← Nouns Cooking · Korean

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg Pork neck or spine bones
• 2.5 l Water
• 1 Onion, halved
• 6 cloves whole garlic cloves
• 3 slices Ginger
• 4 small waxy potatoes, peeled and halved
• 300 g napa cabbage outer leaves
• 10 Perilla leaves (kkaennip), roughly torn
• 3 Spring onion, cut into 5 cm pieces
• 3 tbsp Perilla seed powder (deulkkae garu)
• 3 tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
• 1 tbsp Gochujang
• 1 tbsp Doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
• 2 tbsp soup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Fish sauce
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Soak the bones in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water once, to draw out the blood. Drain.
2. Boil the bones in fresh water for 5 min, then drain and rinse off the grey scum. Mix the seasoning ingredients in a bowl.
3. Put the bones back in the clean pot with the 2.5 l water, onion, whole garlic and ginger. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 1 hour, until the meat starts to come away from the bones.
4. Meanwhile blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water for 2 min, squeeze dry, tear into strips and toss with a third of the seasoning.
5. Fish out the onion, garlic and ginger. Add the potatoes, cabbage and the rest of the seasoning and simmer for 25–30 min, until the potatoes are tender and the meat is falling off the bone.
6. Stir in the perilla seed powder, perilla leaves and spring onions, simmer for 2 min more, then season with salt and pepper. Serve in big bowls with rice and a plate for the bones.

Tips

• Perilla seed powder gives the nutty, slightly earthy body that makes gamjatang special; ground toasted sesame is the nearest swap.
• Like most stews it tastes even better the next day; chill it and lift off the fat before reheating.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Korean Bapsang FutureDish