Korean spicy beef soup (yukgaejang)
Shredded beef, bean sprouts, mushrooms and a whole bunch of green onions in a fiery, garlicky red broth, the Korean soup that clears your head.
- 110 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $4.59 a serving
- 350 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 lb stew beef
- 2 beef bouillon cubes, check the box: most cubes make 2 cups each
- 1 yellow onion, halved
- 6 cloves garlic, 3 smashed, 3 minced
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 8 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- 3½ oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 large eggs, beaten
From your pantry
- 8 cups water
- 2 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 350 calories, 31 g protein, 15 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $4.59 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No stew beef? Chuck roast works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Put the beef, water, bouillon cubes, onion halves and the 3 smashed garlic cloves in a large pot and over high heat. Skim off the gray foam with a spoon.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Turn the heat to low, cover and for 1¼ hours, until the beef pulls apart easily.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 75 min
Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
Lift the beef onto a board and it with two forks. Scoop out the onion and garlic and throw them away.
Shred. Shredding means making thin strips, either on the big holes of a grater or by pulling cooked meat apart with two forks. Shreds soak up sauce and mix evenly through a dish.
How you’ll know: Cooked chicken pulls apart into strands with little effort, and cheese comes off in long, loose strips.
Toss the shredded beef in a bowl with the pepper flakes, sesame oil, soy sauce and the 3 garlic cloves until it’s coated in red paste.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Dolly’s tip: Seasoning the beef on its own first is what gives this soup its bold red color and flavor.Return the beef to the pot with the green onions, bean sprouts and mushrooms and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Medium heatTimer: 10 min
Stir in the fish sauce and pepper, then taste: add more soy sauce for salt or more pepper flakes for heat.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
Turn the heat to low, in the beaten eggs and leave them for 30 seconds until set, then stir once gently and serve.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Low heatTimer: 30 sec
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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