Korean Napa Outer Leaf Soybean Soup
Quick answer
Ugeoji doenjang-guk is a deeply comforting soybean paste soup made with the tough outer leaves of napa cabbage that might otherwise be discarded.
What makes this special
- Napa cabbage outer leaves massaged with doenjang create a deep, fermented broth in ugeoji.
- Pre-mixing napa leaves with doenjang lets fermented umami seep between each leaf
- Rice-washing water base adds mild starch that softens doenjang's saltiness
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Squeeze the blanched napa outer leaves lightly so they stay moist but not dripping.
- 2 Pour 1300 ml rice-rinse water into a pot and rub the remaining 1.5 tbsp doenjang through a strainer.
- 3 When the broth boils, loosen the seasoned ugeoji with your fingers or tongs and add it to the pot.
Ugeoji doenjang-guk is a deeply comforting soybean paste soup made with the tough outer leaves of napa cabbage that might otherwise be discarded. The leaves are first massaged with doenjang, perilla oil, and garlic, a step that drives the fermented paste deep into the cabbage's thick veins so that when the soup simmers, the flavor releases gradually into the broth. Rice-rinsing water replaces plain stock as the cooking liquid, adding a gentle starchiness that rounds the doenjang's salt into something softer and more enveloping. As the ugeoji cooks down, it turns from a leathery sheet into a silky, almost melting tangle that drapes over the spoon and floods the mouth with concentrated vegetable-and-miso flavor. The broth itself becomes a murky, golden-brown pool of umami, tasting of earth, fermentation, and the quiet bitterness that only well-cooked greens provide. Cubed tofu gives textural relief, and thin rings of cheongyang chili pepper, if added, introduce a sharp heat that cuts the richness. It is a soup that transforms humble ingredients into something far greater than their parts.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Squeeze the blanched napa outer leaves lightly so they stay moist but not dripping.
Cut tough stems into bite-size lengths, then massage in 1 tbsp doenjang and 1 tsp perilla oil until the paste reaches between the leaves.
- 2Control
Pour 1300 ml rice-rinse water into a pot and rub the remaining 1.5 tbsp doenjang through a strainer.
Set over high heat and stir as it warms so no dense paste clumps sink and scorch.
- 3Control
When the broth boils, loosen the seasoned ugeoji with your fingers or tongs and add it to the pot.
Keep high heat until it returns to a boil, then skim foam from the surface for a cleaner taste.
- 4Control
Lower to medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes, pressing the greens down so they stay under the broth.
The leaves should darken, and the stems should feel soft enough to press with a spoon.
- 5Control
Add 1 tbsp minced garlic and 1 tbsp soup soy sauce, then simmer 5 more minutes.
Taste the broth before adding anything extra, and adjust only with a small amount of soup soy sauce if it is flat.
- 6Finish
Slice 40 g green onion and 1 Cheongyang chili into thin rounds, add them, and simmer only 2 minutes.
When the sharp onion and chili aroma rises, turn off the heat and serve with plenty of greens and broth.
After the steps
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