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Korean Food: Soups

Altang | Bosin-tang | Bugeo-guk | Chueo-tang | Dakbaeksuk | Ddeok-guk | Dogani-tang | Galbi-tang
Gamjatang | Ggori Gom-tang | Gimchiguk | Gom-tang | Gyeran-tang | Haejang-guk | Kongnamul-guk
Maeun-tang | Mandu-guk | Miyeok-guk | Miyeoknaeng-guk | Oinaeng-guk | Samgye-tang
Seolleong-tang | Yeongyang-tang | Yukgaejang

Korean soups are made from a variety of different meats, fishes, and vegetables, and are meant to be eaten with rice. Most will come with a bowl of rice or have the rice already in the soup when delivered to your table. Koreans especially love a bowl of hot soup during the cold winter. However, soups can be enjoyed at any time as part of a meal with rice, kimchi, and other side dishes. Names of soup dishes generally have a -guk or -t'ang suffix.

At first glance Korean soups and stews (-jjigae or -jim) can seem very similar. here are the major differences:

Soups  Stews
More broth than meat or vegetables.    Broth accounts for less than half of the total content.
Boiled many hours, and the stock may be used several times.    Boiled for a short period and eaten completely right away.
The saltiness of the broth and meat and vegetables is equal, or no salt is used when boiling.    The broth is saltier than the meat and vegetables.
The water and meat or vegetables are boiled together from the beginning.    Some of the ingredients are pre-cooked for better taste or to shorten boiling time, and sometimes broth is used instead of water.
Often boiled first and seasoned later when ready to serve.    Seasoned from the beginning to develop a well-blended flavor.
Served in individual bowls.    Shared from a central pot using a ladle.


Altang (Fish Egg (Pollock Spawn) Soup) Altang
To this soup with Pollock spawn, add radish, crown daisy, bean sprouts, and parsley, seasoned with hot spicy red pepper.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

Bosin-tang (Dog Soup) Bosin-tang
Other names include bosin-tang and gaejang-guk. This dish has been a restorative food for Koreans especially during hot summer days from long history. It uses dog meat in water seasoned with soybean paste and garlic, ginger, green onion, and red pepper as extra seasonings. Since dogs are man's best friend to many people in the world, including Koreans, some Koreans are against eating this.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

Bugeo-guk (Pollock Soup) Bugeo-guk
This soup is very good during the winter to overcome the harsh cold weather and is used to soothe the stomach the morning after a night of drinking. Make broth with Pollock head and add fresh Pollock to the broth. Season with chopped garlic, green onions, and soy source.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

Chueo-tang (Loach and Bean Paste Soup) Chueo-tang
Fish stock is obtained from boiling loach. Soy bean paste and cabbage or turnip leaves are then added to the stock and simmered. The soup is served sprinkled with black pepper and prickly ash seed powder to remove the fish small.

How to eat: If you want a spicier taste and even less fish taste, add some more prickly ash seed (served with the dish or available already on the table). Most Koreans eat this dish by putting the rice into the soup and eating it together.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

Dakbaeksuk (Steamed Chicken) Dakbaeksuk
Put various ingredients that are good for the body, such as ginseng, ginkgo nuts, and jujube in the chicken and steam for a long time. This dish is usually for restorative food and during hot summer days.
Spiciness:  mild Average Price: 

Ddeok-guk (Rice Cake Soup) Ddeok-guk
Cylinder-shaped rice cakes about 2cm in diameter are cut diagonally into thin slices, soaked in water, and boiled in beef broth. People eat this dish from autumn to winter, but it is a specialty dish for the New Year holiday. (In Korean views, you do not become a year older until you eat a serving of ddeok-guk for New Year's.)

Ddeokmandu-guk, a combination of ddeok-guk and mandu-guk, is also popular at restaurants during the winter months.

How to eat: If the soup tastes too plain, add Korean hot pepper sauce.
Spiciness:  mild Average Price: 

Dogani-tang (Knuckle Bone Soup) Dogani-tang
Knuckle bones and the surrounding meat are boiled until the meat is tender. This type of tough meat is loved by people who like to chew. It can be eaten as a meal or as a side dish when drinking.

