Let's Learn Korean - Loach Soup? or is that mudfish?

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Has anyone ever even heard of a loach? or is that mudfish?

One dish that I’ve just not been able to work up to trying is the loach (or is that mudfish?) soup. Known as 미꾸라지탕 or 추어탕. I’ve never met one of these little friendlies in an English-speaking environment, so I’m not really sure what they should be called, but they abound in the 시장 near my place. They don’t look that bad ☞ alone but when a whole bunch of them get swimming in those large plastic red tubs they can sure make the water frothy. My coworkers can’t believe that I’ll eat almost anything else, but not loach (or is that mudfish?) ☞ soup. I remember a Chinese teacher from years back who used to tell us that she and her brother went hunting them in the rice paddies near their house in Taiwan. But I never heard herr say that she ATE them. And recently, over lunch with a Hong Kong banker, I casually asked if he regarded niqiu 泥鰍 as tasty. He claimed that they don’t eat them in China, in spite of the fact that they brag about eating everything with four legs but the table and everything with wings but airplanes. I find that story a bit hard to swallow, but I’m still working my way up to the loach (or is that mudfish?) thing. I’ve been told that there’s a supe delicious way of cooking them in 구미, where a stew is heated up, some tofu is thrown in and then the loaches (or is that mudfish?) are thrown in. They apparently burrow into the tofu to escape the boiling soup, but in the end they are unable to escape their fate.

Anyone tried loach (or is that mudfish?) soup? Am I just being squeamish over nothing?

Posted by 마익 on Wednesday Nov 24, 2004 in Korean Writing | |

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트랙백:

I’ll just call it 추어탕, and yes, you’re just being squeamish over nothing. They’re ground up to make the soup, so it just makes a bit of a thick texture to it...really spicy. It wasn’t bad actually… I wouldn’t go out of my way for it, but wouldn’t avoid it either.

Posted by ã„´ã…‡ã„·ã…‡ ã… ã…‡ã� on Wednesday Nov 24, 2004 at 03:45 AM
Does the fish in 추어탕 look like eel ?

Posted by HuangSY on Wednesday Nov 24, 2004 at 08:01 PM
Um, before it’s cooked, it looks like the picture--kind of a super small eel, maybe as big around as your finger and half again as long. Above, 필립 says that they are ground beyond recognition in the soup…

Posted by ë§ˆì?µ on Thursday Nov 25, 2004 at 01:52 AM
Chueotang is outstanding!! I’ve had it many, many times in Korea,,,a very healthy mix of mudfish (i.e., loach) and mountain greens, It’s known to battle or cure many diseases (especially cancers of the organs). Couple it with things like tofu and other soy products, Don’t forget the additives for the stew which include powdered san-cho and a form of chives, Want to live a long time? Then eat this powerful folkbrew at least a couple times a month...at least!!!!! Serve it to your chronically ill relatives...they’ll improve almost immediately. AND, it’s tasty...enjoy it gether!!!

Posted by Bill Kile on Thursday May 15, 2008 at 08:52 AM