Hot Chili Beef & Onion Soup - Yukkai Jang K

Yukgaejang is the Korean soup you reach for when you need something to cut through a cold day or a long night. The broth is fierce with red pepper flakes and toasted sesame, but the meat is impossibly tender, simmered slowly until the cubes practically fall apart in the spoon.

The technique splits in two. Beef simmers for nearly two hours in plain water, building a clean, beefy stock without aromatics interfering. Meanwhile, chili flakes bloom in sesame oil with a generous bundle of shredded scallions and crushed garlic, which is what gives the finished soup its signature deep red color and roasted edge.

When the bloomed seasoning meets the boiled meat, the beef gets a quick toss in the pan to soak up the chili oil before everything goes back into the stock. That brief stir is the moment the soup tastes Korean rather than like generic beef broth.

Pro Tips

• Use Korean coarse chili flakes (gochugaru) if you can find them. The flavor is fruitier and less harsh than generic crushed red pepper.
• Skim the foam off the simmering beef in the first 30 minutes for a cleaner-tasting broth.
• Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant before grinding. The aroma transforms.
• Shred the cooked beef along the grain into long strips for the most authentic texture.

Variations

• Add a handful of soaked gosari (fernbrake) and torn enoki mushrooms with the beef for a more traditional bowl.
• Stir a beaten egg into the simmering soup at the end for silky ribbons.
• Serve over a scoop of steamed rice to make it a full meal.