Yukgaejang (Spicy Korean Beef Soup)

Dinner | Korean

Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 2 min Servings: 4

Yukgaejang is a deeply comforting Korean beef soup that earns its place in the cold-weather rotation. Whole brisket braises for two hours with onion, dried shiitake mushrooms and black peppercorns until the broth is rich and the beef is pull-apart tender. The defining flavour is gochugaru, Korean chilli flakes bloomed in sesame oil and garlic before going into the soup, giving it that distinctive deep red colour and a warming heat that builds slowly.

Fernbrake, known as gosari in Korean, is what makes this soup distinctly itself. It’s the dried shoots of the bracken fern, with a chewy texture and an earthy, slightly mineral flavour that works really well against the richness of the broth. It can be an acquired taste, but once you’re into it you’ll understand why it’s been in this dish for so long. If you genuinely can’t find it, you can leave it out and the soup will still be excellent.

This takes time but almost none of it is active. The brisket does its thing for two hours while you get on with something else. Serve straight from the pot with steamed rice on the side.

Ingredient Notes

Beef brisket: Brisket is a tough, well-worked cut that becomes deeply tender with a long braise. Don’t rush the two-hour cook time. The beef is then sliced into strips rather than shredded, so you get good texture in the soup.

Fernbrake (gosari): The dried shoots of the bracken fern. Find them dried or frozen at Asian supermarkets, usually labelled gosari or bracken fern. They need soaking before use. If you can’t find them, eggplant, spinach stems or enoki mushrooms are reasonable substitutes for a similar earthy, chewy element.

Gochugaru: Korean coarse chilli flakes with a mild, slightly sweet heat and a vivid red colour. It’s not a direct swap for regular chilli flakes, which are hotter and more bitter. Find it at Asian supermarkets. If substituting, use sweet paprika with a small pinch of cayenne to approximate the heat and colour.

Dried shiitake mushrooms: Go into the broth from the start to build depth and umami. They’re pulled out with the beef, sliced thinly, and added back in at the end. Don’t skip them, they do a lot of work in the background.

Fish sauce: Adds a savoury, slightly funky depth that rounds out the broth. Combined here with soy sauce. If you need a pescatarian-friendly version, replace the fish sauce with an equal amount of soy sauce.

Equipment you’ll need

Large heavy based saucepan with a lid
Small frying pan
Large bowl

Ingredients

1kg beef brisket
1 brown onion
3 spring onions
4 dried Shiitaki mushrooms
½ tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp sea salt
100g fernbrake (Bracken / Gosari)
6 cloves garlic
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp Gochugaru
200g bean sprouts
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
Steamed rice, to serve

Directions

Cook the beef
Trim any excess fat from the beef brisket, then place in a large heavy based saucepan.
Cut the onion in half and cut the whites from the spring onions, reserving the greens for garnish.
Add the onions, spring onions whites, mushrooms, black peppercorns and salt to the saucepan, then fill with enough water to just cover the beef. Cover with a tight fitting lid and place over a high heat to bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 hours, until the brisket is tender.
Prep the vegetables
While the beef is cooking, place the fernbrake in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Set aside to soak and rehydrate for at least 1 hour.
Chop the greens of the spring onion and finely grate the garlic.
Heat the sesame oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook the garlic for 1 minute, stirring. Add the Gochugaru and cook for a further minute, until aromatic. Remove from the heat.
Bring it together
Remove the beef and mushrooms from the saucepan and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the onion from the broth and discard.
Slice the mushrooms thinly and slice the beef into 1cm strips.
Add the mushrooms and beef back into the saucepan and place over a medium heat.
Drain the fernbrake and add to the saucepan along with the Gochugaru oil mix, bean sprouts, soy sauce and fish sauce. Cover with the lid again and simmer for 10 minutes.
Uncover and stir through the spring onion greens, reserving a little for garnish.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and ladle the soup into serving bowls. Serve with some steamed rice on the side and garnish with the reserved spring onions.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Why bloom the gochugaru first

Cooking the gochugaru briefly in sesame oil and garlic before adding it to the soup transforms it. The oil carries the fat-soluble compounds in the chilli, intensifying the colour and developing a toasty, fragrant depth you don’t get from adding it raw. One minute in the pan is enough, don’t let it burn.

Gochugaru substitution

If you can’t find gochugaru, the closest substitute is a mix of sweet paprika for the colour and body, with a small pinch of cayenne for heat. Use roughly 2 tablespoons of sweet paprika and ½ teaspoon of cayenne in place of the 3 tablespoons of gochugaru. The flavour won’t be identical but it’s a workable sub.

Skimming the broth

In the first 20–30 minutes of the brisket cook, grey foam and impurities will rise to the surface. Skim these off with a spoon or ladle as they appear. It makes a noticeable difference to the clarity and cleanliness of the finished broth.

How to tell when the brisket is ready

After 2 hours it should be tender enough that a chopstick or skewer passes through it with no resistance. If it still feels firm, give it another 20–30 minutes. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the brisket.

Storing leftovers

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavour deepens as it sits. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium heat, adding a splash of water if the soup has thickened. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.

FAQs

Can I make this ahead of time? Yes. The beef and broth can be cooked a day ahead and refrigerated. Skim any solidified fat from the surface, then reheat and finish with the fernbrake, gochugaru oil and bean sprouts just before serving.

Is it spicy? It has a medium heat from the gochugaru. If you want it milder, reduce to 2 tablespoons. If you like more heat, add an extra tablespoon or stir in a small amount of gochujang (Korean chilli paste) at the end.

Can I leave out the fernbrake? Yes, the soup will still be very good without it. Andy includes it because it’s part of what makes yukgaejang distinctively itself, but it’s not easy to find everywhere. If you want a substitute, enoki mushrooms or spinach stems give a similar earthy, chewy element.

Can I make it gluten free? This recipe is gluten free as written, but check the labels on your fish sauce and soy sauce as some brands contain wheat. Look for gluten-free certified versions of both.

Can I use a different cut of beef? Brisket is ideal for the long braise but flank steak or beef chuck also work well. Avoid lean cuts as they tend to dry out over the two-hour cook time.