K-Food: Korean Home Cooking and Street Food - Da-Hae West, Gareth West (2016)
Chapter 6. Soups & Stews
Soups and stews are the comfort food of Korea. Ask any Korean person what their favourite Korean food is and most of them will reply either doenjang jjigae or kimchi jjigae. These stews are often cooked at home rather than eaten in restaurants, and so many people have memories associated with eating these growing up.
Though Korea might be best known for its barbecue, it’s the soups and stews which provide the backbone of a Korean meal. Traditionally meat was expensive in Korea, so big barbecues were reserved for special occasions and for eating out. Instead, a Korean home-cooked meal would normally consist of individual bowls of rice, a selection of banchan and, almost always, some sort of soup or stew.
Salt is rarely used as a seasoning, instead soups and stews are usually flavoured with the Korean jang ingredients of ganjang (soy sauce), gochujang (Korean red chilli paste) and doenjang (Korean soybean paste). It’s also important to use a good stock such as the anchovy stock Myeulchi Gookmul as the base, as this gives the soups and stews plenty of depth.
There are so many different soups and stews available in Korea that we’ve only been able to include our absolute favourites in this book. They can be split into the following types:
Guk
Guk, pronounced ‘gook’ are usually simple soups that are often only simmered for a short period of time. These soups are typically very light and can be served as palate cleansers, and include examples such as Jo-Gae Guk, which is often served alongside spicy dishes to cool the mouth down.
Tang
Tangs are thicker, slightly heavier soups. They are usually more substantial than guks because they’ll often contain chunks of meat or fish and include examples such as Mae-Un-Tang and Dak Bokkeum Tang.
Jjigae
Korean stews, jjigae are pure comfort food for a lot of Koreans as they encompass the family favourites of Kimchi Jjigae and Doenjang Jjigae. Jjigae are often served in hot stone bowls to preserve their heat, so that they arrive at the table still bubbling.
Jorim
Jorim refer to braised dishes such as Godeungeo Jorim where the meat or fish is the star of the show. These are usually served in a big dish in the middle of the table for everyone to share.
Jjim
Jjim refers to steaming or boiling in a flavoured sauce or soup, often cooked in a pressure cooker in a Korea. The liquid in jjims such as Mae-Un Jjim Dak is usually then simmered down to reduce it to a thicker sauce to coat all the ingredients.
Kimchi Jjigae
KIMCHI STEW
I’m always torn between whether this or Doenjang Jjigae is my favourite Korean dish. Both are real home-cooking comfort foods and are so easy to put together - in fact, I think this was the first Korean dish that my mum ever taught me to make. The recipe is really simple, but there are a few key elements to a great kimchi jjigae. Firstly, your kimchi must be very mature and fermented, almost vinegary and super-tangy - a young kimchi won’t flavour the broth enough, and you’ll be left with a very watery dish. Secondly, it’s essential that you fry the kimchi for at least 10 minutes to bring out all its flavours and make this stew as rich and spicy as it can be. Thirdly, don’t chop the kimchi too finely, as you want to make sure it will still have a nice crunch.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
750g (1lb 10oz) extra-mature Baechu Kimchi, roughly chopped
200g (7oz) pork belly, finely sliced
1 litre (1¾ pints) water
250g (9oz) firm tofu, cut into 5-cm (2-inch) squares
1 spring onion, trimmed and sliced at an angle, to garnish
1_ Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan or stockpot over a medium heat.
2_ Take the kimchi out of its fermenting ‘juice’, add to the pan and fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pork belly and 2-3 tablespoons of the kimchi juice to the pan and fry for a further 5 minutes until the pork is browned and the liquid has evaporated.
3_ Pour the measurement water into the pan, bring to a simmer and leave to cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes until reduced down. Lay the tofu squares evenly over the top of the stew, cover with a lid and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the tofu is heated through. Ladle into bowls and serve scattered with the spring onion to garnish.
