Naengi-guk (Shepherd's Purse Soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium soup pot, 3 to 4 quart capacity
• •Large bowl for washing greens
• •Small knife or vegetable brush for scrubbing roots
• •Fine sieve for dissolving doenjang

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the naengi

   Trim only the dried brown tip from each naengi root. Do not cut the root away unless it is woody or damaged, because the root carries the fragrance. Soak the naengi in a large bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, then rub the root with your fingers or the back of a small knife. Rinse in two more changes of water until no grit falls to the bottom of the bowl.

   If the leaves are large, cut the naengi into 2-inch lengths after washing. If they are young and small, leave them whole.
2. 2

   Build the broth

   Put the water, kelp, and anchovies in a medium pot. Bring it slowly to a simmer over medium heat. Pull the kelp out as soon as the water begins to tremble at the edges, before it turns the broth slick and bitter. Simmer the anchovies for 8 more minutes, then remove them. You want a clean base that supports the naengi, not one that announces itself first.

3. 3

   Dissolve the doenjang

   Lower the heat to medium-low. Press the doenjang through a small sieve into the broth, or whisk it in very well until no lumps remain. Start with 2 1/2 tablespoons. Doenjang changes by house and by maker, so taste before adding more. The broth should be savory and rounded, but still light enough for a spring green.

4. 4

   Season the soup

   Add the guk-ganjang and garlic and simmer 2 minutes. The soup soy sauce seasons more cleanly than extra doenjang, which can make the soup heavy. Taste the broth now. If it is flat, add another 1/2 teaspoon guk-ganjang. If it is already salty, leave it alone.

5. 5

   Add tofu

   Slide in the tofu, if using, and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Tofu makes this a fuller weeknight soup, but it should not crowd the bowl. Naengi-guk is still about the green and its root.

6. 6

   Finish with naengi

   Add the cleaned naengi and stir it under the broth. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, just until the stems soften and the leaves turn a deeper green. Do not boil it hard and do not cook it until dull. The herb should still taste like spring, slightly bitter, clean, and alive under the doenjang.

7. 7

   Serve at once

   Turn off the heat. Scatter in the scallion and green chili, and add the sesame oil only if your naengi is older and more bitter. Ladle into bowls with rice beside it. Write down the exact doenjang amount that suited your paste today. Memory is a borrowed bowl.

Chef Tips

• •Buy naengi with firm white roots and perky leaves. Yellow leaves and slimy crowns mean it has waited too long. Cook the month you are standing in: this soup belongs to late winter and early spring.
• •If you cannot find fresh naengi, do not pretend spinach is the same dish. Make spinach doenjang-guk instead, or use young arugula with the understanding that the peppery bite is different and the root fragrance will be missing.
• •Commercial doenjang is often milder and smoother than house-made doenjang. If yours is mild, you may need up to 3 tablespoons total. Add it in teaspoons after tasting, because too much paste buries the naengi.
• •Clams are a good variation. Add 200g scrubbed small clams after the doenjang dissolves, simmer until they open, then add the naengi. Discard any clams that stay closed.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat it, dissolve the doenjang, and add the naengi only at the end.
• •Naengi can be washed up to 1 day ahead. Dry it well, wrap it in a barely damp towel, and refrigerate it in a covered container. Do not cut it until cooking, or the leaves wilt faster.
• •The finished soup is best eaten the day it is made. Reheating dulls the green and pushes the pleasant bitterness too far.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 410g)