Cycle 15 – Item 230
22 (Thu) August 2024
Al Tang
3.0
at Jigane
-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-
solo
Although GMTD has documented only 2 posts on this restaurant, first 4 years ago (see 11.211 Goguma Julgeori Namul), then 2 years ago (see 13.303 Haemul Tang Bokkeumbap), I eat there on occasion – if I happen to be on my own, at lunch time, in the neighborhood, nothing to eat at home. The food is consistently good, healthy, cheap – and even better, the business is not part of a franchise.
Got a call on the drive home after work that everyone else was in the mood to order pig’s feet (jokbal) for dinner, so I made a detour.
Al Tang is a Korean dish. Fish eggs – specifically, whole sacs of pollack roe (I’ve never encountered anything but) (“al = egg”) – boiled in a spicy broth, seasoned with garlic + onions + gochugaru, plus tofu + radish + bean sprouts and other vegetables. Typically served in a clay pot.
I was shocked to realize that the dish has never been featured on GMTD, prior to this post. Granted, it’s not one of my favorites, but al tang is very common – I’m sure that I’ve had at least a few times over the past 15 years (maybe like this restaurant, I suppose that the experiences have simply gone undocumented). The closest thing have been seafood stews that included fish eggs, among other components (see 1.150 Haemul Jjigae; 3.087 Haemul Jjigae).
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