Korean Beef Head Soup with Rice
Somori-gukbap is a bowl of rice submerged in a milky, collagen-heavy broth extracted from a beef head that has been simmered for the better part of a day. The process begins by boiling the head in several changes of water to purge impurities, then committing it to a long, uninterrupted simmer until the connective tissue breaks down and enriches the liquid with natural gelatin. The finished broth is opaque white, clean-tasting despite its richness, and coats the mouth with a silky weight that plain beef stock cannot match. Sliced meat, pulled from the head after cooking, is lean yet intensely beefy, having surrendered its fat to the broth during the hours of simmering. Served in a stone pot with a mound of rice and a generous ladle of broth, the dish is typically accompanied by a saucer of seasoned soy sauce with chili flakes and a handful of chopped chives. Specialty restaurants start their pots before dawn and keep them rolling until the lunch rush, because in this dish, time is the irreplaceable ingredient.
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Instructions
- 1
Soak beef head meat in cold water for 1 hour to remove blood.
- 2
Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes, then rinse clean.
- 3
Simmer meat with water, radish, garlic, and green onion over medium-low heat for 2.5 hours.
- 4
Remove and slice the meat, then strain the broth.
- 5
Return meat to the clear broth, season with salt and pepper, and simmer 10 minutes more.
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