Korean Rice Cake Dumpling Soup
Adding dumplings to rice cake soup stretches one pot to feed more people, and starch from the wrappers thickens the bone broth slightly.
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Adding dumplings to rice cake soup stretches one pot to feed more people, and starch from the wrappers thickens the bone broth slightly.
People in Korea still say that eating a bowl on New Year's Day adds a year to your age. In the hot broth the oval slices of rice cake loosen on the surface, giving the soup a little body, while the centers stay dense and chewy. This version simmers bite-sized beef straight in water instead of starting from bone stock, for a lighter broth.
Flattened into flower-like discs, the soybeans cook faster than whole beans, take seasoning right to the center and release a nutty body into the broth. The method grew from storing winter protein in snowy northern Shiga, and the soup is often served as oko-jiru at Buddhist Hoonko gatherings.
Stir-frying the beef and burdock in sesame oil before any water goes in gives the broth a toasted aroma and a light brown tint. Even after a long simmer the burdock never goes fully soft and keeps some chew. A short soak in cold water after slicing limits browning and astringency.
Doenjang stirred into rice-rinsing water gives this soup a softer, rounder broth. The tough outer napa leaves (ugeoji) simmer until they hang limp from a spoon, and a little cheongyang chili at the end leaves a sharp kick.
Napa outer leaves (ugeoji) tossed with doenjang go into the broth from boiled beef brisket along with soybean sprouts, and the brisket itself is torn along the grain and returned to the pot. A little chili flake brings mild heat over the doenjang, and the heat goes off while the sprouts still crunch.
The broth is a ruddy brown, nutty from doenjang and spicy from chili flakes. The outer cabbage leaves (ugeoji) soak it up the longer they simmer, so each soft spoonful of greens comes up full of seasoned broth.
Three and a half hours over low heat turn the skin and tendons of beef trotters springy and gelatinous, and the broth comes out milky white. Salt is the seasoning, and some people dip each bite in a little salted shrimp or hot mustard.
Meatballs of ground beef and tofu simmer in anchovy broth, and when they fail, it is usually the mixture's fault. Tofu that still holds water, or a ball with a cracked surface, tends to fall apart in the pot. The tofu gets squeezed hard, and each ball is pressed smooth wherever it splits.
Dongara refers to the head and bony trimmings of the cod. In the Shonai area of Yamagata, spawning cod goes into one pot from flesh to liver to milt or roe, and the liver melts into the miso broth, making it rich and savory. At home it is made from a cod hot-pot set cleaned by a fishmonger, with the gallbladder, gills and intestines already removed.
Chewy beef tripe, soft blood curd and soybean sprouts share a doenjang-seasoned bone broth, and the bowl is heavy with them. The green onion and chili oil wait until after the 20-minute simmer, leaving the red oil floating on top.
Simmered in doenjang broth, summer young radish greens (yeolmu) see their stems lose the raw, grassy taste and turn tender. Rice-rinsing water makes the broth smoother than plain water would, and a small amount of chili flakes adds a mild warmth under the soybean paste.
Instead of being cut, the soft tofu is scooped in with a spoon, and it floats among the shrimp in large, tender pieces. Soup soy sauce is held back to keep the anchovy-kelp broth pale, and salt makes up the rest of the seasoning.
Thin slices of lotus root turn faintly translucent at the edges in anchovy broth while their centers stay crisp. Some of the root's starch slips into the liquid and gives the soup the slightest body. Garlic, soup soy sauce, salt, and black pepper season it lightly, leaving the lotus root's mild sweetness at the front.
Octopus and flat slices of tofu share the pot with anchovy broth seasoned with soup soy sauce and garlic, no chili, and water dropwort and green onion are laid on top. It stays on a low flame at the table for everyone to serve themselves. The octopus is most tender right when the legs curl and turn opaque, and toughens the longer it simmers.
No soy sauce and no chili go into this octopus soup; salt alone seasons it, and the broth stays clear. Once the broth returns to a boil the octopus cooks for just three minutes, and the water dropwort (minari) goes in right before the heat is turned off, wilting for about 20 seconds.
Instead of stirring chili straight into the broth, this spicy beef soup seasons each strand of shredded brisket with chili flakes, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil, so the heat clings to the meat itself. The clear brisket broth turns red as the seasoned beef simmers in it, with fernbrake (gosari, a chewy dried fern), bean sprouts, and plenty of long-cut green onion filling the bowl.