Gamja Tang (Spicy pork shoulder stew)

Happy Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and memorable start to 2010! I’m humbled and honored that people want to read about my recipes. Thank you so much for reading this site!

I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a Dutch oven (aka French oven) for Christmas! I wanted to buy one for a while, as they are perfect for braising and cooking stews- something my stainless steel pots can’t handle. Modern dutch ovens are made of ceramic that is coated in enamel, distributing heat evenly once the lid is closed. It comes in handy for making wonderfully warm soups for bitterly cold winter days (like today).

After some research, I decided to go with a 5-quart Fontignac oven, from the same makers of Staub (since 1929!). I considered going with a Le Creuset, especially because of the lifetime warranty, but I think I’ll just wait to get that a little bit later.

Gamja Tang is a dish that you either love or have never heard of (unless you’re an older Korean man or drink a lot of alcohol). While this Korean dish is not as ubiquitous as Kimchi stew, it’s definitely an underrated dish! When I first tried it, I was intrigued by the unique combination of flavors that I’ve never tasted before.

Contrary to popular belief, this dish is called Gamja Tang (literally means potato stew), referring to the cut of meat, not the potatoes. A word of warning – do not add any salt or soy sauce to the dish as the seasons from all the other ingredients will suffice. Be sure to prepare this dish the night before you actually want to eat it as it takes a while to make!

Recipe: Gamja Tang (spicy pork shoulder soup)
Makes 8-10 servings

Adapted from Cafe Naver

Ingredients:

2 pounds of pork shoulder with bone
4 potatoes, whole
4 tablespoons of wild sesame seeds (save 1 tablespoon for end)
4 tablespoons of dwenjang (bean paste)
3 tablespoons of gochujang (red bean paste)
3 tablespoons of shrimp jut (tiny salted shrimp)
3 tablespoons of rice wine
1 tablespoon of coffee
3 teaspoons of black pepper
1 teaspoon of gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
2 large onions, cut in half
5 Serrano chilies, cut in half
3 stalks of scallions (leave whole)
1 bunch of sesame leaves
10 cloves of garlic
1 knob of ginger (finely chopped)

Procedure:

1. Place pork bones to a large pot and with enough tap water to cover the bones. Let it soak for two hours. (If you’re unable to soak it for two hours, then just rinse out the blood as much as you can).

2. Drain bloody water and add about 1 cup of fresh tap water. In the pot, mix coffee and dwenjang to the bones (this will help get rid of the gamey smell of the pork). I threw in some ginger in there as well.

3. Bring to a quick boil (about 3 minutes). Rinse each piece of meat one by one and add back to the clean pot.

4. Mix together gochujang, gochugaru, dwenjang, salted shrimp, rice wine, black pepper and 3 tablespoons of wild sesame seeds in a bowl.

5. Add meat pieces back into the pot. Fill with water until submerged. Add scallions, onions, chillies, and garlic. Pour sauce in and stir. Close lid and boil until the stock has reduced to about 1/3, about 2 hours.

6. Pick out meat pieces from the pot. Then using a sieve, drain the liquid. Now you will only have meat pieces and clean broth remaining. Cool meat pieces and broth to room temperature and place in the fridge overnight. This will season the meat to perfection.

7. The next day, add peeled, whole potatoes to the pot. If there isn’t enough liquid, add 1 cup of water.

8. Heat up the pot with potatoes and meat pieces. Add sesame leaves and a heaping tablespoon of wild sesame seeds. Bring to a boil and you’re done! Eat around the bones, though at this point, it has been cooked thoroughly and should fall apart quite easily.