Gamjatang is a wonderfully hearty and spicy Korean stew made with pork neck bones and potatoes. It’s a great frugal meal that Koreans enjoyed especially during the cold season. BTW, if you cannot get pork neck bones, you can just use pork ribs and it will still be delicious .

Gamjatang 감자탕 (Korean Pork Neck Bone Stew) is a dish that was not really common in Seoul when I was growing up. The first time I had it was when my nephew DW was fulfilling his military duties in Korea and my husband and I visited him. My nephew loves to eat (must run in the family) and his request was to eat 2 meals within 5 hrs of his time off with us!!

History of Gamjatang

Gamjatang originates from Korea’s Jeolla province and the history dates back to the Three Kingdoms(57 BC to 668 AD) when Jeolla people raised hogs for food. As you can imagine, hog neck bones were not a very highly sought after part of the animal and thus was something the commoner could easily make a meal out of.

Why is it called Gamjatang? What’s in the name?

Many think it’s called Gamjatang because Gamja 감자 means Potato in Korean and there are potatoes in this stew. But consensus is, that’s not really why. There is a part of the hog’s back bone that’s called Gamja and then the hog’s spinal cord is also called Gamja. So the name most likely originated from the fact that the back or neck bone along with perhaps the spinal cord was all cooked together in this yummy stew.

Ingredients

·         2 lb pork ribs or pork neck bones

For pre-cooking pork

·         1 Tbsp cooking sake or mirin

·         1 Tbsp pepper corns

·         1 Tbsp fresh ginger (just use 1 inch length)

·         1/2 Tbsp ground coffee

Vegetables and Aromatics

·         2 each potatoes russet

·         2 bunches green onions

·         1/2 pack enoki mushrooms

·         7 each crown daisies (Ssukaat)

·         10 each perilla leaves

·         8 each shishito peppers optional

·         1 bunch Seoul cabbage (napa cabbage is ok too)

·         3 each red chili peppers

Seasoning sauce

·         2 Tbsp Doenjang Korean Soybean paste

·         1 Tbsp Gochujang Korean Red Chili paste

·         1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

·         1 Tbsp garlic, chopped (about 4 cloves)

·         1/4 tsp black pepper

·         1 Tbsp Korean red chili powder Gochukaru 고추가루

·         1 tsp anchovy sauce, fermented Myeolchi Aekjeot 멸치액젓

·         2 tsp Gukganjang Korean soup soy sauce

·         2 Tbsp ground Perilla Seeds Deulkkae Garu 들깨가루

·         2 Tbsp cooking sake (mirin ok)

·         1/2 cup water

Instructions

Prepare Pork

1.    If using pork neck bones, soak in cold water for 1 hour to remove excess blood and smell. If using pork ribs, no need to soak.

2.    If using pork ribs, start boiling the pork now. If using pork neck bones, prepare below while soaking.

3.    Boil pork bones in a pot. Add enough water to cover the pork, add a splash of cooking sake/mirin/white wine, 1 Tbsp of pepper corns, 1 knob of ginger and 1/2 Tbsp of ground coffee. Bring to boil on medium high heat and then cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain. Add the pork (only not the liquid) back into the pot.

Prepare all vegetables.

1.    Peel potatoes and cut into big chunks about 1.5 inch cube.

2.    Rinse green onions, perilla leaves, red or green chili peppers, shishito peppers, seoul green cabbage and crown daisies.

3.    Cut red or green chili peppers into 1 inch to 1.5 inch lengths.

4.    Cut green onions into 2 inch lengths.

5.    Cut perilla leaves into thick strips.

Prepare Sauce

1.    Make seasoning sauce by mixing in Gochujang, Deonjang, chopped garlic, grated ginger, gukganjang, anchovy sauce, ground perilla seeds, black pepper, cooking sake and red chili powder.

Put it all together

1.    In the pot with pre-cooked pork, add water and the sauce from 5.

2.    Cook on medium high heat for 10 minutes.

3.    Add potatoes, chili peppers, cabbage and 1/2 of green onions to pork and simmer for 35 minutes or until the meat falls off the bone.

4.    Finish the stew by topping it with perilla leaves, more green onions and crown daisies. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and serve. Alternatively, you can cook the stew at the table - which is what most restaurants do in Seoul.

5.    Serve with some rice and a non-spicy banchans like Sukju Namul, Apple Onion Salad or various Jeons or Pancakes

Recipe Notes

·         Substitute any part of pork ribs for neck or back bone

·         If there's a porky or gamey smell, soak pork bones in cold water for 1 hr and pre-boil, discard liquid

·         Cook thoroughly and sufficiently until all the meat attached to the bone is tender

·         This is a very flavorful and fragrant stew - don't skimp on spices and perilla leaves or other garnishes

·         Add more red chili powder to increase the spice level

·         Ground perilla seed (Deulkkae Garu 들깨가루) is an important ingredient in this dish. You can make it without it but it just won't taste the same.

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