Korea – Hangover Stew

by Evelyn Brutz

Haejang Guk is another name for the Hangover stew. It is called the SOUP TO CHASE HANGOVER. It is also named sulguk. Guk is actually a Korean cuisine category of Soup dishes. Any sort of Soups, Stew, Liquid gravy is placed in this category. It can be more liquidy or watery or also can be a thick sort of gravy. This dish included many vegetables and beef meat. But the famous combination of vegetables with meat is usually Cabbage and Beef broth. This vegetable placed into beefy broth makes it a more earthy flavor. Some herbs and spices are added to this broth for flavors.

There is another type of this same dish in which Congealed oxblood is added. Some variety has the addition of Sausages, peas, seafood, etc. Blood sausages are also added to this dish. This special type of sausage in which pig’s blood is packed into the intestinal membrane.

ALTERNATIVE NAMES

• Haejang guk
• Hangover stew
• Hangover soup
• Seonjiguk
• Sundaeguk

HANGOVER FOOD

Hangover food is said to be that food that has the potential to get rid of Hangover and chase the hangover. There is much food that is assumed to be good to those people who are in a hangover. Like if you are dealing with dehydration, thirst, dry throat, you can have this stew to get rid of this kind of difficulty.

Following are said to be hangover food like :

• Asparagus
• Fruit juice
• Lemon
• Green tea
• Coconut water
• Chicken noodle soup
• Hangover soup
• Miso soup, etc.

HISTORY OF HANGOVER STEW

The term seongjutang is assumed to be the origin of Hangover stew. It is said that ”soup to get sober” in nogeoldae, a book of old Chinese published in Goryeo Era. Seongjutang is the first time Hae Jang guk dish was written in this book. According to the record, it is said that this old traditional soup has the following ingredients :

• Thin noodles
• Scallion
• Beef Broth
• Cheoncho powder

This dish is eaten in many countries, Japan, Korea, China, etc. It is also famous worldwide and also formed by the addition of many regional ingredients to that particular area, like

• Cucumber
• Galbi
• Fermented beans paste
• Mushrooms, etc.

TYPES OF HANGOVER STEW

There are many variations of this stew because we can add any vegetable and any meat according to the taste of this dish. The traditional one has cabbage and beef, but many vegetables like cucumber, radish, spinach, peas, etc added. Broth of fish, prawns, mutton, chicken can also be cooked and many vegetables are added.

The basic flavor is come from broth and then the seasoning like spices, salt, herbs, etc. The use of vegetables in stew makes it good in texture and some crunch to the dish. The simple broth but with some vegetables can make the dish nutritious and good in flavors.

• Ugeojiguk : This stew is made with outer leaves of napa cabbage in beef broth
• Kongnamulguk : This stew is made by adding beans sprout, spicy beef broth with cabbage.
• Seonjiguk : This is made by congealed oxblood
• Jaecheopguk : It is made by garlic chives and Corbicula clams.
• Gul Gukbap : it is made with oyster and buchu

COMPONENTS OF THE HANGOVER SOUP

This soup has many components that can go well together.

BROTH

Broth of especially beef is made but there are also some varieties from which broth can be cooked like fish, octopus, prawns, chicken, etc. The broth is made like a dashi broth. It must be very thin in consistency and has all the nutritional values. When beef broth is cooked, meat with bones is used to make it juicier and umami flavor. The flavors that come out from the broth make it a very delicious and very earthy flavor. It took a while to cook the beef broth.

But when you are using meat like seafood so within 15 minutes this broth is made.

There is some meat options for broth making :

• Chicken
• Fish
• Prawns
• Beef
• Mutton
• Shrimp
• Clams
• Octopus, etc.

VEGETABLES

We can use any vegetable we like. But some vegetables have more fan following and are usually used in this dish like :

• Radish
• Mushroom
• Spinach
• Beans Sprouts
• Scallions
• Garlic chives, etc.

COMPLEMENTARY COMPONENTS

• Raw eggs
• Tofu
• Chili pepper
• Saeujeot
• Makgeolli
• Moju
• Blood sausages
• Blach pudding

INGREDIENTS

• Water : 10 cups
• Sesame oil : 4 tbsp
• dried kombu : 1 sheet
• Shiitake mushrooms : 5 to 8
• Green scallions : 4 bunches
• Tofu : 1 cup
• Pepper flakes : 1 tbsp
• Napa cabbage leaves : 10 to 12
• beef pieces with bones : 2 pounds
• Korean radish : 1 cup
• Sesame seeds : 2 tbsp
• Soybean sprouts : 1 cup
• Garlic cloves : 5 to 6
• Korean bean paste fermented : 6 tbsp
• Korean red pepper flakes : 1 tbsp
• Fish sauce : 1/2 cup
• Mirin : 1/2 cup
• Sake : 4 tbsp

METHOD OF COOKING

• In a bowl add garlic cloves, beans paste, red pepper flakes, fish sauce and mirin and mix them well.
• Now let it set while broth is cooking.
• In a cooking pot, add sesame oil and beef pieces, give it a stir and then add 10 cups of water.
• When ater starts boiling, add kombu sheets and cook it for 10 minutes.
• The taste of kombu dissolved into beef broth.
• After that remove the kombu sheets and add all the vegetables like raddish, soya bean sprouts, mushrooms.
• Cook it for further 20 minutes, when beef is cooked completely, add dry spices.
• Mix the spices well with the beef broth.
• We have prepared a mixture before with fish sauce and mirin.
• Add this sauce into the broth and mix well to serve.