Kkori-gomtang

A rich, collagen-heavy bone broth made from slow-simmered oxtail, producing a golden soup of extraordinary body and flavour.

Kkori-gomtang is considered the most luxurious of Korea's bone broth soups, using the oxtail (kkori) rather than leg bones or knuckles — a cut that yields a disproportionate amount of gelatin and collagen, creating a broth that, when chilled, sets to a firm jelly. The soup is simmered for a minimum of eight hours, often overnight, with the oxtail blanched and refreshed before cooking to ensure a clear, clean broth free of any off-flavours. As the tail bones render down, the meat clings tenaciously to the vertebrae before finally yielding to gentle encouragement, and the chewing of this tender, bone-adjacent meat is considered one of the pleasures of eating kkori-gomtang. The broth is served pale and clear — almost champagne-coloured — and seasoned at the table with salt, pepper, and chopped spring onion, the same minimalist finishing ritual shared by all Korea's great bone broths. High-end Korean restaurants position kkori-gomtang as a health-enhancing, skin-beautifying dish thanks to its collagen content, and it commands premium prices accordingly. Eating it in a bowl of well-seasoned, golden broth on a cold Seoul morning is an experience Korean food lovers frequently cite as one of the country's great pleasures.