Beef Radish Soup Using Beef Chuck: 3 Secrets to Removing Radish Bitterness and Enhancing Broth Flavor

When preparing beef radish soup, which is an essential part of holiday memorial service tables, many people consider using cheaper cuts instead of brisket due to soaring prices. According to a video from "Exciting Chef Kim Sun-young," specific methods have been identified to use relatively inexpensive beef chuck while removing the bitterness of the radish and creating a deep broth flavor.

Removing Radish Bitterness and the 2-Step Seasoning Method

Radishes before the kimchi-making season can have a strong, characteristic spicy and bitter taste. To solve this, the video suggests a process of slicing the radish and soaking it for 10 minutes in a liquid mixture of 1/2 cup of cooking wine and 2 cups of water. Going through this process removes the stinging and bitter taste of the radish and brings out its natural sweetness. When slicing the radish, you can add visual abundance by using the "diagonal slicing" method, making the pieces small enough to fit into a spoon.

The key to the seasoning process is to use the seasoning sauce in two separate stages. Half of the seasoning sauce—made by mixing 1/2 tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of soup soy sauce (or tuna sauce/blue crab sauce), 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, and pepper—is used first as a base seasoning when sautéing the meat. At this time, if you put the meat in while the pot is already heated, it may stick to the bottom, so you must put the meat and the base seasoning in and sauté them while the heat is turned off. The remaining half of the seasoning is added when boiling with the radish to ensure the seasoning penetrates into the radish.

Eliminating Radish Earthiness and Enhancing Broth Flavor with a Slice of Ginger

The factor that determines the clean aftertaste of the broth is ginger. During the process of boiling the meat and water, adding one whole slice of ginger to boil together can catch the characteristic earthy smell of the radish while simultaneously elevating the flavor of the broth. The ginger can be removed after the broth has sufficiently infused.

During the cooking process, if the broth reduces too much and becomes like a stew depending on the amount of water, you can adjust the consistency by adding about one cup of water. Finally, adding round-sliced green onions completes the beef radish soup suitable for a holiday table setting. The video uses 300g of beef chuck, 600g of radish, 1/3 of a green onion, 1 slice of ginger, 2–3 packets of powdered broth, and 6 cups of water as the basic ingredients.