Haejang-guk

A collective term for rich, restorative soups eaten to cure a hangover, most famously featuring ox blood, cabbage, and bean sprouts.

Haejang-guk literally means 'soup to chase out the hangover,' and it encompasses a family of intensely savoury, warming soups designed to help the body recover after a night of drinking. The most iconic version is Haejangguk from Cheonggjin-dong in Seoul — a deep brown broth made from ox bones, coagulated ox blood (seonji), Napa cabbage, and bean sprouts, thickened with doenjang paste and spiked with gochugaru. Each region of Korea has its own haejang-guk: in Jeonju it is a clear kongnamul-guk (soybean sprout soup); in the south it might be a spicy fish-based broth; in Gyeonggi Province dried pollack (bugeo) goes into a pale, strengthening soup. The common thread is intensity — every version aims to shock the digestive system back into action with bold umami, minerals, and heat. Dedicated haejang-guk restaurants in Korea open at four or five in the morning to catch the post-drinking crowd, and their neon signs are a welcome sight at the end of a long night. The soup has become a beloved morning ritual even for non-drinkers seeking something deeply sustaining.