Home » Recipes » Yukgaejang Recipe (Spicy Korean Beef and Vegetable Soup)
by Mike Hultquist · · 12 Comments · Jump to Recipe
Yukgaejang is a hearty, spicy Korean vegetable beef soup recipe loaded with beef and vegetables ready to warm your soul, vibrant red in color, an easy one-pot meal!
Yukgaejang Recipe (Spicy Korean Beef and Vegetable Soup)
Looking for your new favorite twist on vegetable beef soup? Look no further than Korean Yukgaejang!
Yukgaejang is a comforting spicy Korean beef and vegetable soup that gets its bold flavor from a combination of Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) and Korean red pepper paste (gochujang).
It's a hearty and warming dish, very easy to make, and also easy to customize the heat and spice levels to your preference.
I hope you love it as much as we do!
Let's talk about how to make yukgaejang, shall we?
Yukgaejang Ingredients
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Beef Brisket. Or use other stew beef like beef chuck, short ribs.
- Vegetables. Onion, dried shiitake mushrooms, garlic, bean sprouts, dried fernbrake (gosari or bracken fern fiddleheads), scallions or green onions.
- Important Spices. Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) and Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste). Also salt and black pepper to taste.
- Sesame Oil.
- Soy Sauce.
- For Serving. Cooked glass noodlesoptional
How to Make Yukgaejang (Spicy Korean Beef Stew) - the Recipe Method
Make the Stock and Simmer the Beef. First you'll heat 3-4 quarts water with the the brisket, onion, and shiitake mushrooms. Simmer the whole pot for 1 hour, or until beef is nice and tender.
The shiitake mushrooms are very important for delicious flavor.
When the beef is done to your liking, skim the fat from the top, remove the brisket and mushrooms and discard the spent onion.
Strain the broth and return it to the large pot.
Add Vegetables and Flavor Building Ingredients. Next, combine the garlic, bean sprouts, pre-soaked fernbrake, and scallions.
Stir in the gochugaru, gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
Stir the vegetable mixture into the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Slice and Warm the Beef and Mushrooms. Slice the beef and mushrooms and add them back to the pot. Simmer the beef stew for 5-10 minutes to warm. Adjust for salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot in bowls with cooked glass noodles (if desired).
Boom! Done! Your yukgaejang is ready to serve. Spicy beef stew! It doesn't get any better than this. I hope you love it.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Use Quality Beef. Choose the best quality beef for best results. Brisket is most commonly used, though stew beef with good marbling will give the best flavor, such as shank or short rib.
- Simmer as Long as Needed. Simmer the broth as long as you need to achieve maximum flavor from the meat. It could take up to 2 hours.
- Don't Forget to Pre-Soak the Fernbrake (Gosari): If using dried fernbrake (gosari), soak it in hot water for an hour or longer until it's tender before cooking.
- Add Some Egg. Consider swirling some beaten egg into the soup to as an enhancement. I love the silky ribbons of egg.
Serving Yukgaejang
Serve your Korean beef and vegetable soup on it's own in a bowl, or with a bowl of rice as a side dish.
It is also commonly served with glass noodles swirled into the pot.
Storage & Leftovers
Leftover yukgaejang will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It really does taste better the next day. Simple reheat it in the pot to enjoy again.
You can also freeze it for 2-3 months.
Heat Factor
Medium. You'll get some nice heat from the gochugaru and also the gochujang, depending on the brand you use.
You can dial back the heat by cutting back on both of those ingredients. Up the heat factor by adding a bit more, and also by including a few spicy peppers or chili oil into your broth while simmering.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this yukgaejang recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy Korean cuisine, check out the following cookbooks, which helped me adapt this recipe. Great recipes!
- Seoul Food Korean Cookbook, by Naomi Imatome-Yun (affiliate link, my friends!)
- Maangchi’s Real Korean Cooking, by Maangchi with Lauren Chattman (affiliate link, my friends!)
- Also, check out my own cookbook,“The Spicy Food Lovers’ Cookbook – Fiery, No-Fuss Meals”, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)
Products Used in This Recipe
- Buy Gochujang (affiliate link, my friends!)
- Buy Gochugaru (affiliate link, my friends!)
