Cycle 15 – Item 210
2 (Fri) August 2024
Egg in Hell
2.5
-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-
solo
Try Every Italianish Eatery in Wirye (TEIEW)
Eggs in Hell is a dish of uncertain provenance. Whole eggs poached in hot tomato sauce, “hot” in both the Celsius and Scofield senses. Essentially the same thing as North African shakshouka, though who/when/why/how/where it got westernized (fewer spices) and renamed is up for debate (nobody is really debating).
The version here was okay. Thick, sweetish tomato sauce, with various bits of seafood, in addition to a single egg, topped with cheese – tasted like what Koreans think Italian food should taste like – in fact, the Italian version is Uovo al Purgatorio (Eggs in Purgatory). Not too bad with bread.
Incidentally, I do the same thing with Korean soups (see for example 6.362 Ggongchi-Kimchi Jjigae with Poached Eggs, 5.303 Doenjang Jjigae with Egg), also Japanese curry (see for example 15.042 Beef Curry Rice with a Perfectly Poached Egg), and Chinese doufu (see for example 9.179 Mapa Tofu with Egg).
(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)