TIPS: The kimchi I use here is usually one that I’ve had in the refrigerator for so long that it’s almost fizzy with sour, fermented flavours, but if you’re using shop-bought kimchi or your kimchi has only matured for a few weeks, add half a chicken stock cube in with the kimchi as you fry it for extra flavour.
On days when I don’t have pork belly in the house, I just drain a tin of tuna and use this instead (add this just before the tofu, as it’ll break up too much if you stew it for too long). Tuna is a popular substitute for meat here - in Korea, you can even get ‘tuna for kimchi jjigae’, which sometimes even comes in meat-shaped cubes!
Budae Jjigae
ARMY BASE STEW
During the Korean War, food was scarce and meat in particular was considered a real luxury. When American soldiers brought Spam over to Korea in their ration packs, Koreans started cooking with it - along with other ingredients such as hot-dogs and processed cheese - and created this hot, spicy stew. While the combination of instant noodles, Spam, hot-dogs and processed cheese might sound like the inside of a student’s cupboard, they actually make a really hearty, warming meal. Last summer, I was lucky enough to be invited onto a BBC show to cook Buddae Jjigae for our Marines, to show them that the Spam in their ration packs actually had the potential to taste good! Most of them were surprisingly won over - it’s a lot tastier than it sounds.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
100g (3½oz) Spam, sliced into thin squares
2 hot-dogs, finely sliced
1 litre (1¾ pints) Myeulchi Gookmul
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
100g minced pork
100g (3½oz) Baechu Kimchi, roughly chopped
100g (3½oz) rice cake discs for soup (optional)
1 x 120g (4½oz) ramyun Korean instant noodle packet
2-3 processed cheese slices
SAUCE
2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon caster sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1_ For the sauce, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
2_ Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan or stockpot over a medium heat. Add the Spam and hot-dog pieces and fry for 2-3 minutes until the edges begin to brown and crisp up, then pour over the stock and bring to the boil.
3_ Add the sauce, spring onions, minced pork, kimchi and rice cakes, if using, to the pan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the minced pork is cooked through.
4_ Gently lower the noodles onto the top of the simmering stew, being careful not to submerge them in the liquid (this will prevent them from being overcooked). Lay the cheese slices over the noodles and leave to simmer for a further 2 minutes, then transfer the still-bubbling pan to a heatproof stand in the middle of the table or ladle into bowls and serve immediately.
TIP: Korean rice cake discs can be found in either the frozen or chilled section of Asian supermarkets. They don’t have a lot of flavour, but have a great chewy texture and are really filling, so can help to make soups stretch a lot further.
Doenjang Jjigae
KOREAN SOYBEAN STEW
For most Koreans, this is the ultimate comfort food. It’s the dish that they crave when they think of home - and almost every Korean will say that their mum makes the best version they’ve ever tasted. My mum makes a really good doenjang jjigae, but it’s actually my aunt who makes the best (sorry Umma!). She eats it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so she’s got it down to a fine art. As Koreans rarely write recipes down and it’s often a case of throwing everything in a pot, tasting it and then adjusting it until it’s perfect, this is the closest I can get to her version.
1.25 litres (2 pints) Myeulchi Gookmul
200g (7oz) pork belly, finely sliced
½ onion, thinly sliced
½ bird’s eye chilli, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
½ tablespoon gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)
1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
3 tablespoons doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
1 tablespoon small dried shrimps, optional
½ courgette, halved lengthways and cut into 1-cm (½-inch) slices
200g (7oz) firm tofu, cut into 5-cm (2-inch) squares
1_ Bring the stock to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot. Add the pork, onion, chilli, garlic, gochujang, gochugaru, doenjang and dried shrimps, if using, and stir together well. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, then add the courgette slices and cook for a further 10-12 minutes, until the courgette has softened.
2_ Lay the tofu squares evenly over the top of the stew, cover with a lid and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the tofu is heated through. Serve bubbling and steaming hot.
