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