This is one of my favorite Korean dishes: it’s spicy and hearty but not too heavy. I’m drooling just thinking about it! Turns out, this isn’t so hard to make – but you do need to be home for a 2-3 hour stretch because it takes at least 2 hours of total cooking time (even though the prep is not too bad).

I would classify the recipe below as “medium spicy.” Adjust spice accordingly and enjoy!

Korean Spicy Beef Soup (Yuk Gae Jang 육개장)

Ingredients:

Beef Brisket – 1.5 lb

[for meat seasoning]
Korean red pepper paste – 4 tb
Red pepper powder – 4 tb (can also use crushed red peppers)
Sesame oil – 2 tb
Sesame seeds – 3 tb
Garlic – 4 tb (minced)
Soy Sauce or Gook Ganjang – 4 tb
Black pepper – 1 tsp

[veggies in soup]
Scallions – 2 bunches (cut in half, julienne; reserve and chopped some for garnish)
Mushroom – oyster or shiitake, 1 pack

[optional ingredients]
* optional veggies for the soup: Korean peppers, spicy peppers (eg jalapeno), bean sprouts, fern bracken / fern brake (available in Japanese markets)
* optional add-in for the soup: Dak Myun (soak in water)
* optional garnish: egg (fried and sliced thinly)

Best serve with rice.

Directions:
1. Drain blood in brisket by letting it sit in water before cooking. Boil brisket briefly in water and drain. Replace water in pot and cook meat for 1 hour.
2. Remove meat from beef broth, reserve the broth, cool and shred/peel/cut meat into small pieces.
3. In a large bowl, mix meat with meat seasonings: red pepper paste, red pepper, sesame oil, sesame seed, garlic, soy sauce/gook gangjang, and black pepper.

4. Re-boil the beef broth. Add back seasoned brisket pieces to pot.
5. After it comes to a boil, add additional veggies: scallions and mushrooms (and other optional ingredients such as Korean peppers and bean sprouts). Add more water as appropriate. Boil for at least 1 hour*.
6. If including dak myun, add into soup towards the last 5 minutes of cooking.
7. Turn off heat. Taste and season with salt or soy sauce.
8. Garnish with chopped scallions (optional: and eggs). Serve with a bowl of rice on the side.

* This is what it looks like about 30 minutes into cooking. It looks tasty and is edible but not to its full potential. I find that the soup actually tastes best the next day.