[Lunch Review] Special Thanksgiving Dishes on 11/17 — Fish Roe Soup, Grilled Sandfish, and More
Today's menu: fish roe soup (altang), grilled sandfish (yangmiri), seasoned spinach, pan-fried aged pumpkin, and pickled vegetables.
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It's Thanksgiving Sunday.
The Evergreen Altar is glowing with gratitude. Hallelujah!Our chef prepared special dishes to celebrate Thanksgiving Sunday.
In the West, people eat roast turkey on Thanksgiving, but here, we chose the much tastier grilled sandfish.
With hearts full of gratitude for every blessing, we shared the joy of Thanksgiving with fish roe soup.
The red roe of female pollock is called goni. The white, curly roe of male pollock is called iri (the sperm sac).
Whether it's goni, iri, or anything else, we welcome it all because it’s simply delicious.
The soup includes frozen pollock and crab. Shrimp isn’t part of the original recipe, but we added it generously for a more refreshing taste.
Once again, we focused on deveining the shrimp. By now, we’re experts after doing this nearly every week.
We also diced radishes into small, even pieces to enhance the flavor.
Here’s the chef’s special seasoning paste for the fish roe soup. It looked almost mystical, as though it was infused with the chef’s care, effort, and passion.
Add enoki mushrooms
and tofu, bring it to a boil, and the fish roe soup is ready.
After the service, all that’s left is to add water parsley and crown daisy leaves.
Sandfish are in season right now—their flavor is at its peak.
Chef, you’re amazing!
The rich, creamy soup owes its unique depth to scorched rice tea (sungnyung), prepared by one of our members, nicknamed "Saengsaek."
The unexpected aroma of frying pancakes filled the church, creating a festive atmosphere.
After all, Thanksgiving isn’t complete without aged pumpkin.
This pumpkin came all the way from a sister-in-law’s home in Anseong.
We offered a salute of gratitude toward Anseong!
We worshipped surrounded by chrysanthemums,
then returned to make even more pumpkin pancakes. We made so many—would we even finish them all?
We joked about maintaining our “fragile image,” but it might already be too late.
Today, we also roasted shrimp heads in butter—a recent favorite in our kitchen.
The chef carefully monitored the heat for the fish roe soup. In the Evergreen Kitchen, you need to bend at least 90 degrees to truly earn the title of “chef.”
We tossed in 1kg of water parsley and 1kg of crown daisy leaves.
Standing in front of the fish roe soup pot provided an unexpectedly calming view—so green and refreshing.
We gathered for a Thanksgiving prayer before the meal.
Most of us remained standing
since dishes like these
required constant attention. It was quite literally a “moving” prayer!
Praying, cooking, and tasting all at once—it’s definitely possible. Just don’t move during freeze tag (a childhood game where you must stay still when “frozen”).
Here’s the final spread:
Absolutely delicious. Every bite was pure joy.
Perfect for the crisp, chilly weather of late autumn.
With goni, iri, shrimp, crab, and frozen pollock, it tasted like the essence of the ocean captured in a single bowl.
If you ever want to torture me, just serve me this fish roe soup and then take it away—I’d be heartbroken.
The soup seemed to ask,
“Do you love me?”
Flipping a picture revealed a heart-shaped roe.
Sandfish were grilled with care.
They’re so delicate that they fall apart easily, so we cooked them over low heat.
Flip them just once and forget about them, allowing their unique, nutty flavor to shine through.
Butter and shrimp heads made the perfect pairing.
Did I only have two sandfish?
I shook my head, moving it side to side in a dori-dori motion (a playful Korean gesture for “no”).
I accepted every plate of sandfish passed my way and cleared them all.
The seasoned spinach was also incredibly popular and delicious.
The pickled vegetable, which we guessed to be curly kale, remained a mystery even to its provider, Saengsaek. But who cares? If it tastes good, that’s what matters.
Calories and flavor are directly proportional.
Even the men grilled the sandfish perfectly and enjoyed the fish roe soup to the fullest.
Everyone agreed that they look forward to Sundays,
partly because of the Evergreen Kitchen and the joy it brings.
Of course, we look forward to the service first, and then to the Evergreen Kitchen.
We ended with warm scorched rice tea, patting our bellies in satisfaction.
For dessert, we enjoyed treats from Guam—a gift from a recent traveler.
We had Chamorro chips and pineapple jelly (Chamorro refers to Guam’s indigenous people).
The Chamorro chips, made with chocolate and macadamia nuts, were sweet, salty, and nutty.
The pineapple jelly was tangy and sweet, with a cute design.
The treats were so good, they made us want to plan a trip to Guam.
Second dessert: Thanksgiving pumpkin sticky rice cake with beans and chestnuts.
Third dessert: kiwi and apples.
Today, the men’s fellowship handled the dishes and cleanup,
while the sisters fine-tuned the hymn sheets.
As God sets the universe, the sun, and the earth in motion, fall inevitably arrives and deepens with time.
The colorful leaves and fallen foliage created a beautiful harmony.
The members of Evergreen Church resemble autumn leaves, beautifully colored by the Lord’s love, blending together to form a picturesque scene.
May we continue to grow deeper, just like this autumn.
We are deeply grateful for the abundant grace God pours out on Evergreen Church every day. Hallelujah.
Special thanks to our chef, the volunteers, and everyone who contributed to making this Thanksgiving so memorable.
This has been reporter "This Forest," signing off.
How to Make Altang (Spicy Fish Roe Soup)
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