Korean Beef Radish Soup (Soegogi Muguk)
Soegogi muguk is a stupid simple recipe that gets deeply nourishing results. The soup gets its rich, savory flavor from the beef and a slight sweetness from the radish, making it one of the most simple yet comforting soups in the average Korean household.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 cups daikon sliced
- 500 grams beef shin, short ribs, chuck, brisket
- 3 tbsp soup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1.5 liters water or enough to cover the ingredients
Instructions
- Add sesame oil to a large pot. Sauté the beef in sesame oil over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, until slightly browned.
- Add the sliced radish and stir for a minute so the radish also gets some heat.
- Pour in the soup soy sauce (guk ganjang) and the minced garlic. Stir for a minute or two so the meat and radish are coated.
- Add scallions and water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat low enough to bring it to a gentle simmer. Skim off as much of the scuzzy scum that foams to the top. Cover and let simmer.
- The soup is ready to eat after about 20 minutes of simmering. BUT – if you can, I do recommend that you let it simmer for another 30 to 40 minutes. That gives the beef the chance to get fall-apart tender and the radish to get
- Serve with rice and kimchi!
Notes
What sort of radish to use? Korean radish is best but you can definitely substitute daikon or Chinese turnip with no real discernible difference.
What is the best beef to use? My favorite cuts for soegogi muguk are shin and short ribs. Similar tough cuts with plenty of marbling and collagen like chuck and brisket are great also. Just remember that with these cuts, the soup will taste much better if you let it simmer for around an hour as opposed to 20 minutes.
If you want a shorter amount of cooking time, you can go with tender cuts like loin or fillet. In this case, though, I’d recommend removing the beef after browning and then simmering the radish until tender before adding the beef back in for another couple minutes.
Is there a guk ganjang substitute? There is no perfect substitution for Korean soup soy sauce (guk ganjang). I find the closest way to get a pretty similar flavor is by using a combination of mostly fish sauce with a splash of soy sauce. This recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of soup soy sauce so I recommend substituting with 2.5 tbsp of fish and 0.5 tbsp of soy sauce.
What to do with leftovers? Once cooled to room temperature, leftovers are just as good when stored in an airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. I don't recommend freezing because it affects the texture of the radish.