Korean – Gomguk

by Eveyln Brutz

In Korean cuisine, Guk and Tang is the category of soup and stew. They are basically a more watery and liquid clear soup of vegetables, chicken, beef, mutton, and seafood. Guk can be prepared by addition of any of the healthy factor like we can add rice into it, vegetables and even meat pieces. This dish GOMGUK is included in the category of Guk. It is a kind of Soup made by the addition of beef pieces, some colorful vegetables like carrot, spring onions, and clear transparent noodles.

It is also known in simple English as, Beef Bone soup.

Bone with beef different parts can be added to make this dish. Different parts of beef meat like the head, legs, ribs can be cooked on low heat to make it juicier and stew. The marrow from the bone comes out when cooking on low heat for several hours and tastes the amazing richness and tenderness of the meat.

WHAT IS GUK OR TANG?

Guk is a category of Korean cuisine that has included many liquid item like stew, soups, broth. The consistency of soup and stew can be variant from different regional difference. But there is a difference within two sub items like Guk and Tang.

• TANG: Tang is any soup and broth but towards the watery side. Its consistency is thinner and liquid.
• GUK: Guk is the category in which more the soup with having more thick consistency. This must not be towards the watery side but to thickens, some items can be added to make it thick in consistency like cornflour, plain flour, etc.

GUK can be prepared of different types :

TteokGuk

Tteokguk is a kind of stew in which main element as the serving is Rice Cake. In the main chicken broth, rice cakes are added and make it more delicious with sometimes glass noodles and vegetables.

MiyeokGuk

This is edible seaweed, WAKAME soup with watery consistency.

GamjaGUK

Gamjaguk is a special stew made up of potatoes. Because of the potatoes, the consistency of the stew is towards the thick side. Sometimes, the cream is added to potato soup to make it more thick and creamy.

BugeoGuk

For the seafood lover, Dried Alaska Pollack is the main element of the dish. For this dish, we don’t need to cook this soup for a long time. To cook pollock and make it juicier by adding other meat elements like fish, octopus, etc.

MEAT ELEMENTS TO BE ADDED ON THIS DISH ARE FOLLOWING

GomGuk is a beef bone soup. So any part of the beef is used to add in the dish are the following:

• Beef Bones
• Head
• Ox tail
• Trotters
• Rib bones
• Knee cartilage
• Tripe
• Neck and clod
• Shin
• Intestine (large and small)
• Brisket, etc.

REGIONAL VARIETIES

1.Hyeonpung Gomguk

From the South Korea, the Daleseong County this broth is made up of ox tail and cow’s feet.

2. Naju Gomguk

Heel meat and brisket is added to broth and cook it for several hours to make it more juicy and palatable.

INGREDIENTS VARIETY IN THE DISH

• Sagol : Beef legs broth
• Kkori : Ox Tail broth
• Toran : Brisket and Toran plant weed broth.
• Galbi : Short rib meat broth
• YukgaeGang: Stew with spicy seasonings.
• DoganiTang: This is the stew of Knee Cartilage.
• Someyong: Broth of beef meat with thin white noodles.

CALORIES IN GOMGUK

There are total 100 Calories in Gomguk:

• Carbohydrates: 10 grams
• Protein: 50 grams
• Fats: 1 gram

INGREDIENTS FOR 2 BOWLS OF GOMGUK

• Oxtails : 250 grams
• Short ribs : 100 grams
• Knee cartilage : 100 grams
• White radish / Daikon : 1 medium chopped
• Garlic : 4 cloves chopped
• Scallions : 1 cup
• Salt : 1 teaspoon
• Soya sauce: 1 tablespoons
• Mirin : 1 teaspoon

COOKING METHOD

• We have to soak the oxtail in luke warm water for 20 minutes, then wash it properly. So the smell of meat is vanished and have a fresh meat to cook and add into the dish.
• Take 8 glasses of water and add beef meat like ribs, cartilage and short ribs into it.
• Add salt and bring it to cook on medium to low flame for 3 hours so the water reduce to 2 glass and the meat tendered perfectly.
• When meat is cook, now we have whitish colored broth having full nutrients of beef meat into it.
• Add scallions, soya sauce, mirin, garlic into broth and cook for 5 minutes.
• Serve it hot and enjoy.