Naju Gomtang

Ingredients

• 700g beef brisket, in one piece
• 300g beef shank
• 3 litres cold water
• 1 onion, halved
• 1 leek, halved
• 6 garlic cloves
• 20g fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 250g Korean radish (mu)
• 600g cooked short-grain rice
• 4 spring onions
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce for soup (guk-ganjang)
• 1.5 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
• 1 tsp neutral oil

Before you cook

• Soak the brisket and shank in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water twice, then drain them.
• Peel the radish and cut it into 3cm chunks.
• Slice the spring onions finely, keeping the white and green parts together.
• Set out four deep bowls, because this soup is always assembled hot and served immediately.

Steps

1. Put the drained beef into a large pot with 3 litres of cold water and bring it slowly to the boil over medium heat.
2. Skim the foam off patiently for the first 10 minutes, because there are no bones to hide behind and the broth must stay clear.
3. Add the onion, leek, garlic, ginger and peppercorns, then lower the heat until the surface barely trembles.
4. Simmer uncovered for 2 hours, skimming any fat that gathers at the edge.
5. Add the radish chunks and cook for a further 25 minutes.
6. Lift out the beef and the radish and strain the broth through a fine sieve lined with muslin.
7. Season the strained broth with the light soy sauce, the salt and the black pepper, then keep it at a gentle simmer.
8. Slice the cooled brisket and shank across the grain into thin pieces.
9. Slice the cooked radish thinly as well.
10. Wipe a heavy frying pan with the oil and set it over high heat.
11. Lay the sliced beef in the hot dry pan for 30 seconds a side, just long enough to catch a little colour and toast the edges.
12. Divide the warm rice between the bowls and lay the seared beef and the radish over the top.
13. Ladle in the hot broth, then pour it back into the pot and ladle it in again, twice more, so the rice heats right through.
14. Scatter the spring onion and the chilli flakes over each bowl and serve with kimchi and a small dish of salt.