TIP: Feel free to tweak this recipe to your own taste - mushrooms, clams and potatoes are all common additions, although you can really add any veg, meat or seafood you like. Who knows, maybe your version will turn out as good as my aunt’s… maybe!
Soondubu Jjigae
SPICY SILKEN TOFU STEW
This is my go-to order whenever I go to a Korean restaurant. Spicy, punchy and with a lovely creamy texture from the silken tofu that could change the minds of even the toughest of tofu cynics, it’s pretty irresistible. The clams are the magic ingredient here, giving the stew an unbeatable depth of flavour.
150g (5½oz) clams
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
100g (3½oz) stewing beef
½ onion, thinly sliced
½ courgette, thinly sliced
4-5 fresh shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and finely sliced
2 bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced
1 litre (1¾ pints) Myeulchi Gookmul
250g (9oz) extra-soft silken tofu
2 eggs
1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced, to garnish
SEASONING PASTE
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
1_ Sort through the clam shells, discarding any that are broken or don’t close when tapped gently. Put the remaining clams in a large bowl with the salt and cover with cold water. Cover with aluminium foil, transfer to the refrigerator and leave to soak for 2 hours, then drain and rinse the clams thoroughly under cold running water.
2_ For the seasoning paste, mix together the sesame oil, gochugaru, garlic and soy sauce in a bowl.
3_ Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan or stockpot over a medium heat. Add the seasoning paste and fry for 2 minutes, making sure to keep stirring as it catches easily, until fragrant. Add the beef and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring, until browned. Stir in the onion, courgette, mushrooms and chillies ensuring everything is evenly coated in the paste, then pour over the stock.
4_ Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Stir in the tofu and clams and simmer for a further 3-4 minutes, until the clams have opened (discard any that are still shut). Return to the boil, add the eggs and stir through briefly, then remove from the heat. Ladle into bowls, scatter over the spring onions and serve bubbling hot.
Sogogi Gori Jjim
BRAISED OXTAIL STEW
We came up with this dish one night when we were planning a Korean feast for some friends. We’d thought of cooking galbi jjim (a Korean short rib stew), but when we went to pick up our ingredients, we couldn’t resist the big chunks of oxtail at the butcher’s counter. Oxtail doesn’t have a lot of meat to it, but its centre is filled with bone marrow, which makes this sauce deliciously rich and glossy. Once cooked, the meat will be tender and juicy and will fall off the bone at the lightest touch. On a cold winter’s night, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better meal.
1.2kg (2lb 10oz) oxtail, cut into 5-cm (2-inch) chunks
2½ tablespoons plain flour
pinch of salt
pinch of finely ground white pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1-cm (½-inch) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 kiwifruit, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
3 dried chillies, halved
250ml (9fl oz) regular soy sauce
800ml (1½ pints) water
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped
TO SERVE
cooked short-grain rice
Maneul Jangajji
1_ Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F), Gas Mark 4.
2_ Place the oxtail pieces in a large bowl. Add the flour, salt and pepper and mix together with your hands, ensuring each oxtail piece is thoroughly coated.
3_ Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-based casserole dish over a high heat. Add the oxtail pieces and cook for 5-6 minutes, turning every couple of minutes, until nicely browned on all sides (you may need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the dish). Remove the oxtail from the dish and set aside.
4_ Add the onions and carrots to the casserole dish, lower the temperature to medium and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, until the onions turn translucent and the carrots begin to soften. Return the oxtail to the casserole dish along with all the remaining ingredients except for the rice wine vinegar and spring onion. Stir together well.
5_ Cover the casserole dish with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 4 hours, skimming away any excess fat that floats to the surface every 30 minutes or so, until the meat is tender and slips easily off the bone when pressed gently with a fork. If the meat is still quite firm at this point, return it to the oven for a further 30 minutes until soft.
6_ Once the oxtail is tender, remove the meat and vegetables from the cooking liquid with a slotted spoon and set to one side. Put the casserole dish back on the hob over a high heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced by a third and is thick and glossy. Return the oxtail and vegetables to the pan along with the rice wine vinegar and the spring onions and stir together well. Serve with rice and maneul jangajji.
