowing in your face, you may ask yourself, “Why didn’t I take that job in the Philippines?”   But don’t pack your bags just yet!  While the Philippines might have good weather, Korea has something even better…delicious winter grub.  Hearty Korean stews (찌개or 탕) cure not only the occasional hangover, but also winter angst.

Koreans take great pride in their hearty soups and stews, and they should. Rather than being an excuse to eat butter and cream, Korean soups are the main, healthy course of a meal.  One of Korea’s tastiest winter soups has to be Daegu Tang (대구탕)-white, flakey cod boiled with vegetables and potatoes in a clear seafood broth-take that winter!

Like most other fish eaten in Korea, Daegu Tang is served whole, fish-head, creepy eyes, bones and all, but don’t let that discourage you.  Maneuvering around the bones is quite easy, since the fish is cooked to perfection and easily slides right off the bones.  The soup comes with an extra dish to put your meatless bones into.

Daegu Tang, like all meals in Korea, is served with a variety of side dishes (반찬).  Banchan make every meal an adventure, offering a variety of tastes and textures that never bore the mouth. A restaurant’s banchan can make or break a meal.  This particular Daegu Tang restaurant’s, in Haundae, definitely makes the meal.  The assorted kimchis and veggies paired with gim(김) and rice will help all to find that so-called “ invincible summer.” Beware of the red paste that accompanies your Tang.  The paste is used to flavor the soup; it is very spicy yet delicious!

There are plenty of Daegu Tang restaurants spattered throughout Busan.  The particular dish I am writing about and have pictured is found in Haundae and is right across the street from the Save Zone shopping mart.  Of course, the restaurant is actually named “Daegu Tang.”  The restaurant  looks a bit fancy, but a bowl of soup accompanied with some rice and a plethora of side dishes will only cost you 8,000 won.