Spicy and Refreshing Beef and Radish Soup
Beef and Radish Soup for the Mistress: A Year-End Treat
This hearty radish soup is dedicated to my beloved mistress, weary from a year of celebrations and perhaps a bit too much holiday cheer. I humbly request a small increase in my allowance for the coming year. ^^
Main Ingredients
- 200g Korean radish (about 1/5 of a medium radish)
- 200g bean sprouts (about 1 large handful)
- 100g beef for soup (e.g., brisket or chuck)
- 2 Tbsp coarse red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp chopped green onions
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce for soup (guk-ganjang)
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 5 cups water (using a standard Korean soup bowl as a measure)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
We begin our journey to a delicious radish soup by preparing the star ingredient: the radish. Wash it thoroughly under cold running water. Even though it’s cold outside, let’s show our dedication to the mistress with our bare hands!
Step 2
The outer skin of the radish can sometimes have a tough texture, so peel it cleanly. While a regular knife works, a vegetable peeler will make this process much easier and quicker. Feel free to peel it thinly according to your preference.
Step 3
Once the radish is clean, cut it into manageable pieces. A helpful tip is to first cut the radish into six large wedges, and then slice those wedges into your desired thickness. This makes it much easier to handle. Let’s master this technique for all the times you’ll be making this soup!
Step 4
For the best texture, slice the radish about 0.7cm to 1cm thick. Slicing it slightly thicker like this prevents it from becoming mushy while cooking, ensuring a pleasant, tender-crisp bite. Think of the thickness of a laptop – not too thin, not too thick.
Step 5
Rinse the prepared bean sprouts under cold water until clean. Drain them well and set them aside in a colander. Thankfully, many bean sprouts available these days are already well-trimmed, so you won’t have to spend much time removing the root ends.
Step 6
These are soup-cut beef pieces. Since it was frozen, I gave it a quick rinse in cold water to separate the pieces. I find freezing beef makes it easier to cut when needed. If you’re wondering why I’m cutting beef that’s already cut for soup, the next step will explain!
Step 7
This is 100g of beef. By cutting it smaller, it appears more voluminous, doesn’t it? In reality, cutting the beef into smaller pieces allows us to extract its flavor into the broth more effectively in a shorter amount of time. (This is a little trick!)
Step 8
Place the beef in a pot and add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Gently stir-fry the beef over medium-low heat.
Step 9
Once the beef is cooked through and looks browned, add the coarse red pepper flakes, minced garlic, and chopped green onions. Stir-fry everything together. Be careful, as the ingredients can splatter when stir-frying! (Don’t think you’re safe just because it’s in a pot!)
Step 10
Continue stir-frying until the ingredients start to slightly stick to the bottom of the pot. This browning process deepens the flavor and adds a wonderful complexity to the soup.
Step 11
Just as the ingredients begin to stick, pour in 3 cups of water. Then, add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce for soup and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Turn the heat up to high and bring the soup to a rolling boil.
Step 12
Once the soup is boiling vigorously, add the sliced radish and the rinsed bean sprouts. If the soup seems a bit thin, add another 1-2 cups of water. Crucially, cover the pot with a lid. Once it returns to a boil after adding the vegetables, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes. Covering the pot helps infuse the radish and bean sprouts with the rich broth flavor, making the soup even more refreshing and deep.
Step 13
After simmering for 5 minutes, taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if necessary. If it’s not salty enough, add a pinch of salt. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, and your delicious Beef and Radish Soup is ready to be enjoyed! The spicy yet refreshing taste is truly exceptional.
