Korean Mugwort Soup (Spring Mugwort in Savory Doenjang Broth)

Name: Korean Mugwort Soup (Spring Mugwort in Savory Doenjang Broth)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: korean
Ingredients: Mugwort 100 g; Doenjang 2 tbsp; Clam meat 80 g; Minced garlic 1 tsp; Anchovy broth 500 ml

Dissolve 2 tbsp doenjang through a fine sieve into 500 ml anchovy broth, then add 80 g clam meat and 1 tsp minced garlic to the boiling broth. Cook the clams until their centers reach 85 to 90°C and stay there for at least 90 seconds, so they are fully cooked before the mugwort is added. On low heat, add 100 g mugwort and cook only until the leaves wilt and turn vivid green, about 30 to 60 seconds.

Quick answer

Total time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 5

About this dish

Young mugwort gives a doenjang broth a fresh, green spring aroma, but that aroma fades quickly with heat.

The clam meat is cooked through first, so the leaves can be added last over low heat and ladled out the moment they wilt to a bright green.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Pick over 100 g mugwort, removing tough stems and wilted leaves.

Rinse it in cold water two or three times, gently swishing to release grit, then drain it well in a sieve.
2

Pour 500 ml anchovy broth into a pot and set it over medium heat.

When small bubbles gather around the edge, lower the heat slightly so the broth stays clear instead of boiling hard.
3

Place 2 tablespoons doenjang in a fine sieve over the pot and ladle hot broth through it little by little.

Press the paste to dissolve it smoothly, leaving coarse bits behind.
4

Add 80 g clam meat and 1 teaspoon minced garlic to the boiling broth.

Heat the clam centers to 85-90°C and maintain that temperature for at least 90 seconds. Cook the clams fully before adding the mugwort.
5

Reduce the heat to low and add the prepared mugwort, gently pressing it under the broth.

Cook only until the leaves wilt and turn vivid green, about 30 to 60 seconds.
6

Taste once and turn off the heat as soon as the salinity and savory depth feel balanced.

Serve the soup hot right away, before the mugwort aroma fades from lingering heat.