How to Make Spicy Korean Steamed Monkfish (Agujjim)

Today's menu:

Agui Jjim (Steamed Monkfish), Minnohwae (Raw Filefish), Miyeokguk (Seaweed Soup), Cabbage Kimchi Salad, and Kimchi

As soon as I opened the door to the Evergreen kitchen, 

the delicious smell of miyeokguk (seaweed soup) filled the air, and a warm, comforting feeling washed over me. Ahh… bliss.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The chef is washing the monkfish. 

It's a massive amount—two monkfish weighing 13.5 kg (30 lbs) in total.

Fun fact: "Agui" is a regional dialect for monkfish, while "Agui" is the standard term in Korean. So, why does the standard term feel so odd?

The chef also brought in an old chopping board, so ancient it could be from the Unification Silla period.
The legacy of past battles is clear: "Do not tell anyone about my muscle aches!"

Introducing the Mideodeok (a type of sea cucumber) and Omandoongi (a type of sea squirt) — sounds like a secret family recipe, right?
Mideodeok and Omandoongi look similar but belong to different species. Mideodeok is a sea cucumber, while Omandoongi belongs to the sea squirt family.

But here's the real question: Why is it called "Omandoongi"?
"Omán" means "many," and "Dungi" means "round." It looks like many little round lumps grouped together.

The texture is surprisingly tender with just the right chewiness.

For the agui jjim sauce, we’ve blended in 600g (about 1.3 lbs) of Omandoongi paste.

Now, let’s add bean sprouts—the perfect companion to agui jjim!

And of course, the indispensable minari (water parsley) for that fresh crunch. It’s like a Korean version of parsley, but with a peppery kick.

Next, we chop the carrots, onions, and scallions. 

The cabbage from Thanksgiving will be used to make the kimchi salad. Look at those yellow-green leaves!

The cabbage salad dressing, researched and perfected by our own "Blue Star" (who has done years of deep study), is spot on—though I was advised to add 150 times more chili powder for extra punch.

And voilà! A cabbage salad that’s so delicious, I’d be grateful for just that…

Today's special kimchi is a "1+1" deal, gifted by one of our talented church members who used to run a restaurant. How amazing is that?

After a quick (???) worship service, we’re ready to dig in.

The agui is now boiled.
Inside the ladle, you’ll find the monkfish liver, which is soft and nutty in flavor. This ingredient is said to elevate the richness of the agui jjim.

We toss in the lightly stir-fried vegetables, the boiled agui, 

and the Omandoongi paste with the special sauce.

At this point, the pot is so full, I can barely stir it. But hey, I’ll keep stirring, even if it means I’ll collapse at home afterward.

In goes the minari (water parsley) in abundance.

Add starch water (cornstarch mixed with water), and keep stirring—until my forearm muscles feel like they might catch fire. By the time the fire truck arrives, I’m nearly done.

Meanwhile, Redford (yes, that's what we call him) is carefully dividing the minnohwae (raw filefish) into nine plates with pinpoint accuracy.

""Making a mistake while standing guard may be forgiven,
but failure in serving food is unforgivable."," he says.
After all, we follow military-style discipline at this church. 

Failure in serving minnohwae is the equivalent of surrender.

Not a single gram of error is allowed.

We also prepare a perfect dish of jeukyeom (Korean sea salt) and chogochujang (spicy red pepper paste sauce) for the minnohwae. Impressive, right?

Every single one of us is working tirelessly, focused on bringing our best to the kitchen. It’s truly inspiring to see such dedication and effort.

Then comes the prayer of thanksgiving before the meal—

it's the most beautiful moment of all.

And here it is, the spread. 

Feast your eyes on it!

Can you imagine the flavor, with that Omandoongi paste infusing the agui jjim? The taste is deeply savory, with the ocean’s essence. It’s insanely good.

But, as much as it’s delicious, I don’t think I can eat it too often—

if I did, I’d keep going until the plate was bigger than my appetite could handle. (I didn’t realize how massive the plate was until I finished everything!)

I mixed bean sprouts into the agui jjim, but there’s no picture of that part because once I started mixing, I was too busy scarfing it down.

Today's co-star:
The glamorous minnohwae (raw filefish). And right in the center is the precious minnohwae roe.

Oh no! I dropped it, and it’s speeding back to the plate at Mach 9! (Mach 9: completing a full lap around the Earth in two hours).

As for the miyeokguk (seaweed soup)—well, it’s only in a giant bowl, but that’s because I ate the soup bowl. Yes, you read that right.

Who ate it? That would be me.

On the left is the cabbage kimchi salad, and on the right is the homemade kimchi. Double happiness!

The warriors (aka church members) are happily eating away, practicing their band music, and getting ready to check the AV equipment in the worship hall. We’re fortified and ready for the day ahead.

Let’s recall Acts 2:46-47:
"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

The spirit of the early church is alive in our Evergreen Church. Hallelujah!

For dessert, we had the same fruits used to decorate the Thanksgiving altar. We’ll probably be eating them until next year’s Thanksgiving.

I also had some Mozart chocolates from Austria—souvenirs from a trip to Eastern Europe.

Every time I sit at the Evergreen table, it’s like I’m traveling around the world: Japan, China, Czech Republic, Italy, Guam, Austria... international desserts from every corner of the globe.

I have no idea why, but I’ll take it!

A huge thanks to the Men’s Fellowship for handling the dishes and wrapping up the kitchen work.

In front of the church entrance, "That Disciple" saved a beautiful chrysanthemum from the frost and potted it for us.

The true beauty of the chrysanthemum, with its sweet, pure fragrance, is just like the members of our Evergreen Church.

We praise the Lord for planting us here in this warm and cozy Evergreen Church.

A heartfelt thank you to our chefs, volunteers, and all those who help make the meals so enjoyable.

That’s it for today’s Evergreen News. Signing off, ‘This Forest’ reporter.

How to Make Spicy Korean Steamed Monkfish (Agujjim)