The recipe I will introduce today is Braised Hairtail, which is great to make and eat at home. Among the recipes available on the internet, this is the most basic and simple, yet the taste is definitely guaranteed! If you prepare the hairtail and a few easily accessible ingredients along with the sauce, anyone can easily follow this recipe. So, let’s find out what this recipe is all about!
Ingredient Description
First, if you want to enjoy hairtail conveniently at home, I recommend purchasing pre-cleaned hairtail from the supermarket. Generally, supermarkets sell them in 400~500g packages, which will be perfect for the recipe! If you are not eating this alone, it will serve about 3~4 people for a family meal. I eat it alone, so 2 servings are enough for me, haha.
[Braised Hairtail Recipe for 400~500g of Hairtail]
- 6~8 pieces of hairtail (400~500g)
- 3 sheets of kelp
- 300g radish, 2~3 potatoes, 1 green onion
- 500ml water
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons red pepper powder
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 0.5 tablespoon ginger powder
- 2 tablespoons cooking wine, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon oligosaccharide
- 1 teaspoon pepper, 2~3 Cheongyang peppers
- 2 pinches of MSG, 1 tablespoon cooking water
- (Optional) rice water, soju, roasted sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon gochujang
Prepare an appropriate amount of radish, and it’s okay to use less if needed. Prepare other ingredients according to your personal preference!
If there are some scales left on the hairtail, gently scrape them off with scissors and wash! Fill with an appropriate amount of water, pour 1~2 cups of soju, soak for a while, and then wash. Rice water is said to be the best, but if it’s hard to get suddenly, soju is enough. Personally, I think if you wash the processed fish well once, it doesn’t smell fishy, but it’s all about the feeling!
Recipe Summary
- Soak the hairtail in rice water or water diluted with 2 cups of soju for about 20 minutes to remove the fishy smell.
- Slice the radish to a thickness of about 0.5cm and prepare enough to cover the bottom of the pot.
- Slice 2~3 potatoes to a thickness of about 0.5cm and soak in cold water to remove the starch.
- Diagonally slice 1 green onion and 2~3 Cheongyang peppers to an appropriate size.
- In a suitably low pot, add 500ml of water, the prepared radish, and 3 sheets of kelp, then bring to a boil. Once the water boils, remove the kelp and turn off the heat.
- While the water is boiling, mix 6 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of red pepper powder, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 0.5 tablespoon of ginger powder, 2 tablespoons of cooking wine, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of oligosaccharide, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 2 pinches of MSG, and 1 tablespoon of cooking water to make the sauce. You can also mix 1 tablespoon of gochujang in advance.
- Place the potatoes and hairtail on top of the radish, pour the sauce over them, cover, and simmer. If you want a thicker sauce, add 1 tablespoon of gochujang in the middle.
- When the broth is reduced by about 50% and has a slightly thick texture, place the prepared green onions and Cheongyang peppers on top and bring to a boil. Occasionally ladle the broth over the top.
- Finish by sprinkling roasted sesame seeds or other toppings to taste.
👨🍳I prepared pre-cleaned hairtail from the supermarket. The purchased hairtail only needs to have the scales removed under running water (gently scrape with a knife) and the remaining innards cleaned.
👩🍳While cleaning the hairtail, remove the fins with scissors and make a slight cut at both ends to make it easier to remove the bones later.
👩🍳For removing the fishy smell from hairtail, rice water is highly recommended, but if not available, soju is also fine.
👨🍳Adding half an onion along with green onions and Cheongyang peppers can give a slightly sweet taste.
🥗 Ingredient preparation time: 40~50 minutes (including hairtail cleaning time)
🍳 Cooking time: 30 minutes
Preparing Ingredients
Assuming the hairtail is already prepared, let’s prepare the ingredients. Slice the radish to about 0.5cm thickness, enough to cover the bottom of the pot. Although this is a dish that is thoroughly cooked, the texture can vary according to personal preference, so prepare it to a thickness that suits your taste.
Slice 2~3 potatoes to a thickness of about 0.5cm, but since the starch can make the broth too thick later, it’s good to soak them in cold water to remove the starch.
Diagonally slice 1 green onion and 2~3 Cheongyang peppers to an appropriate size. However, these two are more like toppings, so they are not essential! Still, they are nice to have, and if not, they are missed green ingredients, so I personally recommend preparing at least one of them.
Usually, at this point, you can pre-boil the radish, but since I am introducing the recipe, I will start with the sauce ingredients. Mix 6 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of red pepper powder, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 0.5 tablespoon of ginger powder, 2 tablespoons of cooking wine, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of oligosaccharide, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 2 pinches of MSG, and 1 tablespoon of cooking water (yeondoo) to make the sauce. You can add 1 tablespoon of gochujang in advance, but I will add it later while cooking to adjust the seasoning.
Instead of oligosaccharide, you can add corn syrup to add a bit of gloss and sweetness. Mix the ingredients well and prepare by dipping a spoon deeply.
Now that the hairtail, vegetables, and seasoning ingredients are all prepared, let’s start cooking. This recipe is about 70% preparation, and the rest is just adding the ingredients and boiling, so let’s get started right away.
Cooking
First, prepare a low pot suitable for braising. Lay the radish well on the bottom, add 500ml of water, and 3 sheets of kelp, then bring to a boil!
Once the water starts boiling, remove the kelp and you can slightly reduce the heat. Lowering to low heat is also fine! Place the hairtail on top of the radish first, then add the potatoes sparsely. Pour the sauce evenly, cover, and simmer over medium heat!
When the broth is reduced by about 40~50% and becomes slightly thick, ladle the broth over the top while cooking. It’s good if the radish or potatoes feel soft when poked with chopsticks.
Check the seasoning once, and if you want a thicker and spicier sauce in the middle, add about 1 tablespoon of gochujang to adjust the seasoning. The spicy aroma of braised hairtail will already be amazing!
Finally, place the green onions and Cheongyang peppers on top, cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Alternatively, you can place them on top as a finishing touch.
Mix the green onions and Cheongyang peppers once, transfer to an appropriate dish, and finish by sprinkling roasted sesame seeds or other toppings to taste.
Gallery Completion
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Completion
Here is the completed braised hairtail. This dish is styled for the whole family to enjoy, using a sauce that emphasizes the soy sauce flavor rather than being completely spicy. You can make it slightly spicy by adding more red pepper powder and gochujang, or enjoy it as a slightly spicy appetizer by adding plenty of spicy Cheongyang peppers.
By slightly adjusting the amount of sauce, you can modify it to suit each person’s taste and preference, making it a highly recommended recipe.
Cooking over low heat for a little longer to allow the seasoning to soak in better is also a good idea! You can pick up a piece of hairtail, pour plenty of broth over it, and enjoy it to your heart’s content.
Although it might be a bit cumbersome to pick out the bones, once you try it with the sauce that suits your taste, you’ll strongly feel that it was worth making. It’s a taste you won’t regret.
