Dakgaejang (spicy chicken soup)

Dakgaejang is a variation of yukgaejang that is made with chicken. Yukgaejang is a popular spicy soup made with shredded beef and lots of scallions and other vegetables. The chicken version is traditionally made with boiled chicken. However, I often make it with leftovers of a roasted whole chicken (store-bought or homemade) or turkey. Those leftover bones are perfect for making stock. So, here’s how to make a delicious, spicy soup with chicken or turkey leftovers. 

4 servings

Ingredients: 
● 8 cups chicken/turkey stock (see below for recipe)

● 2 cups (or more) cooked chicken/turkey meat, shred into bite sizes

● 1-2 bunches scallions

● 200 grams sukjunamul (mung bean sprouts)

● 3 dry shiitake mushrooms, soaked until plump (use more if using fresh mushrooms)

● 2 tablespoons gochugaru (red chili pepper flakes)

● 2 tablespoons sesame oil

● 1 tablespoon gochujang (red chili pepper paste)

● 3 tablespoons guk ganjang (soup soy sauce)

● 2 teaspoons minced garlic

● Salt and pepper to taste

Pull the meat from the bones and shred into thin strips.

Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water for a minute. Drop them in cold water, and drain. Cut the scallions into about 10-centimeter lengths. Thinly slice the mushrooms.

In a sauce pan, heat the sesame oil until hot (but not smoking hot) over low heat. Add the chili pepper flakes, and turn the heat off. Stir gently until the oil turns red and the chili pepper flakes become pasty. Do not burn the flakes. 

Add the meat, bean sprouts, mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of soup soy sauce, and garlic to the sesame oil mixture and mix well. Marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.

Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot. Add the meat and vegetables into the stock. Stir in the gochujang and 2 tablespoons of soup soy sauce. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.

Throw in the scallions. Continue to boil for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a bowl of rice.

Quick chicken/turkey stock:
● Remains of roasted chicken/turkey

● 1/2 medium onion, halved and peeled 1 bay leaf

● 3-4 garlic cloves 

Remove as much meat as possible from the chicken/turkey carcass, and save to use in the soup. Put the chicken/turkey remains in a large stock pot and fill with water to sufficiently cover the bones. Break up the bones if they are too big to fit in the pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and skim off any foam. Add the remaining ingredients, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about an hour (longer if desired). Cool and pour through a strainer into a large bowl. You can use a fat separator to remove the fat, or keep it in the fridge until the fat solidifies and then spoon it off.

Miyeok guk, (Sea vegetable soup)

Miyeok guk (sea vegetable soup). (Korean Bapsang)

Miyeok guk is a soup made with dried miyeok (also known as wakame), which is a sea vegetable. It is a mild and tasty soup typically made with beef or seafood (such as clams or mussels). Here, I made it with mussels. Soak the dried miyeok in water to soften it, cut it into bite-sized pieces and saute with sesame oil before adding the water and mussels. Sesame oil is a must for miyeok guk. It adds a nutty flavor with a hint of sweetness to the soup. More so than other Korean dishes, this soup has a special significance for Koreans. Korean mothers eat this soup for weeks after giving birth, since miyeok contains nutrients thought to help with recovery from childbirth and the production of breast milk. Because this soup is symbolically associated with birth, miyeok guk is the soup Koreans eat on their birthdays. It’s also a staple soup that is enjoyed all year round.

4 servings

Ingredients:
● 30 grams dried miyeok (yields about 2 cups soaked) 

● 2 teaspoons sesame oil

● 1 teaspoon minced garlic

● 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce (gukganjang)

● 6 cups water

● 10 mussels

● Salt and pepper

Soak the dried miyeok for about 30 minutes. Rinse 2 or 3 times, squeezing or kneading after each rinse (as if you are working with bread dough) to remove excess salt used in the drying process and rinse off any hidden sand. Drain well and cut into bite-sized pieces.

In a large pot, saute the miyeok with the sesame oil, soy sauce and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes over a medium-high heat. Add the water, and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low. Cover, and boil for about 15 minutes. Drop the mussels in. Add salt and pepper to taste. Boil for an additional 5 minutes.

