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Gamjatang
Pork backbone stew
감자탕 (gamjatang): pork backbone and potato stew in a spicy perilla-seed broth
Gamjatang is a late-night favourite in Seoul and Incheon, where restaurants keep huge pots of pork backbone stew bubbling for shift workers and friends after a night out. Pork neck bones are soaked, blanched and simmered with doenjang until the meat pulls away, then finished with potatoes, napa cabbage, perilla leaves and nutty ground perilla seeds in a chilli-red broth. Everyone picks the meat off the bones at the table and ends the meal by frying rice in the leftover broth. The usual mistake is skipping the soaking and blanching, which leaves the broth grey and scummy. A pressure cooker cuts the bone simmering to 45 minutes. Chef's tip: stir the perilla seed powder in only at the end; boiled too long it loses its fragrance.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
- 3 ⅓ lb pork neck bones (backbone)cut into pieces by the butcher
- 10 ½ cups water
- 2 tbsp doenjang (soybean paste)
- 1 onionhalved
- 1 ⅛ in fresh gingersliced
- 6 cloves garlic
For the seasoning
- 6 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 tbsp soup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp gochujang
For the stew
- 4 waxy potatoesmedium, peeled and halved
- 10 ½ oz napa cabbage outer leavesblanched and torn
- 4 tbsp ground perilla seeds
- 10 perilla leavestorn
- 3 spring onionscut into lengths
- 2 green chilliessliced
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Soak the 3 ⅓ lb pork neck bones (backbone) in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water once, to draw out the blood.
60 minStep 2: Cover the bones with fresh water, bring to a boil and boil for 8 minutes. Drain, then rinse each bone under the tap, scrubbing off any grey scum. Rinse the pot too.
10 minStep 3: Return the bones to the pot with the 10 ½ cups water, 2 tbsp doenjang (soybean paste), 1 onion, 1 ⅛ in fresh ginger and 6 cloves garlic. Simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour 30 minutes until the meat comes away from the bone when nudged. (Pressure cooker: 45 minutes.)
90 minStep 4: Mix 3 tbsp Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru), 6 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp soup soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tbsp gochujang into a paste. Fish out the onion and ginger, then stir the paste into the pot.
3 minStep 5: Add the 4 waxy potatoes and 10 ½ oz napa cabbage outer leaves and simmer for 25 minutes until a knife slides through the potatoes easily.
25 minStep 6: Stir in the 4 tbsp ground perilla seeds, then top with 10 perilla leaves, 3 spring onions and 2 green chillies and simmer 2 minutes more. Taste for salt.
2 minStep 7: Serve the pot at the table with rice and kimchi, with an empty bowl for bones.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gamjatang take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 140 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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