Step 1

Gut the anchovies by splitting them in half and taking out the strip inside. If this is not done the soup will be bitter.

Step 2

Place gutted anchovies and dashima in a small pot with 2-3 cups of water. Some of the water will evaporate over time and this soup base will be used later.

Step 3

Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Step 4

Chop the potatoes into large bite size pieces. Optional Step: Soak the potatoes in cold water for about 10 minutes to bring out some of the starch if you don't want a stew base that is too thick. If you like really thick stews, you can skip this step.

Step 5

Dice the onions, scallions and peppers.

Step 6

Optional Step: In a separate bowl, add in the pork with a tablespoon of Mirim (cooking wine) and a tablespoon of red pepper flakes. This is not a mandatory step but it softens the meaty flavor.

Step 7

In a pot, add in the sesame oil, olive oil, red pepper paste at low heat and saute for a few short minutes. Add in 1 Tbsp of red pepper flakes and continue to saute. This process will deepen the red pepper flavor. Note - be careful of the flakes burning as they can turn bitter when burnt.

Step 8

Add in the pork and saute at low-medium heat until the pork is mostly cooked through. (This will deeper the flavor than cooking the meat in the water/broth).

Step 9

Once the pork is ready, add in 1 and 1/2 - 2 cups of anchovy soup base from above and the potatoes. Cook over high heat. (start with 1 1/2 cups of water and add more if the stew flavor is too strong or if you want a thinner soup)

Step 10

Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, 1/2 Tbsp red pepper flakes and garlic. Bring to a boil and then simmer at low-medium heat.

Step 11

Once the potatoes seem mostly cooked through, add in any other additional vegetables - onions, bean sprouts or mushrooms.

Step 12

Last step - before serving add in the scallions, peppers and lightly dust some black pepper. Simmer for another minute and it's ready to serve. Enjoy!