Seolleongtang (beef bone soup)

Seolleongtang (beef bone soup) (Korean Bapsang)

Seolleongtang is a milky beef bone soup that’s made by boiling beef leg bones for several hours until the broth becomes rich and creamy white. Yes, it takes time, but most of it is stove time. You can do other things around the house while this is boiling away in the kitchen. The results are totally rewarding! A couple of kilograms of beef bones make lots of rich and nourishing soup. Legend has it that this soup was created because King Seongjong of the Joseon Dynasty wanted to feed a large number of people after an ancestral worship ritual involving a sacrificial cow. The King had the right idea!

In making a Western-style beef stock or Vietnamese pho broth, the cooks aim for a clear, brown broth by simmering beef bones for many hours. In contrast, the goal in making seolleongtang is to achieve a milky white broth. What’s done differently? It’s the heat level! For a clear broth, the bones are gently simmered over low heat. Simmering, by definition, is cooking at a temperature below the boiling point with bubbles gently rising to the top. For a milky broth, you need to boil moderately, not simmer, throughout the cooking time.

Ingredients:
● 1.5 to 2 kilograms beef leg bones (including marrow and knuckles), cut up

● 600 to 800 grams of beef brisket (yangjimeori) or shank meat (satae)

For serving:
● Cooked rice

● Cooked somyeon (or glass) noodles

● Thinly sliced meat (boiled in the broth)

● Lots of chopped scallions

● Salt and pepper

Soak the bones in cold water for about 2 hours (or longer if you have time) to draw out as much blood as possible. Rinse well, and drain.

Soak the meat in another bowl for about 2 hours to draw out as much blood as possible. Drain. Keep it in the fridge until ready to use.

Add the bones to a large stockpot with enough cold water to submerge them. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and boil for 5 minutes.

Drain. Rinse the bones, and clean out the pot to remove any brown bits. Return the bones to the pot.

Fill up the pot with cold water, leaving a little room for boiling. Bring it to a boil over high heat, and reduce the heat to medium. Cover, and boil until the broth becomes rich and milky, for about 3-4 hours (or longer if you have time). Adjust the heat a little, if necessary, to maintain a moderate boil. Add more water once or twice while boiling so that the bones are under the water level.

Add the soaked meat and more water if needed. Boil until the meat is tender, for 1.5-2 hours. Remove the meat. Once cooled, thinly slice the meat to add to the soup when serving.

Pour the broth through a colander into another pot or a large bowl to cool. You can use a fat separator to remove the fat, or keep it in the fridge (or out on the deck or balcony in the winter) until the fat solidifies and then spoon off the fat.

Optional step (highly recommended): Fill up the pot with the used bones and fresh water again. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover, and boil until the broth becomes rich and milky, for 3-5 hours. Reduce the heat a little, as necessary, to maintain a moderate boil. Add more water if the liquid reduces too quickly while boiling. Pour the milky broth through a colander into the pot or large bowl that contains the first batch. You can repeat this one more time, if desired. Just mix them all at the end to even it out.

To serve, place some rice and, if desired, some noodles in a serving bowl, add the meat pieces and then ladle the hot broth on top. Typically, chopped scallions, salt and pepper are served separately so each person can season to taste. Serve piping hot with kimchi.

Kkaegangjeong (sesame crunch)

Kkaegangjeong (sesame crunch) (Korean Bapsang)

Variations of sesame crunch are eaten all over the world. Korean sesame crunch is called kkaegangjeong. It’s a sweet treat that’s served during traditional holidays in Korea. Kkaegangjeong also makes a great Christmas gift. Add some nuts to create different textures and flavors. You can use any of your favorite nuts (peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, etc.). I used a combination of pumpkin seeds and pine nuts in this recipe. You’ll be very surprised how quick and easy it is to make. It’s nutty, crunchy and much healthier than most holiday cookies. I hope this recipe will become a family favorite during the holiday season!

