Korean Soup (Ox Bone)

Ox Bone Soup (Seolleongtang) 설렁탕

Seolleongtang is a Korean broth tang (soup) made from ox bones (mostly leg bones), brisket and other cuts. Seasoning is generally done at the table according to personal taste by adding salt, ground black pepper, red pepper, minced garlic, or chopped spring onions. It is a local dish of Seoul.

Seolleongtang is typically simmered over a low flame over a period of several hours to an entire day, to allow the flavor to be gradually extracted from the bones. It has a milky off-white, cloudy appearance and is normally eaten together with rice and several side dishes; the rice is sometimes added directly to the soup.

In the Joseon dynasty, Koreans regularly made nationwide sacrifices to their ancestors, such as Dangun (the legendary founder of the kingdom of Gojoseon). The nationwide sacrifice was called Sŏnnongje (hangul: 선농제; hanja: 先農祭, Sŏnnong meaning "venerated farmer"), and the altar for the sacrifice was called Sŏnnong dan (hangul: 선농단; hanja: 先農壇), which dates back to the Silla Dynasty.

King Sŏngjong had visited the sacrifice himself, and had eaten a meal with the people of Josŏn. In order to increase the food supply in Josŏn, King Sŏngjong ordered them to invent dishes that could feed the maximum number of people using the least amount of ingredients, and seonnongtang(tang meaning "soup") was one of these.

Seonnongtang is now called seolleongtang for easier pronunciation. The phonetic values have changed as follows:

• Seonnongtang (선농탕, Sŏnnongt'ang) > Seollongtang (설롱탕, Sŏllongt'ang) > Seolleongtang (설렁탕, Sŏllŏngt'ang)

The first change is a consonant liquidization making the two "N" sounds into softer "L" sounds for easy pronunciation. The second change is a vowel harmonization of the "O" sound affected by the "Ŏ" sound.

Among common mis-beliefs related to the dish, the name may come from its snowy white color and hearty taste, so seolleongtang was named "雪濃湯" in hanja (literally "snowy thick soup"). Therefore, several Korean dictionaries say that the hanja spelling such as 雪濃湯 is an incorrect usage for the dish. Nevertheless, the misspelling is used to refer to the soup in hanja.

Ingredients:

2½ pounds of ox bones

2 pounds beef flank (or brisket or round)

water

Korean radish (or Daikon radish)

onion

green onions

salt

black ground pepper

sesame oil

Directions:

1. Soak the ox bones and the beef in cold water for 20 minutes to remove any blood.
2. Rinse bones in cold water a couple of times to remove any bone chips. Drain the water.
3. Boil 14 cups water (3 ½ quarts) in a large pot
4. Put the bones and beef into the pot of boiling water. Boil for about 10 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and take out the bones and beef. Get rid of the water.
6. Rinse and drain the meat in cold water to remove the excess fat.
7. If you only have one pot to use, clean it thoroughly with kitchen soap.
8. Put the bones and the beef back into the pot
9. Add about 12 cups of water (3 quarts), 1 medium size onion, and 1½ pounds of peeled radish to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
10. When it starts boiling about 20-30 minutes later, lower the heat to simmer for 3 hours.
11. Turn off the heat and take the beef and radish out of the pot. Leave the bones behind.
12. Put the beef and radish into a bowl.
13. Pour the brownish broth out of the pot and into a large bowl. We’re going to keep boiling these bones and collect the broth into this collecting bowl as we go along. Keep it in the fridge during this process.
    If you have a larger pot, you could keep boiling the bones and adding water over hours and hours, but with a small pot we need to do it in stages and collect in this collecting bowl.
14. Fill the pot with water again (about 3 quarts) and boil over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. When it starts boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 2½ to 3 hours.
15. Turn off the heat, open the lid, and pour the broth into the collecting bowl. It will be a lot whiter than the first time we poured it out. 
16. Fill your pot with water again and boil over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. When it starts boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 2½ to 3 hours.
17. Turn off the heat, open the lid, and pour the broth into the collecting bowl. This time it will be really white, but thin.
18. Cool down the collecting bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Keep it in the refrigerator for several hours until all the fat floats to the top and gets solid. This is going to be our bone soup.

Let’s serve!

