What actually makes a soup worth eating on a cold day? For a lot of Korean households, the answer involves pork bones simmered for hours until the broth turns cloudy and rich, then spiked with enough gochugaru to make your nose run a little. Gamjatang sits in that category, a soup built for weather that makes you want to stay inside.
The name translates loosely to "potato stew," though the pork bones are really the star, the potatoes are just along for the ride.
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| Still bubbling from the stove, this is gamjatang at its best. |
Between the two rounds of boiling and the final simmer, plan for close to 3 hours total, though only about 25 minutes of that is active work, and the pot feeds five to six people.
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| Pork bones and a handful of pantry staples, that's the whole starting lineup. |
Ingredients
- 3 lbs meaty pork neck bones (ask for "gamjatang bones" at H Mart, or pork neck bones at a regular butcher counter work fine)
- 4 medium potatoes, quartered (Yukon gold holds its shape well)
- 1/2 cup gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
- 2 tbsp doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste)
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch piece ginger, sliced
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 bunch perilla leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra whole leaves for garnish
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp ground perilla seeds, if available (toasted sesame seeds work as a substitute)
- 2 scallions, sliced, for garnish
How to Make It
- Soak the pork bones in cold water for at least 1 hour to draw out excess blood, changing the water once partway through.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pork bones, boiling for 5 minutes to release impurities.
- Drain the bones in a colander and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water, scrubbing off any residue clinging to the surface.
- Return the rinsed bones to a clean pot with fresh water, enough to cover them by about 2 inches, along with the onion and ginger.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook uncovered for 1.5 hours, skimming occasionally.
- Whisk together the gochugaru, doenjang, gochujang, minced garlic, and soy sauce in a small bowl to make the seasoning paste.
- Stir the seasoning paste into the pot and continue simmering for another 30 minutes so the flavors fully develop.
- Add the potatoes and simmer for 20 more minutes, until they're fork-tender but not falling apart.
- Stir in the chopped perilla leaves and ground perilla seeds during the last 5 minutes, then ladle into bowls and top with scallions and whole perilla leaves.
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| Fresh water and a clean start, this second boil is what builds the real broth. |
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| This is the point where the broth actually turns into gamjatang. |
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| When the ladle comes up this full, the pot's ready to serve. |
The Korean Insider Tip
Perilla seeds get skipped in most recipes outside Korea simply because they're harder to find, but they're doing more than adding texture. Ground perilla seeds thicken the broth slightly and round out the heat from the gochugaru with a nutty background note that gochugaru alone can't provide. If your local Korean market carries them, even a small container goes a long way, and it's worth the extra trip before deciding the soup doesn't need it.
Why This Recipe Works
- Boiling the bones twice, once to purge impurities and again for the actual broth, produces a cleaner tasting soup than a single long simmer would.
- Building the seasoning paste separately before adding it lets the gochugaru and doenjang bloom together, deepening the flavor beyond what stirring them in individually would achieve.
- Adding the potatoes only in the final stretch keeps them from disintegrating into the broth by the time the pork bones are fully tender.
Pro Tips
The broth can taste flat even after hours of simmering if the seasoning paste goes in too late. Give it at least 30 minutes in the pot before the potatoes join, so the flavors actually meld into the liquid rather than sitting on top of it.
Rinsing the bones only once after the initial boil isn't always enough. Any leftover bone fragments or blood clinging to the surface will cloud the final broth, so a thorough second rinse under cold water is worth the extra minute.
Boiling too aggressively during the long simmer breaks the meat off the bone too early, leaving it stringy by the time the soup is done. A gentle, steady simmer keeps the meat intact until you're ready to eat.
Some cooks substitute pork ribs for neck bones to save time at the butcher counter, but neck bones carry more collagen and marrow, which is exactly what gives this broth its body.
Plating Like a Local
Gamjatang is almost always served bubbling in the same pot it finished cooking in, often set directly on a portable burner at the table so it stays hot through the whole meal. Ladle portions of pork and potato into individual bowls only as people eat, leaving the rest simmering gently in the center. A few extra whole perilla leaves laid loosely on top right before serving give the pot a slightly wild, just-made look that a neatly arranged bowl doesn't have.
How to Serve and Variations
Steamed rice on the side is standard, mainly for stirring into the broth once the pork and potatoes are gone. A simple radish kimchi or pickled radish cuts through the richness well. For a version closer to what's served at late-night restaurants in Korea, some cooks add a handful of glass noodles during the final 5 minutes for extra heartiness.
What does gamjatang taste like?
The broth is spicy, savory, and slightly funky from the doenjang, with a richness that comes from hours of simmering pork bones. It's closer to a deeply flavored stew than a light soup.
Why do you boil the pork bones twice?
The first boil removes blood and impurities that would otherwise make the broth cloudy and slightly bitter. The second boil, using fresh water, is what actually builds the final broth without carrying over those unwanted flavors.
Can I make gamjatang in a slow cooker?
Yes, after the initial parboil and rinse, transfer the bones to a slow cooker with fresh water and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours before adding the seasoning paste and potatoes in the final hour.
What can I substitute for perilla leaves in gamjatang?
Fresh basil leaves offer a somewhat similar aromatic quality, though the flavor isn't identical. Some cooks skip the substitution entirely and simply rely on the ground perilla seeds for that background note instead.
Once the potatoes go soft and the perilla leaves wilt into the broth, this is the kind of pot that's better ladled out straight from the stove than reheated later.
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