Korea and Japan · Volume 56, The Haenyeo, the Black Pig and the Kingdom Before Korea
Mulhoe
Jeju Island
An illustration of the dish, not a photograph of it cooked.
- Time
- 20 minutes
- Reviewed
- Not yet reviewed from inside the tradition
- Cooked
- Not yet cooked and reported
An iced, cold-dressed "soup" of raw seafood, sliced thin and served with a chogochujang dressing. Built around whatever the day's catch was, dressed at the last possible moment.
Mulhoe's whole logic is speed: seafood, traditionally squid bought live at the harbour, sliced immediately, sea cucumber understood to toughen the moment it is cut and rested. The version here uses squid and turban shell together, the latter requiring the tetramine precaution named in the Flavour Arsenal above.
As tradition built it
Serves 4. About 20 minutes, from live or very fresh seafood.
Ingredients
- 4 turban shells
- 300g very fresh squid
- 3 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 200ml iced water, to loosen
- a generous handful cucumber, julienned
- a generous handful lettuce, shredded
Method
- Boil the turban shells, in their shells, for 10 minutes, then remove the flesh, discard the salivary gland entirely, and slice thinly.
- Slice the squid into thin strips, as close to serving time as possible.
- Mix a dressing: the gochujang, vinegar, sugar, minced garlic, and the iced water to loosen, to a thin, cold, tangy consistency.
- Combine the squid and turban shell in a chilled bowl, pour over the iced dressing, and add the julienned cucumber and shredded lettuce.
- Serve immediately, over ice if possible, while the seafood is still at its freshest.
What a modern chef changes
A chinois-clarified dressing prepared entirely in advance, so nothing delays the cut-to-plate window.
Rung 4
Method
- Prepare and chill the dressing hours ahead, strained through a chinois for a completely smooth, grit-free liquid, so that on the day, the only step left is slicing the seafood and combining, protecting the cut-to-plate freshness window the tradition itself depends on.
- Sous vide the turban shell at 90°C for 20 minutes rather than an open boil, holding a precise, monitored temperature to guarantee the tetramine-bearing gland is fully denatured before removal, then chill rapidly before slicing.