Ingredients:
● 3 tablespoons honey 

● 3 tablespoons sugar

● Pinch of salt

● 1 tablespoon water

● 1 cup roasted sesame seeds

● 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds and pine nuts (or other nuts of your choice) 

● Parchment paper

Mix the honey, sugar, salt and water in a pan. Stir over medium-low heat. Let it bubble up. Continue to cook, without stirring, for 2-3 minutes, until it turns light golden brown.

Stir in the sesame seeds and nuts. Stir well until everything is well-coated with the syrup.

Place the mixture between two pieces of parchment paper. Let cool for a minute. Press it down to flatten it. Roll it out with a rolling pin to make a 1 centimeter-thick rectangle. Using the side of a knife, push in the rough edges to make straight lines. Use rolling pin again to even thickness, if necessary.

When the sesame crunch is hardened but still slightly warm, cut with a sharp knife into desired sizes

Jjambbong (spicy noodle soup)

Jjambbong (spicy noodle soup)    (Korean Bapsang)

This spicy noodle soup, “jambbong,” is one of the most popular Korean-Chinese dishes alongside “jjajangmyeon” (noodles in a black bean sauce). Adapted for Korean tastes by early Chinese immigrants in Korea, Korean-Chinese cuisine (although called Chinese by Koreans) is a huge part of Korean food culture. 

You will find it surprisingly easy to make this popular bowl of noodle soup at home with easy-to-find ingredients. Restaurants usually use hand-pulled noodles, but for home cooking you can use ready-made fresh noodles sold in the refrigerator section of the store. The soup is typically made with chicken stock for a rich flavor, but you can also use anchovy broth for a cleaner/lighter taste. This soup also incorporates pork, chili-infused oil, and various vegetables and seafood. The combination of all the natural ingredients creates a hearty bowl of soup that is packed with robust flavors. 

Ingredients: (2 servings)
● 400 grams fresh jjajangmyeon/udon noodles

● 1 thumb-size ginger piece, julienned

● 2 scallions, roughly chopped 

● 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flakes) (adjust to taste) 

● 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil 

● 1 tablespoon soy sauce

● 100 grams fatty pork, thinly sliced 

● 1/4 onion, thinly sliced

● 1/2 carrot, thinly sliced into bite sizes

● 1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced into bite sizes

●120 grams cabbage, cut into bite sizes 

● 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and thinly sliced

● 4 cups of chicken stock 

or anchovy broth (or water)

● 4-6 littleneck clams

(or other small clams)

● 4-6 mussels

● 4-6 shrimp

● 80 grams squid, cut into small sizes 

● Salt and pepper

Have a pot of water ready to cook the noodles. (Turn the heat on when you start cooking the soup ingredients. This way you can time it so that the noodles can be finished cooking at the same time the soup is ready.) While making the soup, cook the noodles according to the package instructions and drain.

Prepare all of the ingredients before you begin cooking. 

Heat a wok or a large pot over high heat. Add the oil, ginger, scallion, gochugaru and soy sauce, and stir fry for a minute.

Add the pork, and stir fry until the pork is almost cooked, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the onion, carrot, cabbage, zucchini and mushrooms, lightly salt, and cook until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Pour in the chicken stock (or anchovy broth/water), and boil until the vegetables are completely cooked.

Add the seafood starting with the clams, which require more time to cook, followed by the mussels, shrimp and squid. Bring everything to a boil again, and cook until the shells have opened. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Place a serving of the noodles in a large soup bowl and ladle the soup on top. Serve immediately while piping hot.

Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew)

Doenjang (fermented soybean paste) is a staple Korean condiment that’s used, among other things, as a base for stew or soup. Its deep, rich flavor is created by several months of fermentation and aging. Doenjang jjigae is a stew, which typically includes meat, tofu and various vegetables. It is one of the most representative dishes of everyday home-cooked Korean meals. Korean home cooks usually save the water used to rinse rice, ssalddeummul, and use it for a stew or soup. The rice water adds starch to the soup and works as a binding agent between the soybean paste and the broth, while enhancing the flavor of the doenjang. This hearty stew is a family favorite and my go-to dish when I want to make a quick, satisfying meal. The distinct aroma of sizzling doenjang makes my mouth water every time I make this dish.

