Spicy Beef and Vegetable Soup (Yukgaejang)

This soup is smoky, spicy, and rich, with healthy hunks of sliced beef and plenty of vegetables that are soft, but not mushy—they’re full of wild mountain flavor. Served with rice, it is a satisfying, warming meal. (Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week, so you can reheat some any time you need a quick bite.) Traditionally the soup is made with a variety of mountain vegetables, each one cooked separately, which makes it very time-consuming. When I still lived in Korea, a friend who is a very good cook invited me over and served her own version, which was different from what I was used to but tasty. “How did you make it?” I asked. “The easy way,” she replied. She had cut back on the number of vegetables and cooked everything together. In fact, she told me, she sometimes made the soup with just brisket and scallions, and it was stilldelicious. Ever since, I’ve made it her way.

SERVES: 3 or 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 quarts water
• 1 pound beef brisket, soaked in a large bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes; drained
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 6 ounces fernbrake (gosari), soaked and boiled as described, cut into 2½-inch pieces
• 2 to 3 cups mung bean sprouts, washed and drained
• 2 bunches scallions (12 to 14), cut into 2½-inch-long pieces
• 7 or 8 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup Korean hot pepper flakes (gochu-garu)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the brisket, onion, and shiitake mushrooms to the pot. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
3. While the brisket is cooking, combine the fernbrake, mung bean sprouts, scallions, and garlic in a large bowl. Combine the hot pepper flakes, sesame oil, vegetable oil, soy sauce, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl and mix well with a spoon. Stir into the fernbrake mixture.
4. Remove the beef, onion, and mushrooms from the pot. Strain the stock and return it to the pot. Add the seasoned vegetables, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, tear or thinly slice the brisket along the grain. Discard the onion. Slice the mushrooms.
6. Add the beef and mushrooms to the pot and cook for 10 more minutes.
7. Serve hot