1. Take the bone soup out of the fridge. Remove the solid fat from the top with a spoon or strainer.
2. Slice the cooked beef thinly, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut radish into ¼ inch thick slices
3. Reheat the bone soup and ladle the soup into a serving bowl.
4. Add a few slices of the beef and radish to the soup. Serve with warm rice and kimchi, along with chopped green onions, minced garlic, salt, and black ground pepper.
5. Add some salt, chopped green onion, and black ground pepper to the soup. Mix it well with your spoon. You can add warm rice to the soup and enjoy!

Tip: The amount of salt you put in depends on your taste, but I suggest starting with 1 ts and adding more if it’s too bland.

Spicy version:

1. Tear about 1 cup worth of cooked beef into thin strips. Put them in a mixing bowl.
2. Add 2 tbs chopped green onion, 2 ts soy sauce, 2 ts hot pepper flakes, a pinch of black ground pepper, and 2 ts sesame oil. Mix it well with a spoon.
3. Ladle the boiling soup into a serving bowl and add a few slices of radish and the mixture of seasoned beef.
4. Serve with warm rice, salt, and kimchi.

Nan junbigadoeeoissda 난 준비가되어있다

Korean Soup (Fish)

Spicy Fish Soup (Maeuntang) 매운탕

Mae-un tang is a hot spicy Korean cuisine fish soup boiled with gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste), kochukaru (chili powder), and various vegetables. The name is a combination of two words: maeun, which derives from maepda (맵다), meaning "hot and spicy"; and tang, meaning "soup". As its main ingredient, fresh or saltwater fish is cut into several pieces and boiled with ground beef, green vegetables such as watercres sand garland chrysanthemum. Onion, radish, chilis, crown daisy, garlic, and sometimes zucchini and bean curd are added to the mixture to absorb the chili pepper paste which is the main flavoring of this dish. It is then seasoned with chili powder, garlic, soy sauce, and additional gochujang may be added once more to taste.

Restaurants that offer this dish often allow customers to select their fish from an aquarium. Many specialty seafood restaurants have several aquariums from which to choose. Popular fish for this dish may include red snapper, sea bass, yellow corvina, codfish, croaker, pollock, and even freshwater fish like carp and trout. In addition, other shellfish such as crabs, clams, and oysters can be also added to this soup to complement and enhance its spicy yet refreshing flavors.

This soup is one of Korea's most popular dishes while drinking soju. If ordered with hoe at a restaurant, the soup is often then made from the leftover parts of the fish.

Ingredients:

a red snapper (25 cm long)
4 clams

4 large shrimp
Korean radish
2 shiitake mushrooms
water
dried kelp
minari (water dropwort)
enoki mushroom
ssukgat (edible chrysanthemum)
green onions
green chili pepper
red chili pepper
cooking wine
garlic
onion
ginger
hot pepper flakes
fish sauce
salt

Directions:

Make stock first!

1. Soak 2 shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 3-4 hours and cut them into bite size in length.
2. Soak 4-5 clams in cold salty water (2 cups of cold water +1 tbs salt) for at least 3-4 hours and wash them and set them aside.
3. Cut  radish thinly into about 3×4 cm size, 0.2-0.3 cm in thickness.
4. Place the sliced radish (about 1 cup), the pieces of mushroom, and some kelp in a pot.
5. Pour 6-7 cups of water into the pot and boil it over high heat for 20 minutes.

Make maeuntang sauce:

1. Place 7 cloves galic, ½ medium size onion, ½ tbs ginger, 2 tbs cooking wine (or soju), 2 tbs hot pepper flakes, 1 tbs hot pepper paste, 2 tbs fish sauce in the food processor and grind it for about 1 minute.
2. Set it aside.

Prepare  fish:

1. Put a red snapper on a cutting board and clean out guts, remove scales and fins. Wash it in cold water, cut it into chunks, and set it aside.
   *tip: to save time, you can ask your fishmonger to do this for you
2. Prepare 4 large shrimp: remove the heads and intestines, wash them, and set aside.

Prepare vegetables:

1. Clean ssukgat (edible chrysanthemum) and cut it into 7 cm long pieces.
2. Clean minari (water dropwort) and cut it into 7 cm long pieces.
3. Cut out the bottom part of enoki mushrooms and wash and split them.
4. Slice some green onions, 1 green chili pepper, 1 red chili pepper,
5. After boiling stock for 20 minutes, open the lid of the pot and take out kelp.
6. Place chunks of the fish, shrimp, clams in the boiling stock.
7. Add the maeuntang hot sauce and boil it all over medium heat for 30 minutes.
   *tip: It might boil over from time to time. Open the lid and remove the floating foam from the top and then close the lid halfway
8. Add ½ ts of salt, enoki mushrooms, minari (water dropwort) and ssukgat (garland chrysanthemum), green chili pepper, red chili pepper, and boil a few more minutes before serving.

