Korea – Beef Jeongol, Korean Style Hotpot

by Evelyn Brutz

Jeongol is the dish that is Korean-style Hotpot. We all are familiar with the word hotpot. This is originated in China. Chinese cuisine has the dish hotpot that is cooked and served and eaten in the same pot and the same place. This dish is Korean style hotpot. The idea of this dish is taken from the Chinese cuisine but have ingredients and cooking method in Korean style. All kinds of meat and vegetables, seasonings are added together in a pot with broth and cooked together. This dish ends up like a stew with cooked ingredients. When all ingredients are cooked together, they have developed the juices and taste of every ingredient in the broth. The most famous combination of Jeongol is beef and mushrooms. These are very commonly used ingredients in the jeongol dish. Seafood is also the favorite meat of Koreans. Prawns, clams, shrimps, salmon, etc. This dish is very similar to the dish, jjigae.

Jjigae is a Korean-style stew. This is spicy, liquidy, broth, or stew made up of meat. Meat is most probably either beef or seafood. Then some vegetables and other food items are added for more taste. Tofu and mushrooms are very common in Korea when stews and broths are cooking. Jjigae is a dish in which broth is cooked by one kind of meat and only one side ingredient is added like just mushrooms are added or tofu. From this fact, we have only one ingredient stew in the form of Jjigae, like :

• Kimchi jjigae
• Soft tofu jjigae
• Mushroom jjigae

HOTPOT

Hotpot is originated from China and it is a dish in which simmering soup is cooked on the serving table with many elements you like to add and cook. This dish is a very versatile dish because you can add different ingredients of your choice. Different variety of meat is added in the same dish, all the vegetables you can add according to your choice.

This dish has many other names like :

• Hot-pot
• Soup pot
• Hotpot
• Steam boat
• Soup boat

Hotpot is originated in China but has popularity throughout the world, mostly in the :

• Japan
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Korea
• Veitnam
• Europe ( switzerland )
• Phillippines

HEALTHY BENEFITS OF HAVING JEONGOL

• Beef Jeongol is the source nutrients like Niacin, Carnitine, etc
• This is very healthy stew because it has all the met varieties and vegetables
• Jeongol has an anti oxidant property in the form of beef meat.
• It helps in preventing illness like cold and flu.
• It reduces the risk of disease.
• It is very good diet for malnutrients.
• It helps in strengthens the immune system.
• The protien portion in jeongol provide muscle mass to the body.
• It is rich in minerals and nutreints like calcium, zinc, iron, phosphate, etc.
• This soothes the body in winters.
• It makes body very healthy and taste amazing.

HISTORY OF JEONGOL

Manguksamulkiwon Yeoksa is a book of old Korean customs. Manguksamulkiwon Yeoksa means ‘The History of Various Objects from all over the World”. This book is from the era of JOSEON ERA.

In this book, Jeongol is said to be originated in ancient times when soldiers used to cook the food in their helmet by adding all the ingredients they have and cook it. They ate it in the same way like in the same pot. At times of war, they used to call this dish jeolliptu that means SOLDIER’S HAT.

The soldiers said that they cooked all the ingredients they found during the war and cooked together in the helmet. They said they had beef meat, baby octopus, pine nuts, bamboo shoots, and oysters.

NUTRITION

• 246 calories
• 25 g of Carbohydrates
• 8 g of fat
• 19 g of protein
• 7 g of sugar
• 700 mg of sodium
• 4 g of dietary fiber

KOREAN SOUPS AND STEWS

Korean soups and stews have many varieties. They have categories of soups and broth and then have subcategories depending on the texture, ingredients, and consistency of broth.

GUK : Guk is the category in which soups and thick broths are placed. The main ingredient is meat broth and you can add any vegetables, meat slices, seasonings, and thick consistency. The soup is more towards the thick side because sometimes noodles are added, rice is added to make to less thin.

TANG : Tang is way more different from Guk. It has a very thin consistency like a stock and broth. This is the meaty broth of any kind of meat like beef. fish. chicken, etc, and different vegetables are added. They have no or less addition of noodles and rice to make it thin like water. It tastes very amazing and thin in consistency.

JJIGAE : Jjigae is a stew of moderate consistency but it has only one ingredient to be used. Like the famous jjigae is mushroom jjigae or soft tofu jjigae. The stew is made by any meat and only one side element is added.

VARIATION OF JEONGOL

SINSEOLLO

Sinseollo is the royal hotpot dish. It is the variation of the Jeongol dish. This dish has special ingredients in the form of :

• Meat balls
• Jeonyueo (fritters)
• Walnuts
• Ginkgo
• Pine nuts, etc.

This dish is placed in the ”KOREAN ROYAL COURT CUISINE”.

Joseon Wangjo Gungjung yori, is the style of cooking in Korean cuisine. It was consumed at the time of the Joseon Dynasty. From 1392 to 1910 the cookery style of Korean dishes is placed as Royal Court Korean Cuisine.

There are various dishes like the following :

• Chojang 
• Chaeso
• Mareunchan 
• Dalgyal 
• Gonggi 
• Hongban , etc

JEONGOL VARIETIES

• Bosin jeongo : This is made by Dog’s meat.
• Haemul jeongol : This dish is made by Seafood meat.
• Nakji jeongol : Jeongol is made by small octopus
• Dubu jeongol : Tofu jeongol
• Beoseot jeongol : This is made by mushroom

INGREDIENTS

BROTH

• Beef : 2 lbs
• Sesame oil : 2 tbsp
• Garlic cloves : 6
• Salt : 1/2 tsp

SEASONINGS

• Salt : 1 tsp
• gochugaru : 3 tbsp
• Jeotgal : 1 tsp
• Red chili flakes : 2 tbsp

CONDIMENTS

• Mushrooms : 1 cup
• Scallions : 1/2 cup
• Bamboo shoots : 1/2 cup
• Tofu : 1/2 cup
• Kimchi : 1 cup

COOKING DIRECTIONS

• Take all the broth ingredients in a cooking pot with 4 glass of water in it.
• Let it cook for 20 minutes on low heat.
• Simmer this broth until meat is half done.
• Now add other all the ingredients with seasoning in the broth stock.
• Let this mixture to cook for 10 more minutes.
• This is ready to serving in the same pot.
• In order to garnish it, add sesame seeds and egg in the top of the bowl.
• Serve it hot simmering soup.