Korean Fish Cake Soup | Odeng Guk (오뎅국)

My sister is the biggest fan of soup season. As soon as there's a bit of chill in the air, it's all about getting cozy with a bowl of soup. Most soups take a little while to make, as it takes a bit of coaxing and time to really get all the flavors and goodness out of the ingredients and into the broth. There's not always the luxury of time, especially during weeknight meals and even more so now that I'm no longer "funemployed."

This fish cake soup has quickly become a favorite in our house. It's super simple and quick and my mom never made it so I sort of just threw this together with the intention of suiting my tastebuds and not adhering to any sort of traditional ingredients or methods. I think that my recipe ends up having a little more depth of flavor and interest. For example, seaweed really isn't a typical ingredient in this soup, but I think it gives it a little more body and a nice texture. I'm also pretty jazzed about how much more flavor is introduced by blooming the anchovies in oil. It automatically steps up the broth into a more cooked-for-a-long-time kind of place.

Ingredients [serves 4]:
1 teaspoon canola oil
½ teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons dried anchovies
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 small daikon radish, sliced
½ oz. wakame
4 oz. fish cakes
2 scallions, sliced

Start by heating a pot over low. Add the canola oil, sesame oil, and dried anchovies and garlic. Saute until fragrant and the ingredients start to take on a light golden color.

Add water and soy sauce and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, chop the daikon, fish cakes, and scallions. Soak the wakame in hot water for 3 minutes until rehydrated. Drain and chop the seaweed into more manageably-sized pieces.

Add the daikon to the soup and cook for a few minutes until tender.

Next, add in the seaweed.

Add in the fish cakes and half of the scallions and simmer the soup for 5 to 7 minutes, just to warm the fish cakes through.

Finish the soup by adding the remaining scallion and serve.

This soup is so well-balanced. It has a slight sweetness from the cooked scallions and daikon, a slight bite from the raw scallions, a deep savoriness from the anchovies and the fish cakes and the garlic, and it's rich and hearty and comforting but it isn't heavy. It's lovely for a weeknight meal with a bowl of rice and kimchi.

Here's the recipe page: