Soups & Stews
Mu-guk (Korean Radish Soup)
Cutting the radish fairly thick and simmering it well over medium heat makes the broth sweet. The white part of the Korean leek goes in with the radish, while the green onions and leek greens go on just before you turn off the heat so their aroma doesn't fade.
한국어로 보기 (Korean version)
Steps
- 1
Simmer the 800 ml of water with the anchovies and kelp over medium heat for 8 minutes, then lift them out. Take the kelp out as soon as the water boils.
If the anchovy heads taste bitter, remove them before simmering.
- 2
Cut the radish into 0.7 cm thick squares, separate the white and green parts of the leek, and thinly slice the green onions.
If the radish is cut too thin, the broth turns cloudy and the radish falls apart.
- 3
Add the radish, the white part of the leek, and the garlic to the broth and simmer over medium heat for 12 minutes, until the radish turns translucent.
It's done when a chopstick goes into the radish without resistance.
- 4
Season with the soup soy sauce and salt, top with the leek greens and green onions, leave it 1 more minute, and turn off the heat.
Substitutions
| Instead of | Use | How |
|---|---|---|
| anchovy broth | water and soup soy sauce | With less savory depth, add a little more of the white part of the leek and simmer the full 12 minutes. |
| green onions | 2 jjokpa (thin Korean scallions) | Jjokpa has a stronger aroma, so add it only just before turning off the heat. |
Storing leftovers
Each time you reboil radish soup, the radish softens and the broth reduces and gets saltier. Cool it, store airtight in the fridge, and eat within 2 days; add a little water and bring it to a full boil once. Radish turns spongy when frozen, so if you freeze it, divide it into single-meal portions that are mostly broth and use within 2 weeks.
Serve with
Rice with roasted gim (seaweed), and braised beans (kongjaban) or gyeran-jjim (steamed eggs). The soup is clear, so one soy-braised side balances the meal.
Making more or less
If you add more radish, add enough water to cover it, and adjust the soup soy sauce and salt separately at the end.
Questions
How do I make radish soup taste sweet?
The longer radish simmers, the more its sweetness flows into the broth. Simmer the radish until it's translucent, and use the greenish top part of the radish for extra sweetness. Seasoning heavily early on makes the sweetness harder to taste, so add the soup soy sauce and salt at the end.
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