Naejang-tang (Spicy Mixed Beef Tripe Soup)
Naejang-tang is a Korean offal soup that simmers a medley of beef innards - tripe, large intestine, abomasum, and omasum - in a robust broth seasoned with gochugaru, gochujang or doenjang, garlic, and green onion. Each organ brings a different texture to the bowl: tripe is chewy and ridged, large intestine is fatty and tender, and the stomach linings offer a firm, almost crunchy bite. As the innards cook for an extended period, their rendered fat and natural gelatin melt into the broth, producing a thick, savory liquid with a distinctive richness that leaner soups cannot approach. Some versions include seonji, coagulated ox blood, which darkens the broth and adds a mineral, iron-forward depth. The soup is characteristically spicy and served at near-boiling temperature, often in a stone pot that keeps it bubbling at the table. In Korea, naejang-tang is strongly associated with early-morning hangover recovery - specialized restaurants near traditional markets and drinking districts begin serving it well before dawn. The combination of fat, heat, and protein makes it one of the most physically restorative soups in the Korean repertoire.
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Instructions
- 1
Rub tripe with salt and flour, rinse, then soak in cold water for 20 minutes.
- 2
Blanch for 10 minutes and rinse well.
- 3
Simmer in fresh water for 50 minutes until tender, then slice.
- 4
Add radish, broth, and tripe to a pot, then stir in chili flakes and garlic.
- 5
Season with soup soy sauce, add green onion, and simmer 10 more minutes.
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