Yukgaejang (Spicy Beef Stew)
육개장
Yukgaejang is a classic spicy Korean stew made of thin strips of beef and a variety of vegetables. It traditionally has dangmyeon (vermicelli noodles) as well as fernbrake (gosari).
Note that if you have bone soup stock ready (sagolguk), you can add some of this for the broth, as it will make it taste richer. Instead of boiling with 9 cups of water, you can substitute 4-5 cups of bone stock + 4-5 cups of water.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 lb beef (beef flank or brisket)
- 9 cups of water
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp gochugaru (hot pepper powder)
- 2 tbsp of clear soy sauce
- 1-2 tsp regular soy sauce
- l/2 cup fernbrake, soaked (gosari 고사리)
- l/2 lb bean sprouts (mung bean or soy bean spouts)
- 2 tbsp garlic, minced
- 4 stalks green onions, cut 3-4" long
- 1 tbsp of dried anchovy powder (myulchi garu 멸치 가루)
- l/2 cup of softened vermicelli noodle (dangmyeon 당면) (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Recipe Steps:
- In a large pot (6 qt or so), saute the beef with sesame oil, garlic, hot pepper power, and soy sauce. Add water to the pot and bring to a boil, then cook for 20-30 min. Remove the meat to cool and save the broth when done.
- Soak dried fernbrake in warm water for l/2 hr, drain and put in a boiling water and cook for 10-20 min or until stems are tender. Take out, rinse and cut off any hard fern tops, and cut any thicker fernbrake into thinner strips. Set aside.
- Using a scoop, remove any debris from the broth. Shred the beef using your hands into thin strips; put soy sauce, garlic, hot pepper powder, sesame oil and dash black pepper. Mix all the ingredients well and set aside.
- Add the seasoned beef strips, fernbrake, bean sprouts, and anchovy powder to the stock pot – bring to a boil, add cut green onions and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Prepare the dried vermicelli by soaking in cold water, then boiling quickly for 3-4 minutes. Remove and strain.
- When ready to serve, drop individual serving of vermicelli into the pot for a minute or so to coat with the hot broth, then put into an individual bowl. Scoop meat, broth and veggies over the noodles and serve hot!
Serving Size: 4
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
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