Home Cooking: Dak Kalguksu

This boiling hot noodle soup is a popular summertime dish in Korea. 

Kalguksu literally means “knife noodles”, but it actually refers to a steaming hot noodle soup that’s traditionally made with handmade, knife-cut noodles. 

There are many variations using different ingredients for the soup base or for the dough. Dak (chicken) kalguksu is made with a rich chicken broth, and shredded chicken meat. 




For convenience, you can use commercially packaged fresh kalguksu noodles available in the refrigerated section of Korean markets. Parboil the noodles in a separate pot before adding to the chicken broth. Otherwise, the soup can get very thick from all the starch the noodles release while cooking. 

Dak kalguksu is traditionally made with a whole chicken. It’s a cheap way to feed more people, not to mention the stock will be more flavorful. You can cut up a whole chicken before boiling if you want it to cook a little faster. If you want to use cut chicken pieces, leg quarters and chicken wings will be good for a flavorful stock. 

For the soup:1 small whole chicken, or bone-in cut pieces (about 1.2 kilogram)
1/2 medium onion
8 plump garlic cloves
3 to 4 thinly sliced ginger pieces
2 white parts of scallions
1 3-inch square dried kelp 
1/4 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon soup soy sauce

For the meat:1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and pepper to taste

For the vegetables:1 medium zucchini, julienned
2 scallions, finely chopped

For the noodles:1 package fresh kalguksu noodles 

For the sauce (Yangnyumjang) - Optional: 
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 – 3 scallions, finely chopped

Place the cleaned chicken in a stockpot large enough to hold the chicken and 12 cups of water. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and scallions, and 12 cups water. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Skim off any foam on top. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes. Adjust cooking time for cut pieces. 

Sprinkle the julienned zucchini with salt for about 15 minutes and squeeze out the water. Briefly sauté in a heated pan with a little bit of oil. Set aside.

Cut through the thickest part of the breast, with a knife, to see if the chicken is cooked and tender. Turn the heat off and carefully remove the chicken. 

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat off the bones. Shred the meat into small bite size pieces. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to the chicken. Combine well. 

Strain the broth and remove the excess fat. You can line the strainer with a paper towel or use a fat separator. 

Return the broth back to the pot. Add the dried kelp, onion slices, and soup soy sauce. Bring it to a boil and boil for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the kelp. 

Meanwhile, in another pot, boil water to cook the noodles. Parboil the noodles. 

Remove the noodles with a strainer and add to the pot with the broth. 

Continue to boil until the noodles are cooked through. 

To serve, ladle the noodles and soup in a serving bowl, top with the chicken pieces, zucchini and chopped scallion.

Gamjajeon (potato pancakes) Gamjajeon is a variety of Korean savory pancake made with grated or ground potatoes

Gamjajeon is a variety of Korean savory pancake made with grated or ground potatoes. It’s a humble dish that can simply be made with potatoes. But, a little bit of onion helps prevent discoloring of the potatoes without overpowering their flavor. This is a basic recipe, but you can add other vegetables such as garlic chives (buchu), chili peppers, and/or perilla leaves (kkaennip) if you like.


You can grate the potatoes or grind them in a blender or a food processor. I like to grate them on a grater for a coarse texture. Whichever method you use, you need to remove some water content from the grated potatoes, or it will be too watery for a pancake batter. Do not throw away the drained water since it contains valuable starch. Let the starch water sit for a while until the starch sinks to the bottom and forms a dense, white layer. Carefully pour out the water, and use the starch in the batter. This is the traditional way to make a potato pancake batter without adding flour or powder starch. 

Makes 2 large pancakes

Ingredients:

1/4 medium onion

2 large or 3 medium potatoes

1/4 teaspoon salt

oil for pan frying

Peel and grate the onion (about 2 to 3 tablespoons). Place in a large bowl. Peel and grate the potatoes, capturing the liquid. If using a blender or food processor, grind the onion and potatoes together.

Drain the grated potato in a bowl lined with a strainer, reserving the liquid. Immediately transfer the potato to the bowl with the grated onion, and mix well. 

Let the reserved potato liquid sit for about 10 minutes. The starch in the liquid will sink to the bottom. Carefully pour out the water, saving the starch. Add the starch and salt to the potato mix. Stir to combine well. 

Heat a skillet with two tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add 1/2 of the batter, and spread it evenly into a round shape. You can make smaller pancakes if you like. Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook until the bottom is light golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve hot with a dipping sauce. 

Tteokgalbi (short rib patties)

These fancy beef patties are called tteokgalbi, literally translated to rice cake ribs. But don’t expect any rice cakes in the dish. The name comes from the way the minced meat is kneaded and shaped as rice cakes are made in Korea. 

Tteokgalbi is made with beef short rib meat. The meat is separated from the bones, finely minced and then marinated. The marinated meat can be attached back to the rib bones before being cooked. Here, I simply shaped them like burger patties. 

Beef short ribs are an expensive cut of meat. Substitute with cheaper cut of meat if you want. The meat is traditionally hand-minced, but you can use a meat grinder or food processor instead. It’s also very common to use ground beef (or pork, or a combination) to make tteokgalbi.

These tasty, tender patties can be broiled, grilled or pan-fried. They will be great for your summer grilling as well! 

Ingredients:

About 1.5 kilogram beef short ribs (or 1 kilogram boneless beef chuck or brisket)

Marinade:

4 tablespoons soy sauce 

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons rice wine (or Mirin)

3 tablespoons grated Korean/Asian pear (or apple) grated

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

3 scallions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Soak the ribs in cold water for 20 to 30 minutes to remove some blood. Drain. 

Trim excess fat. Remove the meat as much as possible from the bones. Keep the meat in the freezer for about an hour.

Grind the meat using a meat grinder or a food processor. If mincing by hand, thinly slice the meat, cut the slices into thin strips, and then cut crosswise into small pieces. Mince the meat by rocking the blade back and forth into the smallest pieces possible.

Mix all marinade ingredients well. 

Add the marinade to the meat, and then mix very well. Knead the meat until it becomes a bit sticky, 2 to 3 minutes. Marinate the meat for at least 2 hours (overnight for best results). 

Shape the meat, pressing tightly your palms, into round or oval patties. 

Set the oven to broil and preheat. Lay the meat in a broil pan and place it on the top rack of the oven, usually about 15 centimeters below the broiler. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip them over and cook for an additional 3 -4 minutes until nicely charred. You can also grill over a charcoal or gas grill. Grill over medium to medium-high, turning only once, 2―3 minutes on each side.