Spicy beef and vegetable soup

Yukgaejang 육개장

I’m re-introducing the delicious and nutritious yukgaejang to you today: spicy beef and vegetable soup. 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 earthy mountain flavor from gosari (fernbrake). Served with rice, it’s a satisfying, warming meal.

I made a video for this recipe years ago. It was on my first low-def camera, and eventually the music was removed in a copyright claim. Even though the video was rough, the recipe was very good and many people used it to make delicious yukgaejang. I thought the time was right to remake the video in HD and rewrite the recipe.

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When Koreans make yukagejang, they always make it in large batches to make it worth the effort. Extra yukagaejang is full of good stuff and never goes to waste: you can bring some to your friend’s house, or a close neighbor may get a knock at the door and find you there with some yukgaejang to share!

It’s also common for Korean moms to make a big pot of yukagaejang to keep their family sustained while goes away for an extended time. That way she can visit her own mom and not worry about her children and husband starving at home. It can keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or up to 1 week if you reheat it every other day. One of my readers told me he divides it into portions and then freezes them, and then takes out a portion whenever he wants some for a meal. Good tip!

Homemade yukgaejang is always better than yukgaejang at a restaurant, because you can take care to add a lot of the best ingredients, perfectly prepared. Some restaurants might not include gosari, either. It’s an essential ingredient!

Enjoy my updated yukgaejang recipe and let me know how yours turns out!

Korean spicy beef and vegetable soup (Yukgaejang:(육개장)yukgaejang (Korean spicy beef and vegetable soup: 육개장)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound beef brisket, cut into several pieces along the grain 3 inch long, soaked in cold water for 10 to 20 minutes, washed, and drained
  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 medium onion, cut in half
  • 12 ounces (about 3 cups) mung bean sprouts (you can grow your own!), washed and strained
  • 3-4 large green onions (dae-pa) or 14-16 green onions, cut into 2½ inch long pieces
  • 6 ounces of soaked (or fresh) gosari (about 2 cups), cut into 2½ inch long pieces
  • 8 cloves of garlic, minced

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Sauce

On the side

Directions

Start cooking the beef, mushrooms, and onion:

  1. In a large pot, bring 3 quarts (12 cups) of water to a boil. Add the beef along with the dried shiitake mushrooms and the onion.yukgaejang making (육개장 만들기)
  2. Cook for 1 hour over medium high heat.

While it boils, make the seasoning sauce and prepare the vegetables:

  1. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix it well.
    yukgaejang-sauce
  2. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
  3. Put the mung bean sprouts, green onions, gosari, and garlic in a large bowl.Yukgaejang (육개장)

Make the soup:

  1. 1 hour later, check the beef. Take a sample chunk and split it with your fingers or fork. If it splits nicely, it’s done. If it’s a little tough to split, let it cook for 10 more minutes. As stock boils off, you want to maintain about 10 cups’ worth, so add some water.
  2. When it’s done, remove the beef, onion, and mushrooms with a slotted strainer.
  3. Let the beef and mushrooms cool down and discard the cooked onion.
  4. Mix the vegetables with the seasoning sauce by hand until well incorporated. Add to the boiling stock.Yukgaejang (육개장)
  5. Cover and cook 20 minutes over medium high heat until the vegetables are cooked through and tender, but not mushy.
  6. Slice the mushrooms and pull the beef apart into strips. Add to the boiling soup and cook another 10 minutes.
    yukgaejang-mushroomsyukgaejang-beef

Serve:

  1. Remove from the heat, ladle and serve. Prepare a small bowl of salt on the table, for anyone who wants to add some. Serve with rice and side dishes. Before eating, people can add a pinch of salt to their taste if they like.
    Korean spicy beef and vegetable soup (Yukgaejang:(육개장)

Posted on Tuesday, November 6th, 2007 at 11:25 pm. Last updated on April 24, 2016.
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150 Comments:

  1. ColtPixy Bergen, Norway joined 7/17 & has 4 comments
    Posted July 7th, 2017 at 5:41 pm |

    This is the next recipe of yours I’m going to make, I made cheese buldak today.

    I find it funny that other mums would make something to last for days if she was gone, my mum if she was going away for some days would leave us to fend for ourselves. We would have to make dinner ourselves if we wanted dinner that day. It probably helped that my dad always liked puttering around the kitchen and I inherited that. It was my dad that taught me to cook, not my mum. She isn’t a bad cook but it’s all very tame in my opinion. She would never try her hand at some Korean food, she is however very good at baking!

    When I was 12 I was home for the summer with just my siblings, both older than me, whilst my parents were at our cabin, I have serious pollen allergies and our cabin is surrounded by woods. Despite being the youngest I was the one fixing dinner and making sure my siblings ate and came home at night.

