Yuk-gae Jang (육개장) - Beef soup

Now that the weather's getting colder, this spicy, savory soup is perfect for those chilly fall nights when you need something to warm you up from the inside out.

Ingredients: (4-5 servings)

300-400g of stewing beef

6 cups water

100-200g bracken fiddleheads (고사리)

100-200g mung bean sprouts (숙주)

2 big leeks

4 cloves garlic, whole

1/2 onion

2 spoons each: vegetable oil, chili oil (고추기름)

1 spoon each: soy sauce, salt, crushed red pepper, sesame oil

Marinade:

Mix together:

1 1/2 spoons crushed red pepper

1 spoon soy sauce

2 spoons minced garlic

1 spoon each: sesame oil, cheong ju (청주)

pinch of black pepper

Steps:

1. Put the beef in cold water for one hour to remove blood.  Drain.
2. Add meat, whole garlic and onion to 6 cups water.  Boil for 20 mins.
3. Remove meat from the water (keep the water!) and let it cool.  Tear the meat along the grain.  Mix with 1 spoon sesame oil, 1 spoon soy sauce and 1/3 spoon salt.
4. Cut vegetables into bite sized pieces  Briefly blanch, then rinse with cold water.  Add to meat with 1/2 of the spice mixture.  Let sit for a bit.
5. Bring broth from step 3 to a boil.  Add mixture from step 4 with the rest of the spice mixture.  Boil
6. Add hot pepper oil.  Boil.  Salt to taste.  Serve with rice.

Notes:

- This recipe is from my secondary cookbook, 국민 요리책.  My main book (오늘의 요리) also has a recipe for this soup, but I haven't translated it yet.  I'll post a link here when I do.