Korean spicy pork-neck-bone stew with potatoes, perilla seeds, and napa cabbage — bone-deep comfort.
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.
Serves 4
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.
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.
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.
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).
In a small bowl, mix gochujang, gochugaru, doenjang, soy, fish sauce, minced garlic, grated ginger, and sugar into a rust-red paste.
Return the bones to the strained broth. Stir in the sauce paste. Add potatoes. Simmer 25 minutes until potatoes are tender.
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.
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.
Soaking and blanching are not optional — they make the broth clear and clean instead of muddy.
Ground perilla seeds (deulkkae garu) is the signature flavor; substitute ground sesame seeds if unavailable but seek out the real thing.
Eat with the hands at the bones — the deep flavor lives in the cartilage and marrow.
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.
Refrigerate up to 4 days; the broth improves overnight. Freezes 2 months. Reheat gently — don't boil hard or the perilla turns grassy.
Gamjatang originated in Joseon-era Korea as a peasant dish using pork neck bones (the cut nobles wouldn't eat) and potatoes — both cheap and filling. By the 1980s it had become a Seoul drinking-snack icon, eaten at all-night gamjatang restaurants with soju.
Yes — pressure cook the soaked, blanched bones with broth aromatics for 45 minutes, then proceed with the sauce, potatoes, and greens.
Korean grocery stores, often labeled kkaennip. Substitute Thai basil and a leaf of shiso if absolutely necessary — different but workable.
Per serving (580g) · 4 servings total
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