- Fernbrake/Dried Bracken (affiliate link, my friends!)
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Spicy Gochujang Noodles
- Bo Kho (Spicy Vietnamese Beef Stew)
- Bo Luc Lac Recipe (Vietnamese Shaking Beef)
- Classic Beef Stew
- Carne Guisada (Latin Beef Stew)
- Birria (Mexican Beef Stew)
- Oxtail Soup
- Galbi Jjim Recipe (Korean Braised Short Ribs)
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Yukgaejang Recipe (Spicy Korean Vegetable Beef Soup)
Yukgaejang is a hearty, spicy Korean beef stew recipe loaded with beef and vegetables ready to warm your soul, vibrant red in color, an easy one-pot meal!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: beef roast, brisket, gochugaru, gochujang
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Calories: 298kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 4
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5 from 3 votes
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Ingredients
- 1 pound beef brisket trimmed (or other stew beef – chuck, short rib)
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 8 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- ¼ cup dried pre-soaked fernbrake gosari or bracken fern fiddleheads, chopped
- 1 bunch scallions chopped
- 3 tablespoons gochugaru Korean red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons gochujang Korean red pepper paste – or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- For Serving. Cooked glass noodles optional
Instructions
Heat 3-4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the brisket, onion, and shiitake mushrooms. Reduce heat to low, the cover and simmer 1 hour, or until beef is tender. (You may need longer, up to 2 hours).
Skim the fat from the top, then remove the brisket, and mushrooms. Set aside. Discard the onion.
Strain the broth and return it to the pot.
In a large bowl, combine the garlic, bean sprouts, pre-soaked fernbrake, and scallions. Stir in the gochugaru, gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
Stir the vegetable mixture into the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
Slice the reserved beef (against the grain, or you can shred it) and mushrooms (if desired). Return to the pot and simmer for 5-10 minutes to warm. Adjust for salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot in bowls with cooked glass noodles (if desired).
Notes
Dried fernbrake can take 8 hours or more to rehydrate, so plan ahead. You can soak it overnight as a time saver.
Nutritional information estimated without glass noodles.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 298kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 27gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 284mgPotassium: 682mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1989IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 4mg
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Cherie Berry says
we were looking for a soup recipe that wasn't the same old boring thing. I was a little skeptical about using ingredients I hadn't used before let alone feeding them to my family. To my surprise, this was a huge hit and one I'll be making often.Reply
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! A winner! Glad your family enjoyed it, Cherie! Glad you tried it out.
Reply
Charles Pascual says
So, I made some substitutions and took some liberties with this recipe. I don't know how close my results are to your soup recipe, but I was pleased with how mine came out. I used a pound of eye of round roast - no fernbrake in the pantry, so I omitted it, but added more garlic and green onions - bella mushrooms instead of sh*take 'cause that's what I had - I like onions and couldn't bear to discard them, so I chopped 'em up and they went back in the soup with the meat and mushrooms - and I served it over udon noodles (had no glass noodles and I like udon noodles; always have lots of those on hand). My heat averse spouse said it was good and that I can make it again (high praise from her). Thanks, Mike.Reply
Mike Hultquist says
Great to hear, Charles! Very happy you (and your wife!) enjoyed it! I love it.
Reply
DC says
Has it been tried with beef stock rather than water?
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Mike Hultquist says
Go for it, DC! Extra flavor! Enjoy.
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Scott Swanbery says
Mike, where do you source the dried fernbrake? We do have some Asian Markets here in the Phoenix area, but I don't remember ever seeing this - doesn't mean it's not there !!LOLThank you Sir !!
Reply
Mike Hultquist says
Scott, I ordered it through Amazon. I have a link to that in the recipe post, above the recipe card. I hope that helps!
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Texas Tom` says
Mike, looks delicious! In Dallas we had our low temp in the 30s this morning and I'm ready to make some good soup. Thanks for posting!
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Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Tom! Perfect for a chilly day to warm the bones.
Reply
Betty says
I haven't used gosari and am wondering if Chinese dried wood ears or lily buds might be substituted as I have both on hand.
Reply
Mike Hultquist says
Betty, yes, you can use either of those in this soup. I hope you enjoy it!
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