Yukgaejang

A fiery, rust-red soup packed with shredded beef, fernbrake fern, and spring onions in a gochugaru-laden broth.

Yukgaejang carries a reputation as one of Korea's most warming and restorative soups, traditionally served at funerals and ancestral rites as well as during the hottest days of summer under the principle of iyeol chiyeol — fighting heat with heat. The soup's characteristic deep crimson colour comes from a generous amount of gochugaru (red pepper flakes) bloomed in sesame oil, which forms the backbone of the broth alongside long-simmered beef. Gosari (dried fernbrake fern) and mung bean sprouts are braised into the soup until silky and yielding, absorbing the spiced beef stock, while thick-cut spring onions soften and sweeten as they cook. Regional variations exist in Daegu and across Gyeongsang Province, where the dish is sometimes made with chicken rather than beef and called dakgaejang. Yukgaejang is a popular convenience-store cup noodle flavour in Korea, proof of how deeply the taste is embedded in everyday cravings. A properly made bowl should coat the tongue with spice but finish with a savoury, lingering sweetness from the collagen-rich beef.