Korean Napa Cabbage Clam Soup
Quick answer
Baechu jogae guk is a clear Korean soup that draws its flavor entirely from clams and napa cabbage without any additional stock ingredients.
What makes this special
- Baechu jogae guk relies on purged clams and napa cabbage for a refreshing clear soup with pure marine umami.
- Two-hour clam purging is the essential prep that determines the whole soup's quality
- Broth built only from clam umami and cabbage sweetness, no anchovy stock needed
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Soak 500 g clams in salt water made with 1 L water and 1 tablespoon salt for at least 2 hours.
- 2 Cut 220 g napa cabbage into 3 cm bite-size pieces and slice 0.5 green onion on the diagonal.
- 3 Put 1.5 L water and the purged clams in a pot, then start over medium heat from cold water.
Baechu jogae guk is a clear Korean soup that draws its flavor entirely from clams and napa cabbage without any additional stock ingredients. The clams must be purged in salted water for at least two hours to expel all sand; skipping this step contaminates the broth and ruins the finished dish. Starting from cold water with both the cabbage and clams allows the temperature to rise gradually, coaxing sweetness from the cabbage as it heats alongside the shellfish. Once the clam shells open, the heat is reduced and the broth is seasoned lightly with minced garlic and guk-ganjang. Sliced scallion is added near the end to preserve its fresh, grassy note in the liquid. Since the clam liquor itself carries significant salinity, any additional salt should be added only after tasting, and kept minimal. No anchovy stock or kelp is needed because the marine depth of the clams and the vegetal sweetness of the cabbage together build a clean, layered broth on their own. The soup is mild enough to serve as a restorative meal when appetite is low or digestion is off.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Soak 500 g clams in salt water made with 1 L water and 1 tablespoon salt for at least 2 hours.
Treat this as a required prep step, because any remaining sand will make the clear broth gritty.
- 2Heat
Cut 220 g napa cabbage into 3 cm bite-size pieces and slice 0.5 green onion on the diagonal.
Keep the cabbage pieces similar in size so they soften evenly without some pieces collapsing before the rest cook.
- 3Control
Put 1.5 L water and the purged clams in a pot, then start over medium heat from cold water.
Let the temperature rise gradually so the clam liquor flavors the water cleanly instead of turning harsh.
- 4Heat
When the water boils and the clam shells open, lift out only the clams right away.
Leave the broth in the pot, because keeping the opened clams boiling will make the meat tough and rubbery.
- 5Control
Add the cabbage and 1 teaspoon minced garlic to the clam broth, then simmer over medium heat for about 7 minutes.
Stop when the cabbage looks slightly translucent and the thicker stems bend but still hold shape.
- 6Season
Return the clams and season first with 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce.
Taste before adding salt, using only the small amount needed, then add the green onion and boil 1 minute to keep its fresh aroma.
After the steps
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