Gamjatang

About This Recipe

Gamjatang is the working-class king of Korean stews — pork neck bones simmered for two hours until the meat falls away in sweet, gelatinous shreds, the broth thickened with potatoes (gamja means potato in Korean), ground perilla seeds, and a rust-red sauce of gochugaru, doenjang, and garlic. Wilted napa cabbage and fresh perilla leaves go in at the end. It is hot, salty, slightly nutty from the perilla, and so deeply meaty that one bowl will warm a frozen winter night. Eaten communally from a single bubbling cast-iron pot at the center of the table, with bowls of steamed rice and banchan ranged around.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1.5 kgpork neck bones (cut into 5 cm sections)
• 1 tbspinstant coffee powder (for blanching, neutralizes funk)
• 1 largeonion, halved
• 1 stemleek (white and pale green parts)
• 10 slicesginger
• 1 headgarlic, halved
• 1 tspwhole black peppercorns
• 4 tbspgochujang (Korean chili paste)
• 3 tbspgochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
• 2 tbspdoenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste)
• 2 tbspsoy sauce
• 1 tbspfish sauce
• 8 clovesgarlic, minced (for sauce)
• 1 thumbginger, grated
• 1 tbspsugar
• 4 mediumwaxy potatoes, peeled and halved
• 1/4 headnapa cabbage, cut into wide pieces
• 200 genoki mushrooms, trimmed
• 3 tbspground perilla seeds (deulkkae garu)
• 1 small bunchfresh perilla (sesame) leaves, torn
• 3scallions, sliced
• 1 tsptoasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the bones

   Soak pork neck bones in cold water in the fridge for at least 2 hours, changing the water twice, until the water runs clear and pinkish-clear instead of red. This removes blood and improves the broth.

2. 2

   Blanch

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the instant coffee powder and the bones. Boil hard for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the bones thoroughly under cold water, picking off any scum.

3. 3

   Build the broth

   Return clean bones to the pot. Cover with 3 L fresh water. Add the halved onion, leek, ginger slices, halved garlic head, and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and cook on low for 1.5 hours, until the meat is fork-tender but still on the bone.

4. 4

   Strain broth

   Lift out the bones and reserve. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Skim the surface fat (or chill and lift the fat off for a leaner final stew).

5. 5

   Make the sauce paste

   In a small bowl, mix gochujang, gochugaru, doenjang, soy, fish sauce, minced garlic, grated ginger, and sugar into a rust-red paste.

6. 6

   Build the gamjatang

   Return the bones to the strained broth. Stir in the sauce paste. Add potatoes. Simmer 25 minutes until potatoes are tender.

7. 7

   Add greens and finish

   Add napa cabbage and enoki mushrooms. Simmer 5 minutes until cabbage is wilted. Stir in ground perilla seeds — the broth thickens slightly and turns nutty.

8. 8

   Top and serve

   Tear fresh perilla leaves and scatter over the top with scallions. Drizzle with sesame oil. Serve bubbling in the center of the table with bowls of steamed rice.

Variations

• •

  Add ramyeon noodles in the last 3 minutes for a heartier meal.

• •

  Use pork shoulder if you can't find neck bones — less classic but easier.

• •

  Add a fresh red chili for extra heat at the end.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; the broth improves overnight. Freezes 2 months. Reheat gently — don't boil hard or the perilla turns grassy.

Frequently Asked Questions