Mae-Un Jjim Dak
SOY-BRAISED CHICKEN
This braised chicken dish is particularly famous in the Korean city of Andong, where there is even a street with a row of restaurants dedicated to serving it. The version they serve there has a distinctly spicy kick, but if you fancy something a little milder and sweeter-tasting, simply take out the chillies.
100g (3½oz) dangmyeon sweet potato noodles
6 whole garlic cloves
3 spring onions, trimmed and cut into thirds
1kg (2lb 4oz) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks
1.5 litres (2½ pints) water, plus extra if needed
5 dried chillies, roughly chopped
5 long red chillies, trimmed and sliced
2 carrots, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 floury potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
SAUCE
150ml (¼ pint) regular soy sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons caster sugar
pinch of pepper
1½ teaspoons sesame oil
1_ Put the sweet potato noodles in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes until soft. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
2_ For the sauce, combine all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
3_ Put the garlic, spring onions, chillies and chicken pieces in a large heavy-based saucepan or stockpot. Pour over the measurement water (the chicken should be just covered, if not add a little more water) and bring to the boil. Cook for 15 minutes, keeping the water at a vigorous boil, then ladle out and discard approximately 250ml (9fl oz) of the liquid from the pot. Stir in the sauce, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, then add the carrots and potatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and cooked through.
4_ Stir the sweet potato noodles through the stew, then ladle it into a large serving dish. Serve in the middle of the table so that everyone can help themselves.
Dak Bokkeum Tang
SPICY BRAISED CHICKEN
I first introduced dak bokkeum tang (sometimes known as dak dori tang) to Gareth as a Korean chicken curry. I guess it is sort of the Korean equivalent, as it has plenty of flavour, lots of spice and a lovely rich sauce. The chicken here should be tender, and the potatoes just a minute or so from falling apart. The potatoes are my favourite part of this dish - they soak up all the delicious flavours from the sauce so well that you’ll be fishing them out before anyone else gets a look in.
1kg (2lb 4oz) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs
2 onions, finely sliced
2 potatoes, cut into 5-cm (2-inch) chunks
750ml (1¼ pints) water
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 pepper, cored, deseeded and roughly chopped
SAUCE
3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1_ Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, then add to a large heavy-based saucepan or stockpot with the chicken, onion and potatoes. Pour over the measurement water, bring to a simmer and leave to cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
2_ Stir in the carrot and pepper and simmer gently for a further 30 minutes, until the potatoes are on the point of collapsing and the chicken is tender and almost falling off the bone. Serve with rice.
Haemul Bol Jjim
SPICY SEAFOOD STEW
My cousin Ji Hyun stayed with us in the UK for a few months one summer so that he could study English and, while he loved it here, the thing he really craved from home was this spicy cod stew. I don’t think I’d even tried it back then, but I remember him speaking longingly about it. Having had it since, I can confirm that there really is nothing like it - the seafood gives the delicious spicy sauce loads of flavour, the cod just flakes apart, and the bean sprouts are soft and slippery. If you’re a seafood lover, you’ll love this.
300g (10½oz) mussels
400g (14oz) bean sprouts
250ml (9fl oz) Myeulchi Gookmul
200g (7oz) large raw whole prawns
450g (1lb) cod fillet, deboned and cut into 5-cm (2-inch) squares
50g (1¾oz) chives
cooked short-grain rice, to serve
SAUCE
3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)
4 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
2 tablespoons mirin
8 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
1 spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon sweet rice flour or corn flour
1_ Sort through the mussels, tapping any that are open lightly on a surface to see if they close shut. Discard the ones that remain open, or any that are damaged. Pull off the beards and scrape any barnacles off using the back of a knife, then rinse.
2_ Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, drop in the bean sprouts and cook for 3-4 minutes until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water to cool. Set aside.
