Gamjatang: Korean Pork Neck & Potato Stew

⏱ 210 min · Serves 4

A bubbling, deeply savoury Korean stew of fall-apart pork neck bones, whole potatoes and wilted greens in a spicy perilla-scented broth. It takes a lazy afternoon of simmering, but the reward is a pot of pure comfort that only gets better as you scoop out the marrow.

Per serving: 690 kcal · 52.0g protein · 41.0g carbs · 34.0g fat

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg pork neck bones (gamjatang bones)
• 1 onion, halved
• 8 garlic cloves (4 whole, 4 minced)
• 1 thumb ginger, sliced
• 2 spring onions, whole, plus 3 sliced to serve
• 60 ml soju or dry sherry (optional)
• 4 medium floury potatoes, peeled and left whole
• 200 g napa cabbage or savoy, cut into large pieces
• 150 g soybean sprouts
• 3 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
• 2 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp ground perilla seeds (or 2 tbsp toasted ground sesame seeds)
• 10 perilla leaves (or shiso), torn
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt, to taste
• Steamed short-grain rice, to serve

Method

1. Soak the pork neck bones in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water twice, to draw out blood. Drain.
2. Put the bones in a large pot, cover with cold water, bring to a rolling boil and boil hard for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse each bone under the tap to remove all scum, and scrub out the pot.
3. Return the clean bones to the pot with 2.5 litres fresh water, the halved onion, whole garlic cloves, ginger, whole spring onions and soju. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently, partly covered, for 1 hour 30 minutes until the meat is tender but still clinging to the bone.
4. Fish out and discard the onion, ginger and spring onions. Skim the fat from the surface.
5. Whisk together the gochugaru, doenjang, gochujang, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic and sugar with a ladleful of the hot broth, then stir this paste back into the pot.
6. Add the whole potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, until a knife slides in with slight resistance.
7. Add the cabbage and soybean sprouts and simmer 10 minutes more, until the potatoes are fully tender and the greens are silky.
8. Stir in the ground perilla seeds and season with salt to taste. Simmer 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
9. Scatter over the torn perilla leaves and sliced spring onion. Serve straight from the pot with bowls of rice — and a small spoon for the marrow.