One-Pot Wonders

Yuk/Yook Gae Jang 육개장 – Spicy Korean Beef Soup

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May 29, 2015
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Yuk/Yook Gae Jang 육개장 – Spicy Korean Beef Soup
  • Serves 4-6
Author Notes

This soup is a lesser known Korean dish, but deserves no less acclaim than some of its formidable counterparts. It's incredibly rich, spicy, hearty, and utterly satisfying, and this version will leave you feeling like you're enjoying a bowl in your Korean grandmother's kitchen. And the best part? It's super simple and easy to put together. Can't find some of the ingredients? They will be at your local Asian/Korean grocery store. —CozyBogie

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 pounds flank steak or yuk gae jang beef cut
  • 1 gallon water
  • 1/2 large onion
  • 1/4 pound Korean radish or daikon radish
  • 4 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochukaru)
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon chili oil
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 pound mung bean sprouts or soy bean sprouts
  • 1/2 pound boiled royal fern (ferndrake root)
  • 12-14 green onion stalks
  • 3 eggs, beaten with 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon hondashi or Korean beef stock powder (optional)
Directions
  1. Soak the beef in a large bowl filled with cold water for 30 minutes to one hour. Drain, rinse the beef with water, and set aside.
  2. Bring the gallon of water up to a boil in a large pot. Add the beef, and lower the heat to a medium and add the onion, then simmer for around 2-3 hours, while keeping a vigilant eye on the water level and replacing water as it evaporates. Skim impurities and fat as they appear.
  3. While the beef is simmering, mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl: red chili pepper flakes, sesame oil, chili oil, vegetable oil, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, sea salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  4. Wash and clean the sprouts, and rinse the ferndrake root several times with cold water. Drain, and set aside.
  5. Wash and cut green onions into thirds, and separate the white parts from the green, and set aside.
  6. When the broth is ready, carefully remove the cooked beef and onion pieces. If you are very careful, you can strain and reserve your broth while removing any impurities, but this is not necessary. You should be left with around 10-11 cups of broth after all the cooking and evaporating. Place the broth back into the pot.
  7. Let the meat cool, and then once it is easy to handle, shred the beef into spaghetti-width size pieces and place into a big bowl.
  8. To the shredded beef, add the ferndrake root, sprouts, and white part only of the green onion pieces. Pour the marinade into the mixture and using your hands, toss all of the ingredients together.
  9. Once the mixture is well-mixed, bring the broth to a boil. Carefully add the marinade mixture to the pot and simmer on medium for 30 minutes.
  10. Add the rest of the green onions and simmer for 5 more minutes. At this point, you may add beef stock powder dashida desired.
  11. Slowly add in the beaten eggs. Be careful not to over stir, or else the broth will be very cloudy. Stir in one clockwise motion when pouring in the egg so that it’s well-distributed, as the eggs will cook instantly as soon as it hits the broth. Wait 5 seconds and stir just once more clockwise around the pot, and then turn off the heat.
  12. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
  13. Enjoy with a bowl of steaming white rice.
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