Yukgaejang (Korean Spicy Beef Soup)

Recently we've been getting afternoon showers, something I love because it cools and refreshes the air. I just love the smell of impending rain, dimming of the sky and a gentle breeze. Ha, I know many of you, especially those in England, would disagree. But if you live in year-long scorching weather, you'd welcome a cool rainy day like me. And these are the days when I think soup, hearty soul-and-body-warming soup.

I love the yukgaejang in Arirang, Api-Api. Tonight I cooked yukgaejang for dinner but if you look at the pic above it doesn't look anything like the red, hot and spicy soup. That's because I added very little chili flakes as Wey hates spicy food. This is also the quick version because I used tender beef rather than a stewing beef.

Yukgaejang

300g sirloin, in thin strips
150gbeef tripe, in thin strips
100g Korean clear potato starch noodles, soaked & blanched
100g big bean sprouts
50g dried fern brake, soaked
1 red & 1 green chili, in thin strips
1 large onion, in thin slices
spring onions, in 1 inch lengths
beef broth or 2 T Korean beef stock granules
1/2 T sesame oil
1 heaped T crushed & chopped garlic
3 T red pepper flakes (or reduce to taste)
salt & pepper
2 eggs, beaten (optional)

1. If tripe is very tough boil it with a few slices of ginger till soft. If not so tough, add 1 t bicarb. of soda to the tripe, mix well & leave 20 min. Wash several times and blanch in boiling water.

2. Marinade the beef with 1/2 t salt, the sesame oil, chili flakes and garlic.

3. Boil 3 litres of water/broth. Add the tripe, beef stock, let it boil then add the onions and the fern brake and the big bean sprouts. Let it boil 15 min.

4. Now add the beef and the cut chili, let it boil, then add the noodles, let it boil, test the noodles to see if its soft enough, then add the spring onions and season with salt and pepper.

5. Make sure the soup is boiling when you stir (in circles to make strands) the beaten egg in so the egg will solidify or the soup will become cloudy. The egg will help reduce the heat of the chili. At least that's what my Korean neighbor told me.



Serve yukgaejang with hot rice and seasoned Korean nori (cut into 5cm by 3cm rectangles and with a pair of chopsticks, pick up the nori , put it on the rice and deftly wrap a small clump of rice with it) and its a simple, satisfying meal.