How to eat: If the soup tastes too plain, you can spice it up with hot pepper sauce or salt. Most Koreans eat this dish by putting the rice into the soup and eating it together.

Spiciness:  mild Average Price: 

Galbi-tang (Ox Short Rib Soup) Galbi-tang
The ingredients for kalbi-t'ang include short ribs and stewing beef with radishes and onions. Sometimes noodles are also added. This dish is similar to seolleong-t'ang

How to eat: If the soup tastes too plain, you can spice it up with hot pepper sauce or salt. Most Koreans eat this dish by putting the rice into the soup and eating it together.

Spiciness:  mild Average Price: 

Gamjatang (Potato Soup) Gamjatang
With the broth from pork neck bone or backbone, add potato and meat and season with spicy hot red pepper.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

Ggori Gom-tang (Ox Tail Soup) Ggori Gom-tang
This soup is very nutritious. The key to its flavor is its long-term boiling. It can be simmered as long as six hours. The stock jells when cold, but the soup is always served hot.

How to eat: When the soup is served, add green onions, then taste the soup. If the soup tastes too plain you can add salt or Korean hot pepper sauce. Most Koreans eat this dish by putting the rice into the soup and eating it together.
Spiciness:  mild Average Price: 

Gimchiguk (Kimchi Soup) Gimchiguk
Usually use sour kimchi to make this soup and season with soy source. Sometimes fried bean curd, dried Pollock, fish cake can be added.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

Gom-tang (Stew Meat and Tripe Soup) Gom-tang
Preparing this soup requires two boilings. Beef brisket, beef entrails, bones, and tripe are boiled together, then the soup and meats are stored separately until required. All the ingredients are boiled together for a second time when served.

How to eat: When the soup is served, add green onions, then taste the soup. If the soup tastes too plain you can add salt or Korean hot pepper sauce. Most Koreans eat this dish by putting the rice into the soup and eating it together.
Spiciness:  mild Average Price: 

Gyeran-tang (Egg Soup) Gyeran-tang
This is a very simple dish to make. Make broth with clams or anchovies and lastly add whipped egg.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

Haejang-guk (Sunrise Soup) Haejang-guk
People who are up at dawn (taxi drivers, travelers, market workers, or gamblers) like to eat this as an eye opener soup. Many people claim it works great for recovering from hangovers after a late night of drinking. Its restorative properties are reputed to clear even the sleepiest or most hung-over people. Bones are boiled hard, and chopped radish, radish leaves, cabbage, green onions, and fresh blood (direct from the slaughter house) are added to stock to make a highly nutritious soup.

How to eat: Most Koreans eat this dish by putting the rice into the soup and eating it together.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

Kongnamul-guk (Bean Sprout Soup) Kongnamul-guk
Bean sprouts are widely used in Korean cooking as a staple vegetable. They are simmered with garlic and scallions in salted water to produce this soup. (People add a sprinkling of red pepper and use it to cure colds.) The sprouts should still have a crunchy texture.

This soup is one of the most popular side dish soups served by Korean restaurants for dry dishes like bibimbap due to its mild taste.

How to eat: This dish usually comes as a side dish with Hanjung-shik, bibimbap, or some other rice-based dish.
Spiciness:  mild Average Price:  free

Maeun-tang (Hot Spicy Fish Soup) Maeun-tang
Restaurants that offer this dish often allow you to select your fish from an aquarium. Many specialty seafood restaurants have several aquariums from which you may select. Popular fishes for this dish include red snapper, sea bass, yellow corvina, codfish, globefish, croakers, pollacks, and even fresh water fish like carp. It can also be made with crabsand clams. (The price is calculated based on the weight of the fish.)

The cleaned fish is cut into several pieces and boiled with ground beef and green vegetables such as watercress and garland chrysanthemum, along with red pepper paste. Hot pepper sauce and vegetables are added to this mixture, then it is seasoned with pepper powder, garlic, soy sauce, and more pepper paste. The main flavoring for this popular dish is fiery kochujang (red bean paste).

This soup is one of Korean's most popular side dishes when drinking. It can be made from left-over pieces of raw fish. If you order raw fish and rice, the soup is made from left-over parts of the fish.