Ingredients:
● 300 grams tofu

● 1/2 medium zucchini (mushrooms and potatoes can be added)

● 1/2 small onion

● 60 grams pork belly or other fatty cut 

● 1 chili pepper (green or red)

● 1 scallion

● 2 tablespoons doenjang, fermented soybean paste

● 1 teaspoon gochugaru, red chili pepper flakes

● 1 teaspoon minced garlic

● Pepper to taste

● 2 cups of anchovy broth or water*

(*Use the water used to rinse rice, ssalddeummul. For anchovy broth, boil about 7 or 8 medium dry anchovies and 17-centimeter square of dried kelp in 3 cups of water or ssalddeummul for 10 minutes.) 

Cut the tofu and zucchini into bite-size cubes. Thinly slice the onion and chili pepper, and roughly chop the scallion. Slice the meat into thin strips.

Preheat a small pot with a little bit of oil over medium heat. Saute the meat, doenjang, gochugaru and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add the water (or anchovy broth), and stir well to dissolve the bean paste. Cover and boil over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. 

Add the onion, tofu, zucchini and chili pepper. Boil for an additional 10 minutes. Throw in the scallion with 2 minutes remaining.

Serve with rice while it is still bubbling from the heat.

Beoseot jeongol (mushroom hot pot)

This recipe is a simple version of jeongol (Korean hot pot). Jeongol is a hearty, steaming one-pot meal that’s usually cooked at the table. To make it, you basically arrange a variety of ingredients neatly in a shallow pot, then add a flavorful broth and cook.

Beoseot (mushroom) jeongol is made with an assortment of different types of mushrooms. It’s a great way to enjoy the strong, earthy flavor of mushrooms. Here, I made it simple and completely vegetarian! You can add other vegetables, beef, seafood and/or tofu if you like. The recipe can be easily doubled for more people. It’s a healthy meal that will warm you up on a cool autumn day!

2-3 servings

Ingredients:
● For vegetable broth: 

● 1/2 small onion, cut into big chunks

● 80 grams Korean radish, cut into big chunks

● 3x3-inch dried kelp (known as dashima/kombu)

● A few mushroom stems

● 1 tablespoon guk ganjang (soup soy sauce) 

● Salt and pepper to taste 

For the pot:
● 300 grams assorted mushrooms (button/white, shiitake, oyster, enoki, etc.)

● 2 scallions, roughly chopped 

● 60 grams minari (watercress), roughly chopped 

● 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (You can also add tofu and/or other vegetables such as mu (radish), napa cabbage, onion and carrots.)

Put 5 cups water and the broth vegetables in a medium-size pot. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and moderately boil for about 15 minutes. Discard the vegetables. Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. 

Cut the mushrooms into bite-size slices. Mushrooms cook down quite a bit, so don’t cut too thin or small. 

Neatly arrange the mushrooms and scallions in clusters in a shallow pot. Add 2 cups of broth. Boil over medium to medium-high heat until mushrooms are softened, 4-5 minutes. You can add more broth and any remaining ingredients while eating if you’re cooking at the table.

Ganjang gejang (Raw crabs marinated in soy sauce)

Ganjang gejang (raw crabs marinated in soy sauce) (Korean Bapsang)

Ganjang Gejang is a popular dish made by marinating raw crabs in a mild soy sauce-based brine. To make the brine, Korean cooks tend to use a wide variety of aromatic ingredients. The goal is to eliminate the raw, fishy taste while enhancing the flavor of the crabs at the same time. 

The brine should be flavorful, but not overpowering or too salty. Female crabs are preferred for making gejang, but you can also use male crabs, especially in the fall when they are fat and bountiful. As is the case with the consumption of any raw seafood, be sure to use only the freshest crabs. 

Gejang is eaten with a bowl of rice. Koreans even refer to this dish as a “rice thief.” Your bowl of rice will be gone in no time as you enjoy sucking the flavor-packed crab meat out of the shell. Be sure to leave a spoon or two of rice to mix with the roe and tomalley in the top shell. 

