Yukgaejang (육개장) is Korea's answer to the question: what is the most restorative, warming, protein-rich soup possible? The answer is a deep red broth made from long-simmered beef shank, seasoned generously with gochugaru and garlic, enriched with the shredded beef from the broth, and layered with gosari (fernbrake), sigeumchi (spinach or mung bean sprouts), and glass noodles (dangmyeon).
It's considered a traditional boyangsik (보양식) — nourishing food eaten to replenish energy after illness, exhaustion, or during the summer heat (Korea has a tradition of eating hot, spicy foods in extreme heat to stimulate sweating). Yukgaejang appears at celebratory events, funerals, and as a weekday family soup.
The Origin
Yukgaejang is related to the older dish 개장국 (gaejang-guk, dog meat soup) — which was a historical Korean warming soup. When dog meat fell out of practice (and was eventually restricted in modern Korea), beef became the substitute. The "-gae-" in yukgaejang retains the historical connection: yuk (육, beef) + gae (개, historically dog, now a culinary term) + jang (장, sauce/preparation). The dish name carries the history.
The Recipe
Ingredients (serves 4)
Beef broth:
- 500g beef shank (sagol) or brisket
- 2L cold water
- 1 medium onion, halved
- 5-6 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Salt to taste
Vegetables:
- 100g dried gosari (fernbrake/bracken fern), rehydrated
- 200g mung bean sprouts (sukju namul)
- 3-4 stalks green onion, cut 4cm lengths
- 100g glass noodles (dangmyeon), soaked 30 minutes in cold water
Seasoning paste:
- 3 tablespoons gochugaru (coarse Korean red pepper flakes)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
Step 1: Make the Beef Broth
Place beef shank in cold water with onion and garlic. Bring to a boil, skim the foam aggressively for the first 10 minutes. Reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook 1.5-2 hours until the beef is very tender and pulls apart easily.
Remove the beef, cool slightly. Shred by hand — pulling along the grain into long, thin threads. Set aside.
Strain the broth. Season with soy sauce and salt. You should have approximately 1.5-1.7L clear, golden beef broth.
Step 2: Prepare the Gosari
Dried gosari (fernbrake) must be rehydrated: soak in cold water 1-2 hours, then simmer in fresh water 30-40 minutes until tender. Drain, cut into 5cm lengths.
Gosari has a slightly earthy, woodland flavor that's distinctive and can't be substituted — it's the defining vegetable of yukgaejang. If unavailable, increase the bean sprouts.
Step 3: Make the Seasoning Paste
Combine gochugaru, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Mix into a paste. This paste will season the vegetables and provide the soup's characteristic red color and heat.
Step 4: Season the Vegetables
Toss shredded beef, gosari, and bean sprouts in the seasoning paste. Mix thoroughly until everything is well coated in the red paste. Let sit 10 minutes.
Step 5: Build the Soup
Return beef broth to a boil. Add the seasoned beef and vegetables. Cook 10 minutes at a medium simmer until vegetables are tender.
Add the soaked glass noodles. Cook another 3-4 minutes until the noodles are tender and translucent.
Add the green onion sections in the last minute of cooking.
Taste and adjust: more gochugaru for heat, more soy sauce for salt, more sesame oil for richness.
The Glass Noodles (Dangmyeon)
Dangmyeon (당면) — Korean glass noodles made from sweet potato starch — are a standard yukgaejang component. They absorb the spicy beef broth and become silky, slightly chewy, and deeply flavored. They must be soaked before cooking (cold water, 30 minutes) or they'll be too firm; and they continue absorbing broth after cooking, so add them close to serving.
Bibimbap Connection
Yukgaejang has a culinary sibling: gukbap (국밥) — rice-in-broth. Rice can be added directly to the yukgaejang broth and eaten as a single dish. This is a complete meal: spicy broth, shredded beef, vegetables, and rice in one bowl. Many Korean lunch restaurants serve yukgaejang this way.
Storing and Reheating
Yukgaejang keeps well refrigerated (3-4 days) and actually improves on the second day as the flavors integrate. The glass noodles absorb broth overnight — they may need to add a little water or extra broth when reheating to restore the original consistency.
Freeze without the glass noodles (add fresh noodles when reheating).
Yukgaejang demonstrates the Korean principle that soup can carry an entire meal's worth of nutrition, flavor, and heat in a single bowl. It's filling, warming, deeply savory, and — with the gochugaru and beef broth working together — one of the most satisfying soup experiences in Korean cuisine.
Related reading: Korean Stews Complete Guide | Kimchi Jjigae Recipe | Korean Food for Beginners
The full recipes live in the book.
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