Korean Mugwort Soup (Spring Mugwort in Savory Doenjang Broth)

Quick answer

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

About this dish

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.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

Mugwort100 gg

Doenjang2 tbsptbsp

Clam meat80 gg

Minced garlic1 tsptsp

Anchovy broth500 mlml

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Step

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

Control

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

Step

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

Control

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.
5

Control

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

Finish

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.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Mugwort cleaned after removing tough stems and wilted leaves
Finish cue: Taste once and turn off the heat as soon as the salinity and savory depth feel balanced.
Avoid this: Pick over 100 g mugwort, removing tough stems and wilted leaves.