Lis from The Subversive Table shares her story and her hearty recipe with us.

---

When I was a kid, my favourite soup was oxtail soup. Not chicken noodle soup. Or tomato soup. Instead, I loved my Korean grandmother’s soup made from funny looking bones.

Halmoni (my grandmother) used to say that you needed good bones to make good soup. Well, good bones but also fat, tendon, and cartilage. The strange bits and pieces that couldn't be found in any canned soup at the supermarket ensured rich-tasting stock and a super megadose of vitamins and nutrients. Read the rest of her food story on her blog.

KOREAN OXTAIL SOUP (KKORI GOMTANG)

Created by Lis (The Subversive Table) for Bessie

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs Bessie beef oxtails
• 1 lb radish, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 large onion, peeled but kept whole (for easier removal)
• 8 cups water 2 tsps salt, or to taste
• 4 green onions chopped
• 4 oz (or large handful) Dangmyeon (Korean sweet potato noodle), presoaked in cold water for 15 minutes (optional)

Tools

• Large pot
• Slotted spoon

Steps

To Parboil

1. Receive your Bessie Box delivery
2. Cover (uncooked & defrosted) oxtails with cold water.
3. Drain bloody water and rinse bones. Return bones to the pot. Cover with cold water.
4. Bring contents of the pot to a boil. Let simmer furiously for 3-5 minutes until the water looks dirty and scum rises to the surface.
5. Drain soup. Rinse bones thoroughly. Wash the pot.

To Make the Soup

1. Return parboiled bones to the pot. Add cold water, onion, and radish.
2. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer with the lid partially on/off. The soup is done when the meat is tender and the broth is milky-looking, about 2-3 hours. You will need to add water from time to time (just enough to cover the bones). Make sure that the broth doesn’t reduce too much and the bones are covered with liquid.
3. Remove onion with a slotted spoon. If using Dangmyeon, add drained, presoaked noodles and cook until clear and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add salt to taste and stir thoroughly. Add green onion (you can also serve the green onion at the table). Serve immediately with rice and kimchi.

Enjoy! Want to learn more about the story behind the recipe? Visit Lis's blogpost.

---

Get cooking:
Want to try our interesting cuts? | Order today and add-on oxtail!
Recipes | Check out more Bessie recipes