An iconic Korean soup made by slow-simmering ox bones, knee cartilage, and beef brisket into a rich, milky-white broth. Served with tender sliced beef, chewy cartilage, thin wheat noodles, and warm rice, then customized with fresh green onions, salt, pepper, and spicy seasoning paste (dadaegi).
⏱️ Prep: 30 mins (plus soaking) | Cook: 3–4 hrs | 🍳 Moderate | 🥣 Milky Soup | 🥩 High Protein
Ingredients (3-4 servings)
- Main Ingredients: 300g ox bones (soebyeo), 1/2 ox knee cartilage (mureup-dogani), 600g beef brisket (yangji-meori), 20 cups water
- Broth Aromatics: 50g green onion, 1 whole bulb garlic
- Spicy Seasoning Paste (Dadaegi): 4 tbsp red pepper flakes (gochugaru), 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp broth, 3 tbsp minced green onion, 2 tsp minced garlic, 2 tsp crushed sesame seeds, a pinch of black pepper, a drizzle of sesame oil
- Garnishes & Serving: Cooked somyeon noodles, warm cooked white rice, chopped green onions, sliced red chili pepper, salt to taste, black pepper
Allergy Information
- Contains: Beef, Soy (Soy sauce), Sesame
Equipment
- Large Stockpot, Strainer/Sieve, Cutting Board, Knife, Earthenware Bowl (Ttukbaegi), Ladle
Cooking Instructions
- Soaking & Cleaning Bones: Soak the ox bones and knee cartilage in cold water to purge blood. Wash the beef brisket chunk under cold running water.
- Initial Parboiling & Broth Simmering: Place bones and cartilage in a large stockpot filled with water, bring to a rapid boil, and discard the initial cloudy water along with any impurities. Wash the bones thoroughly. Refill the pot with 20 cups of water and bring back to a boil.
- Adding Brisket & Aromatics: Add the beef brisket chunk, 50g green onion, and whole garlic bulb to the boiling pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for a few hours.
- Removing & Slicing Meat: Once the knee cartilage is tender and a chopstick easily pierces the brisket, remove them from the pot. Slice the cartilage into bite-sized pieces and thinly slice the brisket against the grain into tender slabs (pyeonyuk).
- Making Dadaegi & Bowl Assembly (Toryeom): Mix the red pepper flakes, soy sauce, broth, minced green onion, minced garlic, crushed sesame seeds, black pepper, and sesame oil to form the spicy paste. Warm the cooked somyeon noodles and rice by repeatedly ladling hot broth over them in the bowl (toryeom). Top with sliced brisket and cartilage, then ladle in the hot milky broth. Garnish with chopped green onions, sliced red chili, salt, black pepper, and spicy paste to taste.
💡 Cooking & Pairing Tips
- Essential Parboiling Step: Discarding the first boil’s water and washing the bones is crucial to remove blood and impurities, yielding a pristine, pure white, odor-free broth.
- The Art of Toryeom: Rinsing cold rice and noodles in hot broth before serving warms them through without cooling down the soup, allowing the grains to absorb the rich broth deeply.
- Perfect Food & Beverage Pairing: Served as an ultimate Korean comfort meal alongside well-ripened Kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) or Geotjeori (fresh kimchi). Pairs wonderfully with a glass of cold barley tea or chilled soju.
Storage Instructions
- Store the broth and sliced meat in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days, or freeze the broth for up to 1 month. Reheat the broth on the stovetop until boiling hot, then ladle over fresh rice and noodles.
Nutrition Facts (Estimated)
- Total Content : Approx. 1,200g (3-4 servings total)
- Calories : 1,050 kcal total (approx. 88 kcal per 100g / 350 kcal per 1 serving)
– Sodium : 680mg (34%) [before added salt]
– Total Carbohydrate : 35g (11%)
– Sugar : 2g (2%)
– Total Fat : 42g (78%)
– Trans Fat : 0g
– Saturated Fat : 15g (100%)
– Cholesterol : 210mg (70%)
– Protein : 130g (236%)
– Calcium : 250mg (25%)
Editor’s Review
1. Sensual Richness Bursting from Milky Broth and Tender Tendons
The moment the milky, slow-simmered broth glides across the tongue, a heavy, deeply savory umami extracted from marrow and tendon envelops the palate with sublime elegance. Tender slices of beef brisket and the soft, gelatinous chew of ox tendon create a mesmerizing duet of textures. Pungent green onions and a kick of spicy chili paste layer dynamic contrast over the velvety white broth, coating every strand of noodle and grain of rice to deliver an endlessly satisfying, sensual culinary experience.
2. Essence of Broth Dining Forged by Par-Boiling and Gentle Tempering
Seolleongtang stands as the epitome of Korean soup dining, uniting meticulous purification with precise temperature control. Par-boiling the bones and discarding the initial scum serves as fundamental culinary science, stripping away gamey astringency to isolate pure, pristine marrow essence. The technique of toryeom—repeatedly bathing cold rice and noodles in hot broth before serving—represents a sophisticated mastery that warms the starch deeply while safeguarding broth temperature and grain integrity.
3. Gentle Salvation Rising from a Milky Bowl Forged by Patience
Bones and beef, enduring hours over a patient flame within a large cauldron, finally surrender their essence to yield a vessel of profound warmth. Sitting before a steaming earthenware bowl with a spirit chilled by life’s harsh winds, this piping-hot broth cradles the heart like a quiet, reassuring embrace. Emptying the vessel to its very bottom washes away daily exhaustion, granting an authentic and grounded peace that fully restores the soul.