Korean Beef and Radish Soup is a light but filling soup that is routinely eaten by Korean households. The soup broth is very light - not like a stew.
It draws most of its light flavor from the Korean Radish (similar to Japanese Daikon, but not the same). The texture of the brisket beef and soft-boiled radish complement each other very well. This soup is a comfort food for many Koreans. It taste great with a bowl of white rice.

Korean Beef and Radish Soup
Ingredients
- 400 grams Korean radish 4 slices, each slice the width of your thumbnail
- 100 grams Beef brisket (or fill ½ cup's worth)
- 30 grams Spring onion stalk - length of forearm
- 1 whole Shiitake mushroom
- 3 cups Rice Water (Or Use Anchovy-Dashima Broth)
Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Minced garlic
- 3 teaspoons Soup Soy Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Sesame oil
- Few pinches of Black pepper
Instructions
- Cube the Korean Radish into small bite-sized pieces. Slice the shiitake mushroom thinly. Slice the spring onion into small pieces
- Put pot on a medium-high heat. Place Sesame Oil (2 teaspoons) in. Once oil is hot, drop meat in and stir until you get a nice sear on them.
- Then drop the Korean Radish pieces into the pot and stir for approximately 30 seconds (or until you see the radish turn slightly clear)
- Place rice water into the pot and then cover it with a lid. Boil on medium (gentle simmer) for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, check the radish and see if it is soft - boil for slightly longer if needed
- Take off lid and skim off the oil/beef foam that is on the surface
- Place Minced garlic (1 teaspoon) and Soup Soy Sauce (3 teaspoons) into the soup. Then drop in mushroom and spring onions into the soup
- Let it boil for 2 more minutes.
- Eat it with bowl of hot rice.
Notes
- Soup Soy Sauce is different than regular soy sauce - it tastes less sweeter and saltier; but if you can't procure it - ok to use regular soy sauce
- Rice water helps bring the flavors together. You can also use anchovy-dashima broth - which makes the broth taste even deeper
- Reheat leftovers next morning - you will see that it will taste even better!
- Watch video below for step-by-step guide
Jiyoung says
Hello,
I'm excited to try your recipes! Can I substitute soy sauce for the soup soy sauce? We can't have gluten in our family.
Thank you!
tseem.ceeb.heev says
My kids really enjoyed the soup and complimented how tasty the soup was. I didn’t have shiitake so I used abalone mushroom. The rice water was ingenious, I enjoy sipping on warm rice water during a meal and didn’t think about using it in my soup. I noticed a sweet taste and could only attribute that to the rice water. Thank you for sharing.
Caity says
I really enjoyed this soup. It’s simple and fairly light, yet still cozy like soup should be. I omitted the mushrooms, simply because I don’t really like mushrooms. Still a great dish even without them. In the US most soups which contain meat are really heavy, often thickened with starch or flour, or contain beans or pasta—after eating them you’re really full. This soup is a nice change of pace, still meaty but light.
Danny! says
Happy you enjoyed it Caity! Exactly right - its a very light broth (not like a stew). We like to eat it during the winter teams with some rice on the side.
Donya says
I tried it out at home~~ tasted so good! Thanks for this simple recipe