  2. Jae_yong Uk joined 12/16 & has 2 comments
    Posted December 3rd, 2016 at 10:24 am |

    I can’t find 고사리 in the korean food store where I live and I can’t find it to ship online , is there anything I could subsitute it for? (I begrudge doing it )

  3. Sanmati3 Germany joined 11/16 & has 2 comments
    Posted November 14th, 2016 at 7:02 am |

    Hi Maangchi,

    Here my comment on my Yukgaejang: It turned out very god with the following small changes:

    1. When it was finished, I added 3 mixed eggs carefully in the soup, when it was not more boiling. Then I waited for 30 Minutes and mixed the soup up, very good!
    2. I let the soup cool down and waited 24 hours, before eating it.
    3. I added much more salt and very hot Chili flakes. It must be so hot, that you sweat when eating it.
    4. I served it with rice ( as you say ) and some glass noodles, as I am a great noodle lover, this was also very good.
    5. The rest is going into the deep freezer and so I can enjoy the soup later in the year again and this has the big advantage, that you do not smell all those ingredients before, when you cooking it.

    Thanks again for that wonderful recipe

    Tido

  4. sanne Munich joined 8/14 & has 235 comments
    Posted November 8th, 2016 at 4:57 pm |

    As it says in the recipe: “6 ounces of soaked (or fresh) gosari (about 2 cups), cut into 2½ inch long pieces”, complete with the link how to prepare it: https://www.maangchi.com/ingredient/kosari

    Don’t you have any books about Korean cooking? A recipe for this beef soup is almost always there…

    Bye, Sanne (München)

  5. Sanmati3 Germany joined 11/16 & has 2 comments
    Posted November 8th, 2016 at 9:10 am |

    Hello Maangchi,

    When I was 25 years old, I used to go together with my wife to a fantastic korean Restaurant in Wuppertal, Germany and we used to eat Yukgaejang there, the best soup of the world! It was extremely spicy but absolutely great in taste. They served it with rice and Kimchi! When I was 40, I went there again with my wife, but this was the last day of the restaurant, before it closed for ever. Now I knew, that I would never get this soup again and I offered them 400 DM ( the currency before EUR , about 250 $ ) for the recipe, but they didn’t give it to me, unfortunately. Now I am 57 years old and found your recipe on your page, I am absolutely fascinated! On the next weekend I will try it!

    Now some questions: I can get gosari here in a Korean shop in Düsseldorf, but it is dried. Can I cook it up for 30 Minutes and let it rest over night before using it?

    I remember, there were eggs in that soup in that restaurant. Can I add, shortly before it is finally finished, 2 mixed eggs into the soup and wait for 10 Minutes?

    Can I also use Turande instead of gosary or gosari and Turande?

    I am very excited now and can hardly wait to the weekend, when I will try it.

    I will let you know, how it was, thank you so much!

    All the best,

    Tido

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,051 comments
      Posted November 8th, 2016 at 11:57 pm |

      Hi Tido,
      I hope you love my yukgaejang recipe. You must be so passionate about delicious food, just like me!

      “I can get gosari here in a Korean shop in Düsseldorf, but it is dried. Can I cook it up for 30 Minutes and let it rest over night before using it?”
      Just as Sanne replied, follow the link and you can see how to soak your gosari to make it tender. If you have a pressure cooker, you can boil your gosari for 30 to 40 minutes and then rinse it in cold water before using it right away. This is what I do, these days.

      I think your egg idea sounds good, try it!

      You can also use both torandae (taro stems) and gosari together.

      Good luck with making delicious yukgaejang!

  6. Janey0825 Quezon City joined 11/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted November 6th, 2016 at 8:21 am |

    Hello Maangchi! After years of following you and trying out your recipes which my family and friends always enjoy I just want to say Thank You! Your recipes are part of the lovely memories I made and are still making with my 6 years old son, his Dad, my friends and relatives… Thank you! I’d be glad to meet you the next time you visit Philippines… ❤️

  7. ErmaT NY joined 10/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted October 17th, 2016 at 12:12 pm |

    I love this soup but I’m not a big fan of gosari. Can you recommend other vegetables that will go well?

  8. medusagurlyeah Adelaide joined 1/14 & has 31 comments
    Posted April 22nd, 2016 at 4:28 am |

    Hello Maangchi,
    Bought your book the other day but still prefer your videos!
    What is your opinion of using mung bean sprouts instead of soy bean sprouts?

  9. RosalinaS Indonesia joined 2/16 & has 8 comments
    Posted April 11th, 2016 at 2:11 am |

    Hi Maangchi,

    Thank you again for being such a great inspiration. You make cooking process look easy..

