Korean Blood Curd Soup (Spicy Ox Blood and Beansprout Stew)
Seonji-guk is a Korean blood curd soup built from coagulated ox blood, seasoned napa cabbage outer leaves, and bean sprouts in a spicy, doenjang-accented broth. The napa greens are pre-dressed with soybean paste, garlic, and chili flakes before going into the pot, where they simmer and release an earthy, fermented depth into the liquid. Bean sprouts are added for their crisp texture and clean, refreshing bite. The blood curd - cut into large cubes - goes in partway through cooking and simmers just eight minutes to heat through without breaking apart. Its texture is soft and faintly springy, unlike anything else in the Korean soup canon, and it absorbs the surrounding spicy broth. Gochugaru gives the soup a ruddy color and a slow-building warmth. In Korea, seonji-guk is closely associated with the morning-after meal, served in dedicated haejang-guk restaurants as a restorative after heavy drinking.
Adjust Servings
Instructions
- 1
Cut napa greens and mix with soybean paste and minced garlic.
- 2
Boil water, then add bean sprouts and seasoned greens; simmer for 10 minutes.
- 3
Add chopped blood curd and cook over medium heat for 8 more minutes.
- 4
Stir in chili flakes, add green onion, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- 5
Taste and adjust with salt, then serve hot.
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