How to eat: Put some rice into your mouth and have some soup for mild taste (recommendation). When you drink, have this between the drink. The spicy taste will clear your throat.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

Mandu-guk (Dumpling Soup) Mandu-guk
This popular autumn and winter dish adds meat- or vegetable-filled mandu (dumplings) to meat stock.

How to eat: If the soup tastes too plain, add Korean hot pepper sauce.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

Miyeok-guk (Sea Mustard Soup) Miyeok-guk
In Korea, this seaweed soup is a must for women after delivering a baby. It is believed that eating it for at least three weeks will help them recover their health quickly. At home, members of the family eat this seaweed soup as part of a birthday celebration.

Dried sea mustard is soaked in water and parboiled with minced meat. It is then seasoned with sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy sauce, and crushed garlic, then boiled with water. A chilled version (miyeoknaeng-guk) is often searved as a side dish in the summer.

How to eat: This dish usually comes as a side dish.
Spiciness:  mild Average Price:  free

Miyeoknaeng-guk (Sea Mustard in Chilled Vinegar Water) Miyeoknaeng-guk
Dried sea mustard is soaked in water and parboiled with minced meat. It is then seasoned with sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy sauce, and crushed garlic. Boiled water is chilled and poured over the mixtures. Shredded cucumbers, vinegar, and ice cubes are added when served. (This is a chilled version of miyeok-guk- naeng means cold or refrigerated.)

How to eat: This dish usually comes as a side dish.
Spiciness:  mild Average Price:  free

Oinaeng-guk (Chilled Cucumber Soup) Oinaeng-guk
Koreans find the hot summer weather difficult to bear, so cold soups are popular during this time. A mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, and water is chilled. Shredded cucumbers, sesame seeds, and ice cubes are mixed into the chilled water when served.

How to eat: This dish usually comes as a side dish with Hanjeong-shik or grilled meat.
Spiciness:  mild Average Price:  free

Samgye-tang (Ginseng Chicken Soup) Samgye-tang
The body cavity of a small chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice, young ginseng shoots, and jujubes. The chicken is then boiled in a clear stock and served in an individual earthenware pot. It is highly recommended for those new to Korean food.

This dish is famous as summer dish. Koreans try to survive the summer heat with hot stamina food. This wonderful dish is gradually being recognized by the rest of the world. Even if you are skeptical about the properties attributed to ginseng, you will enjoy this dish which is said to give stamina during the steamy Korean summers.

How to eat: Taste the soup first. If it tastes too plain, you can add salt. When you eat chicken meat, use salt and pepper on the table for seasoning.
Spiciness:  mild Average Price: 

Seolleong-tang (Ox Bone and Stew Meat Stock Soup) Seolleong-tang
Seolleong-t'ang is a thick broth made from beef bones and stewing meat (sometimes with wheat flour noodles added). Before serving, the stewing meat is sliced and returned to the soup. The soup is served with square cut radish kimchi (Kkaktugi), chopped scallions, and hot pepper sauce for garnishes. Sometimes the cook also adds some noodles to it. This dish is similar to kalbi-t'ang.

How to eat: When the soup is served, add green onions, then taste the soup. If the soup tastes too plain you can add salt or Korean hot pepper sauce. Most Koreans eat this dish by putting the rice into the soup and eating it together.
Spiciness:  mild Average Price: 

Yeongyang-tang (Dog Soup) Yeongyang-tang
Other names include bosin-tang and gaejang-guk. This dish has been a restorative food for Koreans especially during hot summer days from long history. It uses dog meat in water seasoned with soybean paste and garlic, ginger, green onion, and red pepper as extra seasonings. Since dogs are man's best friend to many people in the world, including Koreans, some Koreans are against eating this.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

Yukgaejang (Hot Spicy Stew Soup) Yukgaejang
This simple and popular clear soup made from meat stock has red pepper powder sauteed in fat added to give it a fiery taste. This can be one of Korea's hottest dishes and is not for those who dislike spicey foods.

How to eat: Most Koreans eat this dish by putting the rice into the soup and eating it together.
Spiciness:  Average Price: 

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