Close-up of a spicy Korean stew with tofu and scallions

Stews & Soups

Jjigae, guk, tang — the stuff that actually gets cooked on a Tuesday night. One pot, big flavor, no fuss.

A steaming hot pot of stew at the center of a table

Did you know — Korean culture

A good jjigae doesn't get its own bowl. It gets set down still bubbling, right in the middle of the table, and everyone digs in with their own spoon. Sharing straight from the pot isn't an accident — it's the whole point of a Korean stew.

Mushroom hot pot with enoki, tofu, and bok choy in a dark broth

Beoseot Jeongol (Mushroom Hot Pot)

Why staggering mushroom varieties by cook time keeps the broth clean, and how building the broth separately from a dashi base changes the final depth.

A bubbling stew with sausage, spam, kimchi, and instant noodles in a shared pot

Budae Jjigae (Army Base Stew)

The kimchi-and-processed-meat combination behind budae jjigae, and why the pot is meant to keep cooking at the table.

A bubbling Korean soybean stew with tofu and chili in a stone pot

Cheonggukjang (Fast-Fermented Soybean Stew)

What makes cheonggukjang different from doenjang jjigae, and how to cook its pungent fermented soybeans into a proper stew.

A bowl of creamy chicken rice porridge topped with shredded chicken and scallions

Dakjuk (Chicken Rice Porridge)

Why soaking the rice before cooking, not just simmering it longer, is what makes dakjuk creamy instead of watery.

Doenjang jjigae bubbling in a stone pot with tofu and vegetables

Doenjang Jjigae (Soybean Paste Stew)

The rice-water base and anchovy-kelp stock that gives doenjang jjigae its depth, and why this everyday stew rewards patience more than any other.

A shallow hot pot of tofu, vegetables and mushrooms arranged in sections

Dubu Jeongol (Tofu Hot Pot)

How to arrange a tofu hot pot so everything finishes together, and why the broth goes in cold and comes up to heat at the table rather than in the kitchen.

Clear broth soup with folded fish cake strips and scallions in a black bowl

Eomuk Guk (Fish Cake Soup)

Why the anchovy-kelp stock needs to be strained and the fish cake blanched, and how skipping either step leaves the broth cloudy or oily.

Clear beef broth with short ribs and radish in a white bowl

Galbitang (Beef Short Rib Soup)

Why short ribs get soaked and parboiled before they ever meet the broth, and how that discarded first boil is what makes galbitang clear instead of muddy.

Spicy red Korean stew with tofu, perilla leaves, and vegetables in a pot

Gamjatang (Pork Bone Potato Stew)

The long-simmer technique for pork spine bones behind gamjatang, and the perilla-seed thickening that gives the broth its body.

Dark rich soup with bean sprouts and green onion in a stone pot

Haejangguk (Hangover Soup)

Why haejangguk needs a long ox-bone broth rather than a quick stock, and how the cabbage and bean sprouts go in at different times so neither overcooks.

Spicy red seafood noodle soup with shrimp and vegetables in a bowl

Jjamppong (Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup)

The high-heat stir-fry-then-simmer technique behind jjamppong's deep red broth, and why the seafood goes in in stages, not all at once.

Wide hand-cut wheat noodles in clear broth with seaweed garnish

Kalguksu (Knife-Cut Noodle Soup)

The dough-resting step behind kalguksu's chewy hand-cut noodles, and why a real anchovy-kelp stock matters more than in most noodle soups.

Kimchi jjigae with tofu in a bubbling metal pot, kimchi lifted with chopsticks over rice

Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew with Pork Belly)

Why this stew wants your sourest, most overripe kimchi — and the simmer time that turns pork belly and old kimchi into something better than either started as.

Dumplings floating in a reddish kimchi broth topped with herbs and chili

Kimchi Mandu-guk (Kimchi Dumpling Soup)

Why using well-fermented, sour kimchi in the filling changes the whole dish, and how simmering dumplings gently keeps the wrappers from splitting.

A whole blue crab in spicy red broth with bean sprouts and greens

Kkotgetang (Blue Crab Stew)

Why the crab goes in at the very end, not the start, and how building the broth first is what keeps the meat from turning rubbery.

Bean sprout soup with rice and green onion in a dark stone bowl

Kongnamul Gukbap (Bean Sprout Soup with Rice)

Why the lid on a pot of bean sprouts must stay either fully on or fully off, and how the rice goes into the bowl rather than being cooked in the broth.

Bright red spicy fish stew with vegetables in a shallow pot

Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew)

Why maeuntang is built from the fish bones and head rather than the fillets, and why the fish goes in last and is never stirred once it does.

Dark seaweed soup with tofu and green onion in a bowl

Miyeok-guk (Seaweed Soup)

The soak-and-sauté technique behind miyeok-guk, and why this simple soup is Korea's traditional birthday dish.

Cold cucumber soup with sliced cucumber, herbs, and quail eggs in a dark bowl

Oi Naengguk (Cold Cucumber Soup)

Why salting the cucumber first and chilling the broth separately is what keeps this summer soup crisp and cold instead of watered down.

Whole small chicken in a milky ginseng broth with visible garlic and jujube

Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)

The whole-bird, glutinous-rice-stuffed technique behind samgyetang, and why this boknal staple is eaten hot in the middle of summer.

A bowl of milky white ox bone soup with sliced beef and green onion

Seolleongtang (Ox Bone Soup)

The long-simmer, multi-boil technique that turns ox bones into seolleongtang's milky white broth, and why patience matters more than seasoning.

Brass hot pot with a central chimney and lit flame, filled with prawns, beef, jujube and ginkgo nuts

Sinseollo (Royal Hot Pot)

How the sections of a sinseollo are arranged and why, plus how to build the clear beef broth this royal-court hot pot depends on.

Beef soup with scallions and radish simmering in a hot stone pot

Sogogi Muguk (Beef Radish Soup)

Why the beef and radish get sauteed in sesame oil before any water goes in, and how that one step separates a rich broth from a watery one.

Torn dough pieces and vegetables in a savoury broth in a dark pot

Sujebi (Hand-Torn Noodle Soup)

Why sujebi dough has to rest before it will tear thin, and why the pieces go into fully boiling broth one at a time instead of all at once.

Sundubu jjigae with soft tofu, scallions, and pork belly in a bubbling stone pot

Sundubu Jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew)

Why this stew needs uncurdled silken tofu, not the firm kind, and the tableside egg trick that finishes it right at the table, not in the kitchen.

Sliced oval rice cakes in clear broth topped with egg ribbons and beef

Tteok Guk (New Year's Rice Cake Soup)

Why the rice cakes need soaking before they hit the broth, and how a clear beef stock keeps this New Year's soup from turning cloudy and starchy.

Spicy red Korean beef soup with shredded meat and vegetables in a pan

Yukgaejang (Spicy Beef Soup)

The shredded-brisket technique and gochugaru-oil base that gives yukgaejang its deep red color without relying on heat alone.