Ox Bone Soup - 설렁탕

Introduction

Seolleongtang is a Korean broth tang (soup), made from ox bones (mostly leg bones), brisket and other cuts. Seasoning is generally done at the table according to personal taste by adding salt, ground black pepper, red pepper, minced garlic, or chopped spring onions. It is a local dish of Seoul.

Seolleongtang is typically simmered over a low flame over a period of several hours to an entire day, to allow the flavor to be gradually extracted from the bones. It has a milky off-white, cloudy appearance and is normally eaten together with rice and several side dishes; the rice is sometimes added directly to the soup.

History and Etymology

In the Joseon dynasty, Koreans regularly made nationwide sacrifies to their ancestors, such as Dangun (the legendary founder of the kingdom of Gojoseon). The nationwide sacrifice was called Sŏnnongje  (hangul: 선농제; Sŏnnong meaning "venerated farmer"), and the altar for the sacrifice was called Sŏnnong dan (hangul: 선농단), which dates back to the Silla Dynasty.

King Sŏngjong had visited the sacrifice himself, and had eaten a meal with the people of Josŏn. In order to increase the food supply in Josŏn. King Sŏngjong ordered them to invent dishes that could feed the maximum number of people using the least amount of ingredients, and seonnongtang (tang meanng "soup") was one of these.

There is another historical opinion preceding Joseon dynasty concerning the origin of seolleongtang. According to this, the food was originated by the Mongolian invasion of Koryo in 13C. Mongolian food "Sulen" is sliced and boiled beef with green onions, which developed into seolleongtang in Korea.

Seonnongtang is now called seolleongtang for easier pronounciation. Among common mis-beliefs related to the dish, the name may come from its snowy white color and hearty taste.

Recipe

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

2½ pounds of ox bones, 2 pounds beef plank (or brisket or round), water, Korean radish (or daikon radish), onion, green onions, salt, black ground pepper, sesame oil.

Directions

Soak the ox bones and the beef in cold water for 20 minutes to remove any blood.

1. Rinse bones in cold water a couple of times to remove any bone chips. Drain the water.
2. Boil 14 cups water (3½ quarts) in a large pot.
3. Put the bones and beef into the pot of boiling water. Boil for about 10 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and take out the bones and beef. Get rid of the water.
5. Rinse and drain the meat in cold water to remove the excess fat.
6. If you only have one pot to use, clean it thoroughly with kitchen soap.
7. Put the bones and the beef back into the pot.
8. Add about 12 cups of water (3 quarts), 1 medium size onion, and 1½ pounds of peeled radish to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
9. When it starts boiling about 20-30 minutes later, lower the heat to simmer for 3 hours.
10. Turn off the heat and take the beef and radish out of the pot. Leave the bones behind.
11. Put the beef and the radish into a bowl.
12. Pour the brownish broth out of the pot and into a large bowl. We're going to keep boiling these bones and collect the broth into this collecting bowl as we go along. Keep it in the fridge during this process. If you have a larger pot, you could keep boiling the bones and adding water over hours and hours, but with a small pot we need to do it in stages and collect in this collecting bowl.
13. Fill the pot with water again (about 3 quarts) and boil over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. When it starts boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 2½ to 3 hours.
14. Turn off the heat, open the lid, and pour the broth into the collecting bowl. It will be a lot whiter than the first time we poured it out.
15. Fill your pot with water again and boil over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. When it starts boiling, lower the heat and simmer 2½ to 3 hours.
16. Turn off the heat, open the lid, and pour the broth into the collecting bowl. This time it will be really white, but thin.
17. Cool down the collecting bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Keep it in the refrigerator for several hours until all the fat floats to the top and gets solid. This is going to be our bone soup.

Serving

1. Take the bone soup out of the fridge. Remove the solid fat from the top with a spoon or strainer.
2. Slice the cooked beef thinly, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut radish into ¼ inch thick slices.
3. Reheat the bone soup and ladle the soup into a serving bowl.
4. Add a few slices of the beef and radish to the soup. Serve with warm rice and kimchi, along with chopped green onions, minced garlic, salt, and black ground pepper.
5. Add some salt, chopped green onion, and black ground pepper to the soup. Mix it well with your spoon. You can add warm rice to the soup and enjoy!

Video

Source: wikipedia, Visit Korea, Maangchi, korean bapsang, Red Dragon Diaries, CNN