How To Make Ppyeo-Haejangguk? A Refreshing Korean Hangover Soup

In Korean, Haejang-guk means “hangover soup.” After a long week at work, many people unwind with a glass of wine or other beverages. However, sometimes we overindulge, resulting in a dreaded hangover.

One popular variant, Ppyeo-Haejang-guk also known as Ox Bone Hangover Soup, is a hearty dish made by simmering ox bones with a variety of vegetables. It is a nourishing soup believed to help hangover symptoms and restore energy.

If you’re struggling to recover from a hangover, give these Korean soups a try.

Ppyeo-Haejang-guk

Ingredients 

• 2 pounds of sliced ox bones
• 2 pounds of napa cabbage (or chard)
• 6 quarts (24 cups) of water
• ¼ cup Korean fermented soybean paste (doenjang)
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 green chili peppers, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 green onions, chopped
• Korean hot pepper flakes (Gochu-garu), optional

Directions to make bone broth

• Wash and rinse the bones in cold water to remove any bone fragments. Soak them in cold water  to remove any blood.
• Boil 6 quarts of water in a heavy pot over high heat. When the water boils vigorously, drain the bones and add them to the boiling water.
• Cover and lower the heat to medium and let it boil for 4 hours. Check the amount of broth. If it gets below 6 cups, add more cold water. Boil longer until the broth is nice and milky and you still have at least 6 cups of broth.
• Remove from the heat. Strain the bones to separate from the broth.
• Let the bones cool down until you can handle them, and remove any ligaments or bits of meat left on them. Keep the bits in a bowl.
• Let the broth cool down. Keep it in the fridge for several hours or overnight until it solidifies. If you can’t wait that long, you can fill a large bowl with ice and cold water, and set your bowl of broth on top of it. Change the water and ice one time. Your broth will end up cool and wobbly.
• You’ll see a layer of brownish yellow fat has solidified on the surface, skim it off with a spoon.

Directions to make haejangguk

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the cabbage for 5 minutes. Strain and rinse in cold water a couple of times to remove any dirt left. Strain the cabbage and chop up into small pieces.
• Combine the cabbage, doenjang, garlic, green chili pepper, and fish sauce in a bowl and mix it well by hand or a wooden spoon.
• Put the cabbage mix to a large pot with 6 cups of bone broth along with the leftover bits of ligament and meat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes over medium high heat.
• Turn down the heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes.

(Recipe credit: Maangchi)