Man se! 만세!

Korean Soup (Chicken)

Ginseng Chicken Soup (Samgyetang) 삼계탕

Samgyetang is a variety of guk Korean soup, which primarily consists of a whole young chicken and Korean ginseng. The dish's name literally translates as "'ginseng chicken soup" in English. Samgyetang is traditionally served in the summer for its supposed nutrients, which replaces those lost through excessive sweating and physical exertion during the hot summers in Korea.

To make samgyetang, a whole young chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice and boiled in a broth of Korean ginseng, dried seeded jujube fruits,garlic, and ginger. Depending on the recipe, other medicinal herbs such as Astragalus propinquus (hwanggi), wolfberry (gugija), Codonopsis pilosula (dangsam), and Angelica sinensis (danggwi) may also be added.

Like chicken soup, which is thought to help common sicknesses in the West, it is widely believed in Korea that samgyetang can both cure and prevent physical ailments. Proteins, minerals, and hormones from the whole chicken mixed with the beneficial properties of the ingredients combined in the dish makes it a revered culinary item in South Korea. Only whole uncut ingredients are used for the dish, as they are believed to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients.

Many Koreans enjoy it on three specific days in summer: "Chobok" (초복), "Jungbok" (중복), and "Malbok" (말복), which Koreans believe to be the hottest and most sultry of the year. Food with high nutrient content is eaten to regain the loss of stamina in the summer heat, and samgyetang is a favorite dish.

There are specialty restaurants in South Korea that serve nothing but samgyetang, having gained local popularity through their special recipe for the dish which are often kept secret. The dish is usually accompanied by side dishes and, in some restaurants, a small complimentary bottle of insamju (ginseng wine).

Ingredients:

Small chicken (Cornish hen)

1/4 cup of sweet rice

a dozen cloves of garlic

green onions

a few jujubes

1 or 2 small ginseng roots

Directions:

1. Wash and rinse your chicken in cold running water.
2. Soak 1/4 cup of sweet rice for 1 hour.
3. Stuff the chicken with the sweet rice, a ginseng root, a few jujubes, and 3-4 cloves of garlic. Place it in a pot.
4. Pour water into the pot and boil it over high heat for 20 minutes. When it starts boiling, skim off any foam and fat that rises to the surface Then pour in more water and boil it over medium heat for 40 minutes.
5. When it cooks properly, the chicken will be easily pulled apart by chopsticks.
6. Serve it with salt and pepper and kimchi or kaktugi.

Meok ja! 먹자!

Korean Soup (Beef)

Beef Short Ribs Soup (Galbitang) 갈비탕

Galbitang is a variety of guk, or Korean soup, made primarily from beef short ribs along with stewing beef, daikon, onions, and other ingredients. The short ribs, or "galbi" also refers to grilled short ribs in Korean barbecue while the suffixtang is another name for guk. Hence, the Korean name literally means "short ribs soup" and is also called garitang, or galitang. The clear and hearty soup is made by slowly simmering galbi in water for a long time and is eaten as a meal. It is similar to seolleongtang, a soup made from the bones of ox legs.

Historical records on galbitang are found in records on table setting for Korean royal court banquets held in the 1890s. However, galbi, was assumed to have been eaten since the end of the Goryeo Dynasty (918 – 1392).

Galbitang has been a representative dish served at wedding receptions.

It takes about five hours to cook the whole dish. Slits are made in the top of the inner bones with a sharp knife before the ribs are cut to make the flesh separate easily from the prepared beef rib. The ribs are chopped into pieces of a 5-6 cm length, and a whole daikon is inserted into a pot with water over a high heat at first. As time goes by, the heat is lowered to a medium temperature. Once the beef becomes soft after being simmered for about four to five hours, the daikon is taken out of the pot. It is flatly sliced into a 3 cm length. The ribs are also taken out of the pot and seasoned with minced scallions, garlic, and pepper powder, sesame oil, a mixture of sesame and salt, and soy sauce. As the soup is chilled, fat floating on the surface is removed. The seasoned ribs and sliced daikon are again put into the pot and are simmered one more time.

