The Street Dedicated to Gaichi Jorim

Galchi–jorim 갈치조림 is a Korean delicacy of a spicy braised galchi stew, made from beltfish (aka hairtail fish, cutlass fish is called galchi in Korean), radish, and onion. They love it so much, a street is dedicated to it.

Galchijolim Golmog 갈치조림 골목 Hairtail Alley

Namdaemun Market, the nation’s oldest continuous market, which shares Seoul’s 600-year history, is one of the most popular traditional markets in Korea. A universal provider of clothing, fruits and vegetables, food, and general merchandise, Namdaemun also houses an imported goods market that carries items that are hard to find elsewhere.

Galchi jorim (cutlass fish stew) is a famous dish from Jeju Island. Namdaemun Market‘s Hairtail Alley is an enclosed section of the market that features many, many small restaurants that specialise in galchi jorim and other related dishes. I think C-19 had its toll on the alley, many of the shops remained closed.

Over the entrance to the first or second narrow alley on the left you’ll see a sign featuring a happy hairtail fish with the words “Hairtail Alley” in English at the bottom. Plunge in there, walk a bit and you’ll be in Hairtail Alley. The restaurants are all very similar; their menus are largely identical, and the quality is quite consistent. 

The ajummas prepare cutlass fish stew over an open fire outside the restaurant, so be very careful when walking through the alley while deciding which restaurant to dine at. There are many restaurants, and you’ll have to control your temper as most of these restaurant workers will try convincing you to go inside (which can be a tad annoying if they start tugging at your sleeves).

There are two reputable restaurants I recommend – one that was featured in the Running Man variety show called Huirak Sikdang 희락식당, and another that has lots of endorsements by MBC, KBS, and SBS TV channels plastered around its signboard called Donghwa Sikdang 동화식당.

Galchi–jorim 갈치조림 Braised Cutlass or Hairtail Stew

The price of the meal comes with everything you see above. The decision making is whether to choose the braised cutlass stew or the pan-fried cutlass set. Choose either, you get a smaller portion of the other as part of the set.

The side dishes or banchan consist of small plates of kimchi, seaweed and soy bean sprouts; like most Korean restaurants, banchan can be refilled if you ask politely.

Because I ordered the cutlass fish stew, the set came with two (small) pieces of the pan fried cutlass fish, two pieces from the tail end of the long fish. These are one served, any more you have to order a la carte.

Every set comes with a Korean-style steamed egg custard. Not as silky smooth as chawanmushi, these are piping hot when served and a lifesaver to neutralise the spiciness of the stew. Just don’t make the rookie mistake of scooping them directly into the mouth, they are much hotter (in temperature) than they seem.

Jorim 조림 is a category of stewed dishes in Korean cuisine, made by simmering vegetables, meat, fish, seafood, or tofu in seasoned broth until the liquid is absorbed into the ingredients and reduced down. In the past, galchi jorim was made with radish and soy sauce, but it is now seasoned with soy sauce, red pepper flakes and gochujang sauce, hence its bright red colour, and fiery hot taste.

Be warned, cutlass fish has a lot of tiny bones which can be a hassle to savour it. Tender, delicate and fatty, this long, thin and silver-coloured fish is hard to keep fresh once it’s caught. So this style cooking is spot on.

This dish is one of the so called “rice stealers” because it tastes delicious eaten with rice and people consume a big amount of it together with the fish. The best way in fact to enjoy this fish is to eat it together with rice and seaweed as well. 

While the fish stew was spicy, it wasn’t as spicy as I was told it would be. It has that sweet taste that lowered the actual spiciness of the gochugaru (red pepper flakes). The taste was rich, and even if it was one of the spiciest dishes I have tried in Korea, the high quantity of red pepper doesn’t not overtake the flavour of the fish.

The best part being not the fish itself but the mu 무 radish that had soaked up all the flavour. The braised radish complements the fish and seasoning perfectly, adding a sweet crunch to each bite. Observing what the next table was doing, I mimic the young lady by wrapping the radish with rice in a seaweed sheet like a kimbap. Delicious!

The whole meal came to be less that 20,000 KRW (or ~SGD 20), a real steal for a delicious and filling meal.

Donghwa Sikdang 동화식당
34-146 Namchang-dong, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

Elsewhere in Namdaemun Market

Do not miss the other stores in Namdaemun Market. There’s another alley called Kalgugsu golmog 칼국수 골목 Noodle Soup Alley that sells good street food like sundae 순대 (pronounces as “soon-dae”) which is similar to blood sausage, except it is filled with glutinous rice soaked with pig’s blood.

And there’s the tourist favourite Jokbal 족발 braised pig’s trotters. This store has been selling jokbal at the entrance to the Hairtail Alley, and you can ask them to prepare it vacuum-packed for that journey home. Just beware, the price is based on the weight of the amount purchased.

Namdaemun Market 남대문시장
21, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 중구 남대문시장4길 21

Visited Aug 2024