Hairtail and Pumpkin Soup

Microwave 40g of dried shrimp for 40 seconds to remove the fishy smell.

Pour 800mL of water into a pot, turn on the heat, and boil the dried shrimp broth for 10 minutes from the moment it starts boiling.

Scrape off about 80% of the scales from 1 hairtail using a knife.

Wash the hairtail thoroughly in water, use wooden chopsticks to remove any residue from the belly, and rinse well with water.

Trim the ends of 1 Korean zucchini, cut it in half, and slice it into thick pieces.

Cut 1 potato, 1/2 onion, 1 green onion, 2 Cheongyang chili peppers, and 1 red chili pepper into thick pieces.

In a bowl, mix the seasoning paste with 2 tbsp red chili powder, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1/3 tbsp minced ginger, 1/2 tbsp doenjang, 2 tbsp soup soy sauce, 1 tbsp sand lance fish sauce, and 2 tbsp soju.

Once the dried shrimp broth is well-extracted, remove the shrimp, add the zucchini and potato, cover the pot, and boil for 3 minutes.

Pour a little broth into the prepared seasoning paste and mix well to ensure there are no lumps.

Add the cleaned hairtail, onion, Cheongyang chili peppers, and the dissolved seasoning to the pot, cover, and boil for another 5 minutes.

Add the green onion and red chili pepper, cover, and boil for 3 more minutes to finish the hairtail and pumpkin soup.