There are industrial tradition that many company workers should invite partner companies’s workers, to make relationship more connected with them. It is participation to drink wines much, it makes them need to have hangover next day. The participation is mandatory for companies’s well-being, so is symbolic to Korean people’s daily life. There are many ways of hangover, the most popular way is to make 북어국 so that its mild flavor would lessen the feeling of bitter sensation at the stomach.
It is conceived as wife’s love for husband, which is sceneries of ordinary life of couples. The lovely 북어국 makes husband restorated with healthy mode from drunken yesterday. So, when we say Korean 情 culture, 북어국 is symbolic to have imagination how it is in action to.
북어 is dried pollock, traditional ingredient used from very long years ago. The dried version of it would be side dish when drinking wines, or simmering to absorb liquid into the 북어 with 고추장. In contrast of using 고추장, 북어국 is milder flavor, specialized into hangover purpose.
The making of 북어국 is in recent years instant product could make it easy of doing it. However, if you are wife of Korean husband, it would be better when you make it by hand and serve for him. The gist is from the beginning stir fry for 북어, with sesame oil and put water and boil it, addition of scallion, garlic, salt, black pepper, and 간장, later to put eggs, then complete. Tofu or radish, soybean sprout to add it into is great idea for more refreshing soup.
북어 itself has many amino acid to protect liver, soybean sprout strengthens it. The amino acid seems increased when dry process, which makes melted and frozen many times.
This is milder soup popularly eaten by Korean daily life. So, if you don’t want to eat hot spicy soups such as 김치찌개 or 순두부찌개, call alternative to this soup 북어국.
This is how to make it: