Gamja Tang is a rich, umami-filled soup made from boiling pork bones and unique Korean condiments and spices. It is highly underrated but one of my favorite dishes!
Many people may think Gamja Tang is a Potato Soup brought by a direct translation of its name, but actually, gamja also means bone marrow. Using either the neck bones or back/rib bones of pork—this cheap cut of meat is cleaned and boiled for an extended period which creates a clear pork broth that is flavorful and hearty.
To elevate the broth, it is seasoned with soybean paste and red pepper paste for a deep savor; Perilla and roasted soybean powder for herbiness and nuttiness that balances out the former two as well as the fatiness of the pork. All together it creates a thick and complex soup that you will instantly fall in love with!
In Korea, some establishments are dedicated to serving this dish alone. Usually, they are open for long hours because this soup is also considered a comfort soup you have after a long day or hangover soup after a night of drinking! It requires long labor so either you get it from restaurants or make time to make it. But I promise you, this is another Korean dish that’s worth all the effort!
Gamja Tang Ingredients
Disclaimer: I get a small commission at no additional cost to you when you make a qualified purchase under the affiliate links.
Pork Bones
For this recipe, you can use either pork neck or pork back/rib bones. Just like gomtang or galbi tang, when you clean it well and boil it for an extended period, you will yield a clear and milky broth.
When you’re in the market, choose pieces with more meat and once cooked, they because tender, juicy, and fall off the bone that you can literally suck on them. They are extremely cheap so you can cook more, just it would require a larger pot to make this especially if you are serving it to more people.
Bayleaf, Soybean Paste, and Soju
These three ingredients are specifically separated because they are the “cleaning agents” of the bones. Since the recipe requires blanching, you will add these three ingredients in the blanching water to remove any strong odors from the pork bones.
Aromatics: Scallions, Jalapeno, Korean Radish, Garlic, and Ginger
Aside from removing the odor from the pork, we will also be enhancing it with scallions, jalapeno, Korean radish, garlic, and ginger. You can either put them in a soup bag and boil it with the pork or you can blend these up so the soup’s final consistency is free from fragments and is tasty through and through.
Seasonings
- Soybean Paste – This is fermented soybeans, similar to miso paste, but saltier and has more umami flavor. Boiling this in pork broth would make it immensely flavorful. This is one of the major seasonings that will be used in this dish.
- Red Pepper Paste – This is fermented pepper flakes. It is a unique Korean condiment that is salty and spicy. This will enhance the flavor and spice of the dish.
- Salt and Black Pepper – To bring out the flavors of the rest of the ingredients, use salt and pepper to taste.
- Red Pepper Flakes – This is both for color and spice without making the soup too salty. In using this, feel free to add more or less according to your spice tolerance.
- Roasted Soybean Powder and Perilla Powder – These are unique powders that you can only find in a Korean grocery. Both these powders will provide earthiness and nuttiness that will balance the richness and fatiness of the soup. This is what will make this soup unique. It also acts as a thickening agent.
Dried Radish Leaves and Potatoes
These are the vegetables that we will use in the dish. This will make the soup heartier and more enjoyable to eat because it holds its form while remaining tender, and it also holds the flavor of the soup well which is a tasty balance to the pork meat.
Usually, napa cabbage leaves are used, but dried radish leaves were what I had that time. You can also use perilla leaves, beansprouts, and any type of mushrooms in this dish.
How to Cook Korean Pork Bone Soup
Soak the Pork Bones
The first step to making gamja tang is to clean the meat. Soak all the bones in water for 1-2 hours to remove the “pin mool”, it’s the myoglobin in the meat. This step helps lessen the metallic taste from the iron in the blood. After soaking, you will notice that the meat will turn from red to pink.
Blanche the Meat
Following that, place the bones in a deep pot, fill it with water, and bring it to a boil. Add four pieces of bay leaf, two and a half tablespoons of soybean paste, and one shot of soju. Continue until it comes to a rapid boil and you see foam and scum coming up. This might take about 15 minutes.
Drain the meat and wash it one by one, removing any foam that sticks to the bones. Don’t worry because we are not throwing out flavor. As long as we are boiling the bones, flavor will continue to come out. The longer it is boiled, the richer the flavor of the broth, and the clearer and milkier the soup.
Make the Soup
Blend scallions, jalapeno peppers, and Korean radish with a little bit of water. Set this aside.
Place back the pork bones in a cleaned deep pot then fill it back up with water. Add the blended aromatics and allow it to boil for 30 minutes. Foam and scum will continue to come up, so remove any remains floating on top. You need to remove this as soon as it builds up to keep it from breaking down and turning the color of the soup hazy.
After 30 minutes of rapid boil, season the soup with soybean paste, gochujang, gochugaru, salt, pepper, roasted soybean powder, and perilla powder. Leave it to boil for 1 more hour. It should make the meat tender at this point.
Prepare the Vegetables
Peel the potatoes and chop them to bite-sized pieces. Blanch the dried radish leaves until hydrated.
Add the potatoes into the soup so it thickens up while absorbing all the flavor. The potatoes are going to be so delicious afterward! Let it boil for 30 minutes until tender. Add radish leaves 15 minutes in and let boil until everything is cooked.
What to Eat with Gamja Tang and How to Store It
If you’re feeling extra, serve pork bone soup in a ttukbaegi to keep it hot as you eat. Or simply heat up when you refill your bowl so that you can have it freshly boiled and hot. If you haven’t noticed, Koreans need their soup well-heated! Kakaka~
The soup goes well simply with rice and kimchi! If you don’t like rice, you can also add glass noodles to the soup.
For any leftovers, feel free to store it in an airtight container and consume it for several days. Reheat in the stove or microwave. The soup will taste so much better the next day! Comfort in a bowl for sure!
Other classic Korean soup recipes you might like:
Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!
Korean Pork Bone Soup (Gamja Tang)
Equipment
- Deep Pot
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Pork Back Bone
For Blanching
- 4 pcs Bayleaves
- 2 1/2 tbsp Soybean Paste
- 1 shot Soju
- 12 cups Water
For Soup:
- 1 stalk Scallions
- 2 pcs Jalapeno Pepper Deseeded
- 300 grams Korean Radish
- Little bit of Water To blend the aromatics
- 5 tbsp Soyeban Paste
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 1/2 tbsp Gochujang
- 3 1/2 tbsp Garlic
- 1/2 tbsp Ginger
- 3 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 tsp Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp Roasted Soybean Powder
- 4 tbsp Perilla Powder
- Dried Radish Leaves
- 1 pc Potato
Instructions
- Soak the pork bones in water for 1-2 hours. Drain and wash afterward, It should turn from red to pink.
- Place the pork bones in a deep pot and fill it with water. Add bay leaf, soybean paste, and soju, and bring it to a rapid boil for 10-15 minutes.
- In the process of blanching, you will see foam and scum float on top. Drain it and wash each pork piece, removing any remaining impurities on it.
- Clean the pot, place back the bones, fill it with water, and bring it to a boil again.
- Blend scallions, jalapeno peppers, and radish, then add to the boiling pork bone. Leave it to boil for 30 minutes, and if more foam and scum are floating on top, remove them.
- After 30 minutes, season the pork with soybean paste, pepper paste, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper flakes, black pepper, roasted soybean powder, and perilla powder. Let the soup boil for another hour.
- Peel the potatoes and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Blanche the dried radish leaves to hydrate.
- Add the potatoes and let boil for another 30 minutes. 15 minutes in, add the blanched radish leaves.
- Once everything is cooked, serve it sizzling hot with rice, and enjoy!
Leave a Reply