Naejang-tang (Spicy Mixed Beef Tripe Soup)
Quick answer
Naejang-tang is a Korean offal soup that simmers a combination of beef innards including large intestine, tripe, abomasum, and omasum together with gochugaru, gochujang o...
What makes this special
- Naejang-tang extracts deep flavor from mixed beef tripe and gochugaru in a spicy soup.
- Multiple tripe cuts in one bowl each offer a distinct chew and fat level
- 90-minute simmer renders tripe fat and collagen into a deeply rich broth
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Rub 500 g mixed beef offal thoroughly with salt and flour, working into folds and thick parts.
- 2 Bring a generous pot of water to a strong boil, add the offal, and blanch ov...
- 3 Place the rinsed offal in a clean pot with 1800 ml water and bring it to a boil.
Naejang-tang is a Korean offal soup that simmers a combination of beef innards including large intestine, tripe, abomasum, and omasum together with gochugaru, gochujang or doenjang, generous amounts of garlic, and green onion into a thick, aggressively seasoned broth. Each organ contributes a distinct texture to the bowl: the small intestine is chewy and springy, the large intestine is fatty and yielding, and the stomach linings are firm with a near-crunchy resistance that gradually releases umami as it is chewed. Long cooking renders the intramuscular fat and collagen from the innards directly into the broth, producing a body and richness that cannot be replicated by shorter-cooked, leaner soups. Some versions incorporate seonji, coagulated ox blood, cooked alongside the other organs; it darkens the broth significantly and introduces a mineral, iron-forward depth that distinguishes the blood-enriched variant as a richer, more fortifying bowl. Abundant green onion and garlic form the aromatic backbone, and gochugaru raises the heat to a level that is meant to be felt as much as tasted. The soup is traditionally served in a stone pot or a heavy ceramic vessel that retains heat and keeps the broth at a bubbling simmer through the meal. In Korea, naejang-tang is closely tied to early-morning hangover recovery: restaurants specializing in the dish, often located near traditional markets or late-night drinking districts, begin service well before dawn to catch customers emerging from long nights. The combination of fat, protein, intense heat, and restorative minerals is widely understood to ease alcohol-related discomfort and replenish the body.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Rub 500 g mixed beef offal thoroughly with salt and flour, working into folds and thick parts.
Rinse until the water runs mostly clear, then soak it in cold water for 20 minutes to draw out blood and odor.
- 2Control
Bring a generous pot of water to a strong boil, add the offal, and blanch over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
When foam and gray scum rise, drain everything and rinse the pieces well under running water.
- 3Control
Place the rinsed offal in a clean pot with 1800 ml water and bring it to a boil.
Lower to medium-low and simmer about 50 minutes, until a chopstick can enter the thick pieces without forcing.
- 4Heat
Lift out the offal, slice it into bite-size pieces, and keep the cooking broth in the pot.
Cut 200 g Korean radish into pieces that are not too thin, so they soften without breaking apart.
- 5Control
Add the radish and sliced offal back to the broth, then stir in 1.5 tablespoons gochugaru and 1 tablespoon minced garlic.
Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the broth turns evenly red and aromatic.
- 6Finish
Season with 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce and add 1 sliced green onion.
Simmer 5 minutes longer, then serve when the radish looks slightly translucent and the offal is hot all the way through.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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