Ingredients:

1 kg (about 3 pounds) beef short ribs
1 small Korean radish (or daikon), about 2 cups
1 medium size onion
12 cups water
Starch noodles (optional)
4 cloves of minced garlic
4 to 6 green onions, chopped
ground black pepper

Extra ingredients needed for the spicy version:
Hot pepper flakes

soy sauce

sesame oil

Extra ingredients needed for optional gyerannoreunjajidan (yellow egg paper strips) garnish for the nonspicy version:
2 egg yolks
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cooking oil

Directions:

Prepare the beef & broth:

1. Rinse the beef short ribs in cold water a couple of times to remove any residual blood and bone fragments. Soak in cold water.
2. Drain the ribs and blanch in a large pot of boiling water for 10 minutes.
3. Strain the ribs. Wash each one thoroughly and remove any visible fat. Clean the pot, too.
4. Put the clean ribs back into the pot and add radish, onion, and 12 cups of water.
5. Bring to a boil over medium high heat for 1 hour, and then lower the heat to medium and boil for another 1 hour.
6. Remove from the heat. Discard the onion and put the ribs and radish into a stainless steel bowl.
7. Strain the broth through a cheesecloth in a strainer. Put the clear broth back into the pot and remove any floating fat with a spoon.
8. Add about 1 cup of starch noodles and the minced garlic. Bring to a boil for a few minutes until the noodles are cooked. Taste a sample to check: they should be soft yet firm, with nothing hard inside.
9. Turn off the heat.

For nonspicy Galbitang, prepare the optional gyerannoreunjajidan (yellow egg paper strips):

1. Separate 2 egg yolks from the whites. Remove the white stringy stuff from the yolks. Mix with a pinch of salt.
2. Add cooking oil to a heated nonstick pan. Swirl the oil around so it covers the pan, and then wipe off the excess heated oil with a kitchen towel so only a thin layer remains on the pan.
3. Lower the heat to very low heat. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the pan and tilt it so the mixture spreads thinly. Turn off the heat and let it cook on the hot pan for about 1 minute. Flip it over and let it sit on the pan for 1 more minute.
4. Slice it thin strips and set aside.

Put the soup together:

1. Slice the radish into bite size pieces and put some into 2 large, shallow bowls.
2. Add 2 or 3 ribs to each bowl.

For spicy galbitang:

1. Add 2 teaspoons of hot pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon of chopped green onion, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil to each bowl. Mix well.
2. Reheat the soup and add some broth and noodles to each bowl.

For nonspicy galbitang:

1. Reheat the soup and add some broth and noodles to each bowl.
2. Add the gyerannoreunjajidan on top and sprinkle with chopped green onion.

Da Meogeosseoyo 다머겄어요  :>

Korean Birthday Soup

Seaweed Soup (Miyeok Guk) 미역국

Miyeok guk is a Korean soup made from the sea vegetable miyeok. It comprises two words: miyeok, the Korean word for the sea vegetable; and guk, meaning "soup". It is also known as the "birthday soup" of koreans.

Miyeok guk is made of seaplant and is typically consumed by women after giving birth as miyeok contains a high content of calcium and iodine, nutrients that are important for nursing mothers. Many women consume it during the pregnancy phase as well. It is also traditionally eaten on birthdays for this reason, a reminder of the first food that the mother has eaten and passed on to her newborn through her milk, thus bringing good fortune for the rest of the year. Because it is known as a highly nutritious soup, it is widely consumed in homes and restaurants in Korea.

There are various methods of making miyeok guk, but it is usually made by soaking dried miyeok in water until it softens and adding the seaweed in soup stock. The stock may be made from beef and/or seafood such as mussels, clams and dried fish. The soup is seasoned with soy sauce or salt, additional flavoring added with minced garlic and sesame oil.

Ingredients:

1.5 ounces dried miyeok (yields about 3 cups soaked)
5 ounces beef (brisket or stew meat)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons soup soy sauce (gukganjang)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
salt and pepper
10 cups water

Directions:

1. Soak the dried miyeok for about 30 minutes. Rinse 2 or 3 times thoroughly. Drain after each rinse, and squeeze or knead (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 sizes.
2. Cut the beef into thin bite size pieces. Marinate with 1 tablespoon of soup soy sauce, garlic, and a pinch of pepper.
3. Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Sauté the meat with the sesame oil just until the meat is no longer red. 
4. Add miyeok and 1 tablespoon of soup soy sauce, and continue to sauté for 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Add the water, and bring it to a boil. Skim off any scum. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat to medium low. Boil, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes until the meat is tender and the broth is slightly milky.
6. And voila! Your Miyeok Guk is ready to serve! 

Jal meokgo 잘 먹고 :)