3_ Pour the stock into a large heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the mussels and prawns and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the cod, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for a further 3-4 minutes until everything is cooked through and the mussels have opened (discard any that remain closed). Remove the pan from the heat and drain away most of the stock, reserving 150ml (¼ pint) in the pan.
4_ Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
5_ Return the pan to a medium-high heat, add the bean sprouts, chives and sauce and gently stir together, being careful not to break up the cod. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the chives have wilted and everything is heated through.
6_ Ladle the stew into a large sharing dish and serve in the middle of the table with lots of rice to mop up the spicy sauce.
Mae-Un-Tang
FISH MARKET FISH STEW
This dish tastes like Korea to me, its deep-sea flavours conjuring up memories of time spent there in restaurants by the beach. If you order sushi (or hwe in Korean) in Korea, this dish is usually served at the end of the meal. The ajummas take all the remaining sushi from your table and boil it up along with the chilli paste and any heads and bones from the fish. It’s a fantastic way of making sure that nothing is wasted, though it does mean that you’re often left with a soup that is full of bones and not a lot of fish! In this version there’s plenty of fish to go around.
2.25 litres (4 pints) Myeulchi Gookmul
600g (1lb 5oz) mooli, halved lengthways and cut into 5-cm (¼-in) slices
1-2 whole red snapper(s), about 750g (1lb 10oz) in total, descaled, cleaned and cut into 5-cm (2-inch) thick steaks (ask your fishmonger to do this for you)
3 spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 long red chilli, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 courgette, roughly chopped
PASTE
½ tablespoon gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)
½ tablespoon doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
3 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
1½ tablespoons fish sauce
pinch of pepper
1_ For the paste, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
2_ Pour the stock into a large heavy-based saucepan or stockpot and bring to a boil. Add the mooli, reduce to a simmer and cook over a gentle heat for 7-8 minutes, until the mooli begins to soften.
3_ Stir the paste through the broth, add the fish, spring onions, chilli and courgette and simmer for a further 6-7 minutes, until the courgette has softened and the fish is cooked through. Transfer the still-bubbling pan to a heatproof stand in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves.
Sam Gye Tang
CHICKEN AND GINGSENG SOUP
Sam gye tang will always be one of Gareth’s most memorable meals from our first trip to Korea together. We went hiking up one of the many mountains in Seoul with my family one weekend and, after a couple of hours, we were feeling pretty tired and ready to rest. As if by magic, we came across a clearing with a stream running directly in front of us. Across the stream, there were two restaurants. An ajumma came out of each, beckoning us over for lunch, so we crossed the bridge and settled on the least pushy of the two for an amazing meal of dotori muk (acorn jelly), pajeon (spring onion pancake) and sam gye tang. I’m not sure if perhaps we were really hungry from our trek, or whether it was the fresh mountain air or the fact that the food was simply delicious, but sam gye tang quickly became one of Gareth’s favourite dishes.
Traditionally, this soup is a summer dish that’s eaten on the hottest days of the year (Sambok). The idea is that the ginseng causes the temperature of the body to rise, making you sweat and therefore cooling you down. For me though it is warming and comforting, making it perfect for a chilly winter’s night.
125g (4½oz) short-grain rice
1 whole chicken, about 1.5kg (3lb 5oz)
10 whole garlic cloves
80g (3oz) ginseng root, whole
1-cm (½-inch) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced
6 jujube (dried red dates)
3 litres (5¼ pints) water, plus extra if needed
TO GARNISH
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
TO SERVE
salt
finely ground white pepper
1_ Put the rice in a small bowl, cover with water and leave for 30 minutes to soak. Drain.
2_ If the chicken is trussed, remove any string and open out the legs. Stuff the cavity with the rice and 5 of the garlic cloves, then close up the cavity, folding any loose skin over the opening. Seal with a couple of toothpicks, skewering the skin shut.
