Spicy Kimchi Udon with Fish Cake Skewers
This recipe for Kimchi Fish Cake Udon is spicy and refreshing, easily rivaling the famous Oden Udon from Tudari.
📝 Editor's Notes
Chef Park Eun-young's Pork Jowl, Bracken, and Aged Kimchi Hot Pot is a unique hot pot dish that perfectly harmonizes savory pork jowl, fragrant bracken, and crispy aged kimchi (묵은지).
The savory yet sweet and sour seasoning enhances the natural flavors of the ingredients while adding a deep richness.
You'll enjoy not only the warm and hearty feeling unique to a hot pot but also a variety of textures, making for a truly satisfying meal.
The difficulty level is moderate; while preparing ingredients and stir-frying each component separately takes a bit of effort, the special result will more than compensate for your work.
Try preparing this as a special meal for your family on chilly autumn or winter days when you crave warm home-cooked food.
🛒 Ingredient Tips
Iberico pork jowl has excellent flavor, but domestic pork jowl is also delicious enough.
Choosing pieces that are not too thick will allow the seasoning to penetrate well and reduce cooking time.
Using pre-blanched bracken is convenient, but if blanching fresh bracken yourself, it's important to remove tough stems and blanch until tender to maintain a pleasant texture.
For the aged kimchi (묵은지), choose one that is moderately sour, not overly so.
If it's too sour, slightly increase the amount of sugar or adjust the rinsing time with water to achieve a crisp and refreshing taste, which is key to this hot pot.
Selecting good ingredients is the first step to a delicious hot pot.
🔄 Substitution Guide
Pork belly or pork neck can be used as a substitute for pork jowl.
Pork belly has more fat than pork jowl, offering a richer and tenderer taste, while pork neck provides a leaner flavor.
The cooking time won't differ significantly.
If bracken is unavailable, you can substitute it with mung bean sprouts or Aster scaber (취나물).
Mung bean sprouts will add a crispier and fresher taste, while Aster scaber will enhance the hot pot's depth with its unique aroma.
The chewy texture unique to bracken might change slightly, but you'll experience a different charm.
It's also fine to use fresh kimchi (신김치) instead of aged kimchi (묵은지).
Since fresh kimchi can be more sour than aged kimchi, we recommend adding a little more sugar or rinsing it thoroughly with water before use.
🥘 Ingredients
👨🍳 Cooking Points
The most crucial cooking point for this hot pot is to sauté the rice in the pot for 1 minute.
This coats the surface of the rice grains, preventing them from clumping and achieving a fluffy texture.
Remember that adding rice water (쌀뜨물) in a 1:1 ratio, boiling it, then reducing to low heat and covering, is also key to a good hot pot.
When braising the pork jowl in the sauce after grilling, heat control is important.
Stir gently over low heat until glossy, being careful not to let the sauce reduce too much.
Be cautious not to braise for too long, as the meat can become tough.
Finally, the best way to fully enjoy the flavors of each ingredient is to serve and mix appropriate portions of rice and toppings just before eating, rather than mixing everything at once.
👨🍳 Directions
Add a drizzle of cooking oil to a pot, cut the kimchi (김치) into desired pieces with scissors, and sauté it.
Add 0.5 tbsp of tuna sauce and 0.5 tbsp of soy sauce to the sautéed kimchi (김치). Mix well, then cover and simmer for 1 minute.
Pour in 750 ml (approx. 3 ¼ cups) of water. Once it comes to a boil, add 6-7 skewered fish cakes and half of the enclosed fish cake soup base, then continue to boil.
Boil the fish cakes for about 5 minutes until cooked, then remove them from the pot. Add 250 ml (approx. 1 cup) of water and 2 packs of Udon noodles, then boil for 1 more minute.
Place the Udon noodles and kimchi (김치) in a bowl, top with the fish cake skewers, and pour in the hot broth to serve.
💡 Tips
This is a great dish to make yourself when you're craving something spicy, instead of ordering takeout.
Use only half of the enclosed fish cake soup base to season, and adjust to your taste.
Highly recommended as a hangover remedy.
📦 Storage & Reuse
This hot pot is best enjoyed immediately when warm.
If there are leftovers, it's best to store the rice and toppings separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
We recommend consuming it within 2-3 days.
To reheat, you can use a microwave, or gently warm it in a pot or pan over low heat.
Adding a tablespoon or two of water during reheating can prevent the rice from drying out and maintain its moisture.
Sautéed bracken and braised pork jowl can also be portioned and frozen.
They are great for using in bibimbap or other dishes later, and the aged kimchi (묵은지) can be used in kimchi jjigae (김치찌개) or kimchi bokkumbap (김치볶음밥).
🥢 Who This Is For
This hot pot is perfect as a special weekend meal for the family, when inviting guests, or as a celebratory meal on a special day.
It is especially recommended for those who want to enjoy a rich combination of meat, vegetables, and rice all at once.
Recommended side dishes include warm and refreshing bean sprout soup or dried pollock hangover soup (황태 해장국).
Serving it with clean-tasting 'dongchimi (동치미)' or white kimchi (백김치) will make it even more refreshing.
If you are looking for a hearty and nutritionally balanced meal, be sure to try making this hot pot.
🔥 Nutrition Info
One serving of Chef Park Eun-young's Pork Jowl, Bracken, and Aged Kimchi Hot Pot is estimated to be approximately 750-900 kcal.
Calories may vary depending on the amount of pork jowl and rice.
Protein intake from pork jowl is approximately 30-40g, and fat from pork jowl, perilla oil, and sesame oil is about 40-50g.
Carbohydrates are supplied by rice, approximately 90-110g.
Notable nutrients include abundant dietary fiber from bracken, which aids gut health, and lactic acid bacteria from aged kimchi (묵은지), which assists digestion.
Vitamin B complex and iron contained in pork jowl can contribute to fatigue recovery and anemia prevention.
This hearty meal combines diverse ingredients to provide balanced nutrition.
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