This is my mother-in-law’s signature dish. In her hands, simple ingredients of beef, green onions, chili powder and garlic become something complex, delicious and far greater than the sum of its parts. Seasoning each component ensures that your dish is flavorful and well seasoned and not salty.  Cooking the chili sesame seasoning paste first instead of just adding it to the soup creates a more balanced and enhanced flavor base.  Blanching the green onions removes the sliminess and sharpness of onions. I do not use Korean soup base (dashida) as it has MSG in it and I like to avoid it for all Korean cooking.  It does add a layer of flavor, but it is not one that I want to get used to or rely on.

Makes 7 quarts of soup.  (Eat some now and freeze for later.  Soup freezes EXCELLENTLY)

Beef Soup Stock

1.5 lbs to 2 lbs beef brisket or flank steak (brisket is more tender)

20 cups of water (5 quarts)

15 cloves of garlic

1 whole onion, peeled

Soak meat in cold water to drain the blood, at least 45 minutes.  Meat will lose its bright red color.  Drain water and set aside meat.

In a large stock pot (I use an 8 quart stock pot), bring 20 cups water to a rapid boil.  Add beef, onions and garlic and reduce heat to a nice even simmer.  Cover and let cook until a chopstick pokes easily into the meat, about 1 hour 20 minutes.  (these times can vary based on the meat piece.)  Using a slotted spoon, remove meat, onion and garlic.  Set stock aside and set beef aside.  Discard onion and garlic.

Garlic Chili Sesame Seasoning

3/4 cup sesame oil

1/2 cup of finely minced garlic

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Korean chili powder ( gochugahloo 고추가루)

3 tablespoons soup soy sauce (국간장)

2 teaspoon salt

** NOTE – if you cannot get soup soy sauce, then use 1 1/2 tablespoons regular soy sauce and 1 tablespoon salt)

In a small saucepan, over low heat, add sesame oil, garlic, chili powder, soup soy sauce, salt.  Slowly stir the mixture over low heat, until the sesame oil is absorbed into the garlic and chili powder and the entire mixture is a fiery red, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

**NOTE This mixture burns VERY easily, and if you burn it, don’t try and rescue it, just start over.  When making this mixture, just focus on the stirring and don’t be tempted to do anything else. Set seasoning aside.

Vegetable Preparation

10 bunches of green onion

1 lb package of fernbrake (gosari)

Carefully cut the root end of the green onions.  Wash onions well in cold water.  The white portion of the onion needs to be cut down the length, so as to separate the individual onion “leaves.”  Cut each green onion into thirds.

In a large pot, add about two inches of water to the bottom.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt.  Bring to a boil.  Add green onions to the boiling water to blanch them; immerse the green onion into the water and wilt them, about 90 seconds in boiling water.  Using a slotted spoon, remove onions from the water and place in a bowl.  Repeat in the same boiling water until all onions are blanched. (I did mine in three sets.)  Set the onion cooking water aside, in case you are short beef broth later.

Open the package of fernbrake (gosari)  Soak in cold water for about 15 minutes.  Rinse and drain and squeeze out all excess water from the gosari.  Set aside.

Soup Assembly

Take the beef from the soup stock and using your hands shred it.  If it is hot, it actually shreds more easily, but you burn your fingers, so I tend to do it when it is cooler, although the shredding can be harder.  Place in a bowl.  Add two nice heaping spoonfuls of Chili Garlic Sesame Seasoning and using your hand (with a disposable glove) massage the meat with the seasoning mixture.  Set aside.

Take washed rinsed fernbrake (gosari) and to it add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.  Using your hand, massage the gossari very well, making sure to season every bit of the gosari.  Spend time working the seasoning into the fernbrake (gosari).

To the blanched green onions, add the remaining Garlic Chili Sesame Seasoning.  Wipe down the pan with the green onions, getting every little last bit.  Don’t be shy about not wasting that precious seasoning, because that is what is going to make your soup taste yummy.  Using your hands carefully toss the green onion mixture with the garlic chili seasoning until it is all coated.  To this add the seasoned meat and the seasoned gosari.  Mix all the ingredients together.

Begin heating your soup again over high heat and carefully add handfuls of the vegetable mixture to the hot broth.  It doesn’t need to be boiling, but you will eventually get this soup boiling.  Add all the vegetables and bring soup to a boil.  Allow the soup to boil until the green onions fully wilt and lose their bright color, about 10 minutes.  Taste and season with salt if necessary.