make you sweat – Yuk Gae Jang

I first tried this tasty soup when my husband and I began dating nearly 8 years ago and were partying quite a bit. We don’t quite live that lifestyle anymore, but I still love this dish. Yuk Gae Jang is a Korean spicy beef soup that makes a great meal during the winter months (breakfast, lunch or dinner) or to cure a hangover (you know what I’m talking about!). For me, it’s the Korean equivalent of another one of my other favorite soups – Vietnamese Bun Bo Hue! When made correctly, it will surely make you sweat!

Yuk Gae Jang cooked in a pressure cooker

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb lean beef eye round (make sure to remove any white tissue)
• 6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
• 6 green onions cut into 2″ strips
• 4-5 tbsp gochujang (sweet/spicy Korean chili paste)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 small lump of rock sugar
• bean sprouts (optional)
• cooked sweet potato vermicelli noodles (optional)
• kosari, soaked and cleaned (optional)
• cooked white rice (to serve on the side)

Directions:

This is a very simple dish to make that is even simpler if you have a pressure cooker to quickly cook the meat and continue to cook the soup.

1. Cut the eye round in quarters lengthwise and crosswise so each section is about 2″ long.
2. Place into the pressure cooker and completely cover with water.  Make sure the lid is on securely, then set to cook for 20 minutes. (At this point you can cook your rice and noodles).
3. Once the cooker has cooled, remove the meat and immediately tear with tongs or a fork until you have strips about the thickness of a straw (not too thin, not too thick).
4. In a medium bowl, mix the meat with the chopped garlic, gochujang, soy sauce, pepper, garlic powder and sesame seeds.
5. Keep the pressure cooker turned on with the lid off. Once the water boils, add all the items from your bowl to the broth and cook for 10 minutes so all the flavors seep into the soup. If you like kosari (a form of Korean mushroom, this is the time to add it).
6. Add the green onion strips (add more if you like more, less if you like less), then add to the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.
7. (Optional) When you put in the green onions, you can also add bean sprouts and cooked noodles to add more texture, but no more than handful or it will overpower all the meat and broth. This is not a stew, so there should definitely be a lot of water and not all ‘stuff’ inside.
8. Season to taste. If it’s not salty/spicy enough, add more gochujang. If it’s too spicy and your mouth is on fire, (you probably shouldn’t even be eating this soup!) add some water. You can also add a small lump of rock sugar to heighten the sweetness of the broth. Let simmer for 5 minutes, then ladle into bowls.
9. Serve with a side of white rice. We usually take a spoonful of rice and dip it right into the soup to help cut the spice. Repeat.
10. Enjoy!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40-45 minutes = 1 tasty meal in under an hour

Serves: 4

Yuk Gae Jang served with white rice