    I am about to make yukgaejang as it’s been my favorite soup since I was in college. I definitely prefer this than kimchi jiggae. But if my friend gave me both, I would love to clean them up too :p

    My question is, is it OK to add vegetable that’s been seasoned after we reboild the chopped mushroom and beef? Will it change the taste or something? Because I wanna eat kind of crunchy mung bean sprout and green onion. I just thought that boiling them over 10min will make them mushy..

    Look fwd to your reply as I am preparing the ingredients now. Million thanks Maangchi

  10. Maangchimademefat Texas joined 4/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted April 2nd, 2016 at 5:40 pm |

    Hi Maangchi! This is, by far, my favorite recipe. I’ve been a silent reader and have been watching your videos for over a year now. I just watched your 1 million viewers video and am so happy and excited for you as you deserve that and so much more! I literally cried happy tears as I watched it!! As all others have said before me, I get so happy when I watch you cooking. Your excitement and joy is so evident in your videos. Thank you for bringing me so much joy in my life, especially on days when I feel down. Sending you hugs and kisses. And congratulations on your achievement!!!

    And yes, I entered the t-shirt contest but I also hope you think about selling them too. I’m sure a lot of people will buy them!! I know I will.

  11. A_Fishstick joined 5/15 & has 2 comments
    Posted March 20th, 2016 at 1:46 pm |

    Hello, Maangchi! In your old video for this recipe you mentioned an ingredient “toran” or taro stem. My local H-Mart sells dehydrated taro stems. Would it still be good to use them in this recipe? Would I need to soak them first?

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,051 comments
      Posted March 22nd, 2016 at 8:30 pm |

      Dehydrated taro stems are difficult to handle. You will have to boil and soak for a long time, changing water several times.
      I did once at home and made toran-julgi-bokkeum (taro stem side dish). The texture was soft and crispy and it was flavorful but I realized the poison in the stems was not totally removed even though I soaked them for 2 days. My throat was hurt for a couple of hours. Ever since then, I am afraid to cook toran julgi. Toran fruits are good because all the poison is gone after they are boiled. https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/toran-guk

      • arigomi joined 2/10 & has 2 comments
        Posted March 23rd, 2016 at 3:54 am |

        Maangchi, have you ever tried using fresh taro stems instead? The texture might be different from dried but it is much easier to use. Vietnamese markets sell fresh taro stems (bac ha) for making Vietnamese sour fish soup.

      • A_Fishstick joined 5/15 & has 2 comments
        Posted March 23rd, 2016 at 5:13 pm |

        Oh wow! Thank you so much for the information. I’ll stick to making the soup without the stems. Thank you for taking the time to answer. :)

  12. Martina_Austria Austria joined 3/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted March 20th, 2016 at 5:04 am |

    Hello Maangchi!! I searched for some recipes of korean food but some of them at youtube i didn’t really like but today i found your videos and i loved them!! i have to cook immediatly!! :) thanks for your great videos!!

  13. leaningtower San Diego, CA joined 3/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted March 20th, 2016 at 1:24 am |

    I saw your video when I woke up today and knew I just had to make it. I attached a picture of the finished product so you can see. I’m going to eat it for the entire week! I’m so excited!! Thank you for your delicious recipe and awesome video. :) <3


    See full size image

  14. samkim77 Toronto, Ontario joined 3/16 & has 2 comments
    Posted March 19th, 2016 at 10:27 am |

    Hi Maangchi! I love yukgaejang and I can’t wait to try out your recipe! I had one question however…usually when I order it in restaurants, it has dangmyeon in it, and for me that’s one of the big reasons I like it (I’m a huge noodle-lover!), so I was just wondering when you might suggest adding the dangmyeon if I were to add it? Thank you :)

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,051 comments
      Posted March 19th, 2016 at 11:08 am |

      I’m a huge noodle lover, too! : ) You can add sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon) to yukgaejang. If you do, add them at step 6 in the recipe along with beef and mushrooms. The noodles will expand and get soggy in the soup if you don’t eat the soup quickly though.

  15. DrNugu S.Korea joined 2/14 & has 3 comments
    Posted March 2nd, 2016 at 7:50 pm |

    Hi there. I love your site and your recipes. I make this dish for my Korean wife often and she loves it.

    I think there is one small mistake in your ingredients. You call for 5 tsp of salt. I think this is far too much and I think it must be a typo. I added 3 1/2 the first time I made it an it was crazy salty. I’m now down to 1 tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of beef broth powder.

    Also, I double the ingredients (except the salt) in the “hot pepper oil sauce” and that suits our tastes better.

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