3_ Place the chicken in a large, heavy-based saucepan or stockpot and add the gingseng, ginger, jujube and the remaining garlic. Pour over the measurement water until the chicken is just covered (adding more if necessary), cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Boil vigorously for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for a further 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
4_ Garnish with the spring onions and serve in the middle of the table with salt and freshly ground white pepper so that everyone can help themselves and season the chicken to their own taste.
TIP: This is often served made from small poussins as individual portions, but we like to eat it as a sharing dish (like the one we had in the mountains). Give each person an empty bowl along with sides of salt and pepper, so that they can take their favourite bits of the chicken, scoop out all the sticky rice from the inside and season to their own taste.
Godeungeo Jorim
MACKEREL STEW
This was another one of those dinners that we would have a lot when we were growing up. Mum would whip it together really quickly without having to go to the shops as she’d use tinned mackerel, which we almost always had in our cupboards at home. I like this dish with either fresh or tinned mackerel, but the broth from the fresh mackerel always tastes a little livelier and the mackerel itself goes silky soft. The mooli is my favourite part of this stew, though, as it takes on all the flavours of the sauce - I love to mash it up with my rice with a little bit of the mackerel and a few tablespoons of the liquid... a bit uncouth, maybe, but it must be something I’ve picked up as my eldest uncle loves to do the same.
2 mackerel, approximately 500g (1lb 2oz) in total
250g (9oz) mooli, halved lengthways and cut into 1-cm (½-inch) thick slices
½ onion, finely sliced
2 long red chillies, roughly chopped
SAUCE
3 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
5 tablespoons regular soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
250ml (9fl oz) water
1_ Cut along the belly of the mackerel with a sharp knife or scissors, remove the guts and wash the cavities clean. Remove the heads and fins and cut the mackerel into 3-cm (1¼-inch) chunks, leaving the bones in.
2_ For the sauce, mix together the ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
3_ Arrange the mooli slices on the bottom of a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion, chilli and mackerel pieces and pour over the sauce. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 30 minutes until the mooli is soft and the mackerel is cooked through.
Miyuk Guk
BIRTHDAY SEAWEED SOUP
Although it can be enjoyed anytime, miyuk guk is traditionally eaten as a celebratory birthday dish in Korea. In fact, it’s one of the first dishes that new mothers eat after having a baby, as it’s full of restorative nutrients. On the other hand, if you’re sitting any exams this is one to be avoided, as Koreans say that the seaweed is so slippery that you could fail as you might ‘slip up’ (we’re not pulling your leg). My mum loves this dish and its simplicity, whereas I like to add a tablespoon of gochugaru at the end for a bit of heat. This is slightly unusual - my cousin and I are the only people I know who eat it this way - but I swear it really lifts the soup. If you want to stick with tradition, leave it out.
20g (¾oz) dried miyuk (wakame) seaweed
150g (5½oz) diced stewing beefsteak
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
pinch of pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 litre (1¾ pints) water
TO SERVE
gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder), to taste
1_ Put the seaweed in a small bowl, cover with cold water and leave for 10-15 minutes until soft and slippery. Drain and set aside.
2_ Meanwhile, put the beef in a large bowl with the soy sauce, pepper and garlic. Mix all the ingredients together and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
3_ Once ready to cook, heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan or stockpot over a medium heat. Add the beef to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until browned on all sides. Add the seaweed and fry for a further 2 minutes, stirring continuously to prevent the seaweed from sticking to the edges of the pan, then pour over the measurement water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with a bowl of chilli powder to add to taste.
Jo-Gae Guk
CLEAR CLAM SOUP
The best way to describe this soup is that it tastes just like the sea. It’s light and fresh, so it’s the perfect accompaniment to spicier, heavier dishes such as Jeyuk Bokkeum or Ojingeo Bokkeum. This is probably one of the most stripped-back Korean dishes there is, with all the ingredients acting to just very gently enhance the natural flavours of the clams.
