Yukgaejang and a chestnut dessert for a rainy night

What could be so difficult about a beef soup with green onions? Sounds so simple. Or at least that's what I thought the last time I attempted to make it.

Before it ended up being poured down the garbage disposal in a moment of unbridled frustration and dispair.

Although it has a short list of ingredients and looks pretty simple when it's sitting in front of you on a table at a Korean restaurant, yukgaejang is no easy recipe to get right. It took me a lot of research, a lot of time, and a lot of patience. But, it was worth it.

Last night, as the rain poured outside, I returned home from Pilates to tuck into a nice, warm, spicy bowl of yukgaejang, more than a little nervous to taste the results. To my elation, it tasted just right.

The recipe came from one of my favorite Christmas presents this year, the original, 1997 edition of the cookbook A Korean Mother's Cooking Notes.

I made only two changes to this recipe. First, I drained the brisket of blood for one hour in cold water, changing the water every 15 minutes. Second, I added a little more red pepper because I like mine spicier. Start with the recipe as written and then season it to taste.

I served the soup with some brown rice, roasted seaweed sheets, kimchi, and my favorite panchan, dubu buchim yangnyumjang. Here's a great recipe from Maangchi. I make it just like her, only I add an extra green onion and a little more gochugaru.



Next, I made these yummy fresh chestnut balls for dessert. They're sweetened with just a touch of honey, so I think they're pretty good for you. Peeling chestnuts is a little time consuming, but I found it rather meditative. Perhaps I should have made them to calm my nerves after my first go-round with yukgaejang.

The moral of the story... don't let a dish defeat you! If it doesn't work out the first time, just try again.

(It's only soup after all!)