Rich Perilla Gamjatang with Seasoned Napa Greens

Method

1. Soak the bones in cold water for 2 h to draw out the blood, changing the water every 30 minutes until it stays almost clear. The longer soak gives a cleaner broth with no porky smell; in hot weather, soak them in the fridge. Wash hands and bowl with soap after handling raw pork.

   Add in this stepPork neck bones (spine) 1,000 g

2. Bring plenty of water to a boil in a 24 cm pot on high heat, add the bones, let it return to the boil and blanch for 8 min. Drain and rinse each bone under running water, scraping out clots and scum with a chopstick, and snip off any loose lumps of hard fat with scissors. Wash the pot.

   high heat

3. Put the bones in the clean 24 cm pot with the water, onion, half the leek in big chunks, ginger, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and dried shiitake, and dissolve in the broth doenjang. Bring to a boil on high heat, then turn down to medium-low heat, set the lid ajar and simmer for 1 h 25 min. Skim foam and fat every 20 minutes and top up with hot water if the bones poke out. The meat should become tender enough to fall off the bone.

   Add in this stepWater 2,600 mlOnion ½Korean leek (large green onion) ½Ginger, sliced 15 gGarlic cloves, whole 5Whole black peppercorns 1 tspBay leaves 1Doenjang (for the broth) 1 tbspDried shiitake 2

   high heat→medium-low heat

4. While the bones simmer, make the ugeoji. Bring water to a boil in another pot on high heat, blanch the outer cabbage leaves for 2 min, rinse in cold water, squeeze dry and tear into long strips. In a bowl, massage the greens by hand with the doenjang for the greens, gochugaru, minced garlic, soup soy sauce, anchovy fish sauce, cooking wine and half the ground perilla seeds. Seasoning them ahead lets the greens taste of the stew rather than of plain cabbage.

   Add in this stepOuter napa cabbage leaves (for ugeoji) 250 gDoenjang (for the greens) 1 tbspGochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) 1½ tbspMinced garlic 1½ tbspKorean soup soy sauce 1½ tbspKorean anchovy fish sauce 1½ tspKorean cooking wine (mirin-style) 1½ tbspGround perilla seeds (deulkkae-garu) 1½ tbsp

   high heat

5. Fish out and discard the onion, leek, ginger, garlic and bay leaves; lift out the shiitake, slice it thinly and return it to the pot. Skim off the surface fat once more, add the potatoes and boil on medium-high heat for 10 min. Add the seasoned greens with all their seasoning, turn down to medium heat and simmer 15 min more, so the potatoes soak up the broth and it thickens.

   Add in this stepMedium potatoes 2

   medium-high heat→medium heat

6. Meanwhile mix the soy sauce, vinegar, mustard and sugar in a small dish to make the mustard-soy dip. Dipping the meat picked from the bones into it cuts through the richness.

   Add in this stepSoy sauce (for the dip) 1½ tbspRice vinegar 1 tspKorean or Japanese hot mustard paste ½ tspSugar ½ tsp

7. Stir in the remaining ground perilla seeds, taste and season with salt and pepper. Lay the perilla leaves, sliced leek and chilli on top, simmer for just 1 min and serve in the pot with the mustard-soy dip. Watch out for sharp bone fragments.

   Add in this stepGround perilla seeds (deulkkae-garu) 1½ tbspSalt to tasteGround black pepper to tastePerilla leaves (kkaennip) 6Korean leek (large green onion) ½Green chilli 1