Brewmaster Yun’s Dried Pollock Soup: The Best Korean Hangover Soup

Recently, Brewmaster Yun from the Netflix show Culinary Class Wars released her viral dried pollock soup recipe! If you are a fan of Culinary Class Wars 2, you must have been dying to try this Korean hangover soup.

Her original recipe can be tricky to replicate in a Western kitchen. Therefore, I have slightly modified it with accessible substitutes so you can easily follow along at home. A bowl of this Brewmaster Yun’s Dried Pollock Soup will warm your soul on a cold day. Shall we cook together?

Brewmaster Yun’s Dried Pollock Soup Recipe: Original

She shared her famous hangover soup recipe on her Instagram. Below are the ingredients and steps for her original Brewmaster Yun’s Dried Pollock Soup.

Instagram에서 이 게시물 보기

술빚는 윤주모(@yunjudang)님의 공유 게시물

Ingredients

• 2 Whole dried pollock, 2 Potatoes, 2 Cheongyang chili peppers, 1 piece of Root kelp, 2L Rice water, Perilla oil, Soup soy sauce (Joseon ganjang), Sea salt, Chives.

Brewmaster Yun’s Recipe

• Slice the potatoes thinly into squares.
• Rinse the dried pollock under running water, cover with a damp cloth, and soften by tapping all over with a wooden mallet while spraying water.
• Once the flesh is softened, remove the head and gills. Carefully separate the flesh from the bones, removing small pin bones.
• Wash rice to prepare 2L of rice water.
• Toast the pollock head and bones on a grill until dry and golden to boost umami.

• In a pressure cooker, sauté potatoes in perilla oil, adding rice water a spoonful at a time. Once the potatoes are translucent, add the toasted head, bones, kelp, and chili peppers. Pour in the rice water. After the pressure regulator starts whistling, simmer on low heat for 3 minutes. (If using a pot, simmer for 30 minutes on medium heat).
• Strain the broth through a sieve and squeeze the ingredients in a cloth bag to extract every drop of flavor.
• Season the separated pollock strips with soup soy sauce.
• Sauté the pollock strips while gradually adding the broth. Finally, pour in all the broth and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid slightly open until the flesh is tender.

Easy Dried Pollock Soup Recipe for Western Kitchens

While her original dried pollock soup recipe uses ingredients easy to find in Korea, it can be a challenge to find whole dried pollock in the US, Europe, or elsewhere. Therefore, I have adapted this Brewmaster Yun’s dried pollock soup recipe so you can make it anywhere in the world.

How to Make Rice Water (Ssal-tteun-mul)

Rice water is the secret base for many Korean soups. It provides a subtle starchiness that balances the flavors.

• Method: Rinse your rice once and discard the first water to remove any dust or impurities. Rinse the rice again, and this time, collect the cloudy water from the second and third rinses. This is the “Rice Water” you will use for your broth.

Step-by-Step Guide for this Korean Hangover Soup

• Thinly slice the potatoes into squares and cut the leeks into large chunks.
• Sauté potatoes with perilla oil in a pot, adding one ladle of rice water to keep it moist.
• Toasting Step: Lightly toast the dried pollock strips over a flame until golden. This process concentrates the sweetness for an amazing dried pollock hangover soup recipe.

• Add 1/2 of the toasted pollock to the pressure cooker with the sautéed potatoes. (While the original uses heads and bones, we use strips for convenience abroad). Add kelp and leeks, pour in rice water, and close the lid. Start on high heat, then simmer on low for over 30 minutes once it boils. Strain the finished broth through a sieve.

• Season the remaining 1/2 of the toasted pollock strips with soup soy sauce.
• Sauté the seasoned pollock in a pot with perilla oil for about 2 minutes.
• Add 1 ladle of the prepared broth and sauté for 3 minutes on medium-low heat.
• Pour in the rest of the broth and boil so the flavor of the strips permeates the entire soup. Simmer with the lid closed on medium heat until the broth turns milky white.
• Finally, season with salt to taste. Adjust salt based on how much the broth has reduced.

Extra Toppings & Variations?

Brewmaster Yun suggests adding only tofu to this Brewmaster Yun’s Dried Pollock Soup. However, if you want more variety, you can recreate your own style of Korean hangover soup by adding these common Korean toppings:

• Tofu
• Bean sprouts
• Spicy peppers

Other Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Recipes?

Mackerel Bibimbap

Remember the dish that first helped Chef Loner survive in Culinary Class Wars season2? Unlike the bibimbap you might know, it doesn’t use gochujang, giving it a clean and savory taste. Why not try a healthy meal with this recipe today?

Curious about other foods from Culinary Class Wars 2?

FAQ about Brewmaster Yun’s Dried Pollock Hangover Soup