2.007
12 (Wed) January 2011
Ugeoji Sagol Tang
3.0
at Meedam
(Ajou University Hospital)
-Woncheon, Yeongtong, Suwon, Gyeonggi, Korea-
with the Family
For various Korean guk or tang , a form of stock is made from sagol (사골), the leg bones of a cow. Whereas boiled galbi (ribs) produces stock that’s clear in appearance yet rich from the fat of the rib meat, a sagol stock is milky opaque yet crisp in taste. Koreans value sagol stock for its perceived nutritious value.
Ugeoji (우거지) are the outer leaves of napa cabbage. In growing the cabbage for kimchi, the leaves are peeled off and set aside as being too tough/fibrous. Back in the day, supposedly, poor farmers would sell the heads of cabbage and keep the otherwise unsellable outer leaves for themselves, drying them to preserve for consumption during the winter months when food was scarce. When boiled, they become soft and rich with flavor. Ugeoji guk/tang, often seasoned with doenjang, often a bit spicy, give off a rustic, humble, down-to-earth vibe, even when the stock is made from expensive beef leg bones. And for some reason, the soups have come to be regarded as hangover remedies.
