Korean seafood hotpot (Haemul jeongol)

Haemul jeongol (Korean seafood hotpot) is usually cooked in the middle of the family on a portable table. Different seafood and vegetables are continually replenished during this amazing crustacean feast.

Korean seafood hotpot (Haemul jeongol) Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1-1½ tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 2-3 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli powder), add 1 tbsp water to make a paste
• ½-1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste), optional
• 1 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste), optional
• 2 tbsp guk ganjang (Korean soy sauce for soup)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cm x 3 cm piece ginger, minced
• 2-3 blue swimmer crabs, cleaned, trimmed and cut in half
• ⅓ cup Korean radish (moo), cut into thin 4 cm squares
• 8-10 prawns
• 1 medium sized calamari or squid, cleaned and peeled
• 1 cup clams or mussels
• 6 scallops in shell, optional
• 4 baby abalones, optional
• 4-5 Napa cabbage leaves, cut into 4-5 cm pieces
• ½ onion, cut into thick slices
• ½ Korean zucchini, cut into 1 cm thick half-moon shapes
• 1-2 spring onions, sliced
• ½ cup enoki mushrooms, optional
• 1 long red pepper, sliced, optional
• 1-2 cups sookgart (garland chrysanthemum), optional
• ½ cup minari roots (water dropwort, water parsley, water celery), optional
• 1-2 cups udon noodles
• salt

Stock

• 10 dried large anchovies
• ⅓ cup Korean radish, roughly chopped
• 7 cm piece kombu
• ½ onion
• 3 garlic cloves

Instructions

1. To make the stock, fill a large saucepan with 12 cups of water and the ingredients for the stock. Bring to the boil. Discard the kombu and continue to simmer the stock for an additional 10-12 minutes. Drain through a colander and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, gochugaru, gochujang, guk ganjang, doenjang, garlic and ginger and set aside. Pour the strained stock into a Korean jeongol pan or a deep saucepan.
3. Add the crab and Korean radish and bring it to a boil, skimming off any impurities. Simmer for 5- 10 minutes over medium heat. Add the remaining seafoods, pile high, and bring to a boil again. Simmer over medium heat until the clams and mussels open. Add the combined sauce ingredients and season the hotpot with salt.
4. Add the vegetables to the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1- 2 minutes. Turn off heat. When most of the seafood has been served, use the remaining broth to cook the udon noodles. Serve haemul jeongol family-style in the middle of the table.

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.