450g (1lb) clams
2 tablespoons salt
3 dried dashima (kombu) kelp rectangles, about 5cm (2 inches) x 3cm (1¼ inches)
3 large dried anchovies
1 litre (1¾ pints) boiling water
30g (1oz) mooli, finely sliced
1 red chilli, trimmed, deseeded and finely sliced
1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced
1_ Sort through the clam shells, discarding any that are broken or don’t close when tapped gently. Put the remaining clams in a large bowl with the salt and cover with cold water. Cover with aluminium foil, transfer to the refrigerator and leave to soak for 2 hours, then drain and rinse the clams thoroughly under cold running water. Set aside.
2_ Place the dried kelp and anchovies in a large bowl with the measurement water and leave to soak for 10 minutes, then transfer to a large saucepan along with the soaking liquid. Add the mooli, chilli, spring onion, season with salt and bring to the boil.
3_ Once boiling, remove the kelp and anchovies and discard. Add the clams and simmer for 2-3 minutes, skimming off any scum that forms on the surface with a spoon. The clams should now all be open; discard any that are still closed and serve immediately.
Dak Yukgaejang
SPICY CHICKEN AND LEEK SOUP
Although this spicy soup is typically made with shredded beef, it never has been in our house. Instead it is always made with chicken or turkey, or more accurately, the leftover bits of chicken and turkey from a Sunday roast or a Christmas dinner. Yet while it may be my mum’s equivalent of a Boxing Day turkey curry, it’s so much more than just a leftovers dish - in fact, it’s actually one of my dad’s favourite Korean dishes. The soup is spicy and rich and I particularly love the leeks, which turn silken and slippery soft during cooking. Serve it simply with a side of white rice - and kimchi, of course.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
150g (5½oz) cooked chicken, shredded
¼ leek, trimmed, cleaned and cut into 5-cm (2-inch) chunks
1 litre (1¾ pints) Dak Yuksu
PASTE
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
TO SERVE
cooked short-grain rice
Baechu Kimchi
1_ For the paste, mix together the ingredients in a small bowl.
2_ Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan or stockpot over a medium heat. Add the seasoning paste and fry for 2 minutes, making sure to keep stirring as it catches easily, until fragrant. Add the chicken to the pan, stirring to ensure it is thoroughly coated in the paste, and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3_ Add the leek and pour over the dak yuksu. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, until the leeks are soft and silky. Serve with rice and kimchi.
Gamjatang
HANGOVER STEW
Every country has a range of their own special hangover cures, and this is one of Korea’s most popular - a hearty, meaty, spicy stew (almost) guaranteed to clear your head after a heavy night. While gamjatang translates as ‘potato stew’, this dish doesn’t actually always have potatoes in it, the gamja (which ordinarily means ‘potato’) referring instead to the knobbly pork spine that is traditionally used to make it. Here we’ve replaced this with the much easier to find pork ribs.
200g (7oz) new potatoes, halved
1kg (2lb 4oz) pork ribs
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped
5 whole garlic cloves
2-cm (1-inch) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
2.5 litres (4½ pints) water
200g (7oz) Baechu Kimchi, cut into thin strips and rinsed
50g (1¾oz) chives
125g (4½oz) enoki mushrooms, trimmed
SAUCE
2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
12 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2-cm (1-inch) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)
3 tablespoons doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
3 tablespoons perilla seed powder (optional)
TO SERVE
cooked short-grain rice
Baechu Kimchi
1_ For the sauce, mix together the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
2_ Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water to cool. Set aside.
3_ Place the ribs in a large saucepan or stockpot with the onion, spring onion, garlic and ginger. Cover with the measurement water, bring to the boil and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour. Stir through the kimchi and sauce, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 15 minutes, then add the potatoes, chives and mushrooms and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes until the potatoes have heated through and the chives have wilted.
4_ Ladle into bowls and serve with rice and kimchi.
TIP: Perilla seed powder is made from a herb of the mint family and gives this dish its unique flavour and a slightly numbing, tingly heat. It can be found in Korean supermarkets, but if you can’t get hold of it, use a couple of teaspoons of finely ground black pepper instead.