Korean Mugwort Soup (Spring Mugwort in Savory Doenjang Broth)
Quick answer
Ssuk-guk is a seasonal doenjang soup that appears on Korean tables during early spring, when young mugwort shoots are tender enough to eat.
What makes this special
- Ssuk-guk appears in early spring with young mugwort and a signature herbal fragrance.
- Spring-only soup using young mugwort with signature bitter herbal fragrance
- Mugwort added right at boiling point to lock in vivid green color and scent
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Pick over 100 g mugwort, removing tough stems and wilted leaves.
- 2 Pour 500 ml anchovy broth into a pot and set it over medium heat.
- 3 Place 2 tablespoons doenjang in a fine sieve over the pot and ladle hot broth through it little by little.
Ssuk-guk is a seasonal doenjang soup that appears on Korean tables during early spring, when young mugwort shoots are tender enough to eat. The base is an anchovy-kelp stock into which soybean paste is strained, creating a mellow, savory foundation. Fresh mugwort is added only at the very end of cooking - just long enough for the leaves to wilt - because extended heat dulls their vivid green color and drives off the fragrance that makes this soup worth making. When timed correctly, each spoonful delivers the herb's distinctive bittersweet aroma, somewhere between sage and chrysanthemum, layered over the fermented depth of the doenjang. Cubed tofu softens in the hot broth and provides a neutral, creamy texture that balances the herbal intensity. A scattering of sliced scallion on top adds a mild sharpness. The soup is deliberately simple, designed to let mugwort take center stage as a reminder that the long winter is finally over.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Step
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.
- 2Control
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.
- 3Step
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.
- 4Control
When the broth returns to a gentle boil, add 80 g clam meat and 1 teaspoon minced garlic.
Cook over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, just until the clam meat firms without becoming tough.
- 5Control
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.
- 6Finish
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.
After the steps
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