Hangover soup is a very popular after-drink snack.

This is a thick, spicy, and very hearty soup made from ox (beef) bone broth with soybean paste (doenjang), soybean sprouts, white radish, green onions and sometimes ox blood. Also called ‘early morning soup’ or ‘hangover soup’, this is a very traditional home-style dish often eaten after a night of heavy drinking.

Serves 6

WARNING: This recipe takes a little more prep work than usual.

Ingredients:

First Boil:

4          pounds             Pork Spine or neck bones with meat on

8          cups                  of water

Simmer Ingredients:

Spine bones from first boil

1          cup                    doenjang (Korean miso) paste

1                                     medium white onion

6                                    garlic cloves

8          cups                  unsalted beef broth

1                                     large green onion (white only – reserve the green for third boil)

1          ounce                peeled ginger

10                                   whole or cracked (not ground) black pepper seeds

Boil:

Strip bones from previous steps

Broth from ‘simmer ingredients’ step

1                                       small Korean white radish (Daikon) (about 1 pound)

8                                      outer leaves of napa (Chinese cabbage)

4          ounces               dried gosari (fern bracken, fern sprouts)

8                                      cloves of garlic

2                                      green chilli peppers (mild)

1                                       or 2 red chilli peppers (hot)

2          tablespoons      gochujang (red pepper paste)

2          oz                        neutari beoseot (oyster mushrooms)

3 -4                                 pyogo beoseot (shiitake mushrooms)

4          tablespoons      medium or fine ground red chilli pepper

½         pound               soy bean sprouts

Final:

6                                      green onions + the reserved green from the ‘simmer ingredients’ step

2          ounces                paengi beoseot (enoki mushrooms)

Optional:

½         cup                     clotted ox (beef) blood

1          teaspoon             salt

½         cup                     water

Proceedure:

‘First Boil’:

1. Place spine bones in a large cooking pot and cover with cold water.
2. Soak for two hours, rinse, and drain (discard soak water).
3. Cover bones with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Boil for about five minutes; remove from heat, and discard boil water.
5. Rinse bones in cold water and drain.

‘Simmer’:

1. Rub the bones with the doenjang paste and let sit for ten minutes.
2. Cut onion in quarters
3. Peel and slice ginger into two or three pieces
4. Cut garlic cloves in half from top to bottom
5. Slice the white section of the green onion in half from top to bottom.

Cook:

1. Place spine bones in large pot and cover with beef broth.
2. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Add all other ‘simmer’ ingredients.
4. Simmer for two hours, adding water as needed to maintain 3/4 the original liquid volume.
5. Carefully remove bones from broth, then strain the broth into a second cooking pot.
6. Discard vegetable solids strained from the broth.

Third Boil:

1. Soak dried gosari for about 30 minutes to one hour in cold water.
2. Rinse and drain.
3. Cut Korean white radish in slices about 1/2 inch thick.
4. For thicker radish, cut in half or quarters from top to bottom first.
5. Rinse Napa Cabbage well in cold water.
6. Cut leaves into strips about 3/4 of an inch wide by 2 inches long.
7. Slice garlic in half or thirds from top to bottom.
8. Slice chilli peppers on a diagonal.
9. Cut oyster mushrooms into bite sized pieces
10. If the shiitake mushrooms are dried, rinse well in cold water, then reconstitute in 1/2 cup beef broth. Cut fresh or re-hydrated mushrooms in half.
11. Rinse soybean sprouts well in cold water.

Cook:

1. Place spine bones back into cooking pot, add strained broth, (and optional blood mix) and bring to a medium boil.
2. Add sliced radish and gosari, cook for three to five minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients and cook another five minutes.
4. Reduce heat to low.

Final:

1. Separate paengi beoseot (enoki mushrooms) into small bunches. (one bunch per serving bowl)
2. Cut green onions into about 1 1/2 inch lengths.
3. CAREFULLY place some of the spine bones in each serving bowl.
4. Use a slotted spoon and place cooked vegetables in each serving, on top of the bones.
5. Place green onion and paengi on top of the vegetables.
6. Ladle simmering broth over the meat and vegetables in each bowl.
7. Turn off heat under the soup pot.
8. Serve with steamed white rice and ban chan.