Agujjim — Braised Monkfish with Bean Sprouts (아구찜)

Masan city, South Gyeongsang province; agujjim is so associated with Masan that the city is nicknamed 아구찜의 고향 (hometown of agujjim); the dish spread nationally after monkfish was popularised in the 1960s

Agujjim (아구찜) is a signature dish of Masan and the South Gyeongsang coast: monkfish (아귀, Lophiomus setigerus), a famously ugly but flavour-dense fish, braised over high heat in a gochujang and gochugaru-based sauce with mung bean sprouts (숙주나물) that simultaneously absorb the spiced broth and contribute a crisp counterpoint to the fish's gelatinous flesh. The defining characteristic of monkfish is the thick collagen layer under its skin that melts during braising to a sticky, lip-coating richness that amplifies the spiced sauce. The dish is finished with perilla leaves, green onion, and sesame oil, then brought to the table in the cooking vessel still bubbling.

• Chinese 辣炒鮟鱇 (spicy braised monkfish); French bourride (monkfish in aioli broth using the same collagen principle); all traditions exploit monkfish's gelatinous flesh for sauce body

Served in the cooking vessel with the braising sauce still bubbling. Eaten with steamed rice; the sauce is mixed directly into the rice. The pan-fried rice (볶음밥) made from the leftover sauce is the reward for finishing the main dish.