Ingredients:
● 5 medium fresh blue crabs or kkotge 

For the brine:
● 2 cups soy sauce

● 1/2 cup rice wine (or mirin)

● 6 cups water

● 3 tablespoons sugar (adjust to taste)

● 1/2 medium onion, roughly sliced

● 5-6 plump garlic cloves

● 3-4 thin ginger slices (about 1 inch around)

● 1 piece dried kelp, dashima (about 5-inch square)

● 1 small apple, roughly sliced (or 1/2 small Korean/Asian pear)

● 1 bay leaf

● 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppers

● 2 to 3 dried red chili peppers

For garnish:
● 2-3 green and/or red chili peppers, thinly sliced 

● A few thin onion slices

● 3-4 thin lemon slices

Put the live crabs in the freezer for an hour or two (longer is fine as well), unless you are comfortable with handling live crabs. 

Meanwhile, bring all the marinade ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to boil, covered, for about 20 minutes. Remove the kelp after about 10 minutes of boiling. Strain the brine. Discard the fruit and vegetables. Cool completely, and then refrigerate until ready to use.

Clean each crab thoroughly with a kitchen brush. Drain well in a colander in the fridge.

Place the crabs in an airtight container or jar. Add the chili pepper, onion and lemon slices. Pour the brine over the crabs. Make sure all the crabs are submerged. Weigh them down, if necessary, with a small bowl or plate that fits inside the container. Refrigerate. 

After one day, strain the brine into a pot (and put the crabs back in the fridge). Bring the brine to a boil over medium heat, and boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Wait for the brine to completely cool, and then pour it back over the crabs. You can skip this process, but it enhances the flavor of the brine and helps the crabs to last longer.

The crabs are ready to eat after two to three days of preparation. Separate the top shell and break the body in half before serving. Use a crab or nut cracker to break the claws. 

If left in the brine for too long, the crabs can get too salty, and the meat will start to dissolve. It’s best eaten within three to four days of preparation. After that, individually freeze any leftover crabs with a little bit of the brine in a freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge for a few hours before serving. 

The crab infused leftover brine can be reused to marinate meat or as a dipping or seasoning sauce. Boil it for a few minutes and cool before saving it in the fridge for later use.

Kongjang (soy braised soybeans)

Kongjang (soy braised soybeans) (Korean Bapsang)

Kongjang, also called kongjaban, is a sweet and savory soybean side dish. On weekends, I try to make a few side dishes, banchan, to help make my weeknight meal preparations easier. During the week, I make a quick soup, stew, or meat dish and serve it with the pre-made side dishes. We call those side dishes that are made to last long and served with every meal over several days (or weeks) mitbanchan, meaning basic side dishes. Kongjang is one of the most common ones. 

Kongjang is typically made with black soybeans (called geomjeongkong or seoritae), but you can also make it with yellow soybeans. The soaked beans should be cooked in water first before you add the sugar and soy sauce for slow braising. This will keep the beans from getting too hard. Cooking in an open pot helps reduce the liquid and gives the kongjang beans their unique shiny and wrinkled look. The result is sweet and savory beans that are a bit chewy, which is a nice contrast to steamed rice they accompany! 

Ingredients:
● 1 cup dried black (or yellow) soybeans

● 4 tablespoons soy sauce

● 2 tablespoons rice wine (or mirim)

● 2 tablespoons sugar 

● 1 tablespoon corn syrup

● 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

Rinse and soak the dried beans for 3-4 hours. (The time required may vary depending on the beans.) Drain.

In an uncovered medium size pot, bring the beans and 2 cups of water to a boil. Continue to cook, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Stir a couple of times so the beans don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Skim off the scum.

Add the soy sauce, rice wine and sugar. Reduce the heat to medium. Gently boil, uncovered, until almost all the sauce is evaporated, 25-30 minutes. (Keep your eyes on the pot during the last few minutes to avoid burning the beans.)

Add the corn syrup, stirring well to coat, right before turning the heat off. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. The beans will be soft at first, but they will get a bit chewier in the fridge.