Ramen Seolleongtang Recipe

Blanch bones to remove impurities

Place beef shank and marrow/knuckle bones in a large stockpot. Cover with cold water (about 3 liters) and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain bones into a colander and discard the blanching liquid. Rinse bones thoroughly under cold running water, scrubbing away coagulated blood and scum. Clean the pot.

Simmer to extract collagen

Return the cleaned bones to the stockpot and add remaining water (use total 5 liters). Add halved onion, smashed garlic, daikon chunks, knotted white spring onion parts, whole black peppercorns and smashed ginger. Bring to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce heat to maintain a low rolling simmer. Skim any scum that rises during the first 30–45 minutes. Partially cover and simmer gently for 4 to 6 hours (for richer, cloudy seolleongtang-style broth you may simmer up to 8 hours). Occasionally skim and rotate bones so marrow dissolves into the broth.

Finish and season broth

After simmering, remove bones and large solids with tongs. If you want the ultra-milky, opaque broth characteristic of seolleongtang, continue to simmer uncovered and use a wooden spoon to agitate bones gently for 10–15 minutes to release more collagen, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a clean pot. Discard solids. Taste and add coarse sea salt (about 2 teaspoons) and more to taste. Keep broth hot over the lowest heat while you prepare noodles and toppings. Reserve some thinly sliced cooked beef from the shank for topping.

Prepare tare (seasoning paste)

In a small bowl combine white miso (3 tbs), light soy sauce (1 tbs) and sesame oil (1 tsp). Stir until smooth. Divide this tare evenly among the bottoms of four ramen bowls (about 1 tablespoon miso mixture per bowl). This will provide a light seasoning layer — adjust when serving if you prefer saltier broth.

Cook noodles

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add 1 tsp kosher salt. Cook fresh ramen noodles according to package instructions (usually 1–2 minutes for fresh; follow timing for dried). Stir to separate so they don’t clump. Immediately after cooking, drain noodles in a colander and briefly rinse under hot running water only if you will not serve right away; otherwise keep them warm.

Prepare eggs

If not already done, cook soft-boiled eggs: bring a small pot of water to a gentle boil, lower 4 eggs into water and cook 6–7 minutes for jammy yolks. Transfer to an ice bath for 5 minutes, peel and halve when cool enough to handle.

Slice and warm beef

Thinly slice reserved cooked beef shank or brisket against the grain into portions for each bowl. Warm briefly in a skillet or by dipping in the hot broth for 20–30 seconds so it is hot but tender.

Assemble bowls

Place portioned noodles into each bowl on top of the tare. Ladle very hot seolleongtang broth over the noodles, covering the tare and noodles (about 500–600 ml per bowl depending on appetite). Arrange warmed sliced beef atop the noodles. Add halved soft-boiled egg, sprinkle chopped green onions and a pinch of ground sesame seeds if using. Offer kimchi at the side or on top according to preference. Taste and adjust with additional coarse sea salt or togarashi at the table.

Serve

Serve immediately while hot. Encourage diners to stir the tare into the broth before eating so the miso-soy seasoning melds with the rich, milky beef broth.