Spicy Blue Crab Stew (Kkotge-tang)

How to make it

1. 1

   Scrub the crabs clean with a brush, cut them in half and remove the gills and sand sac.

2. 2

   Cut the radish into 1 cm half-moons, slice the green onion diagonally, julienne the onion and cube the tofu into bite-size pieces. Rinse the crown daisy under running water and drain; slice the Cheongyang chili thinly.

3. 3

   In a bowl, mix the doenjang, gochujang, gochugaru, tuna sauce, soju, minced garlic, dasida and black pepper into a seasoning paste. Adding the minced chili makes the broth much richer (optional, but highly recommended). Put 1.2 L of water and the radish in a pot and boil over high heat for 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Once it boils, add the seasoning paste and simmer over medium heat for 7 more minutes to draw out the flavor.

5. 5

   Add the cleaned crabs and boil for 8 minutes. (Crab gets tough if overcooked, so 8–10 minutes is the key.) Add the onion, tofu and Cheongyang chili and boil 3 more minutes.

6. 6

   Finally add the green onion and crown daisy and bring to one more boil. Taste and add a little salt if needed.

7. 7

   Boiling the radish first makes the broth much cleaner-tasting.

You can fix this

If it hasn't burned or stuck to the pan, it can still be fixed.

• Too salty? Add more water or stock. A block of tofu or a potato will soak up the salt.