This is the kind of soup that shows up on a Korean table almost without comment — a clear anchovy-kelp broth, a few slices of shiitake, and some baby bok choy wilted in at the very end. It is light, savory, and takes about twenty minutes from start to bowl.
Koreans eat a soup like this alongside rice and a couple of banchan for an ordinary weekday meal. It is also a common choice when someone in the house wants something gentle: no chili, no heavy fat, just the clean depth that dried anchovies and dasima (kelp) give to water.
What makes it worth making is how much flavor comes out of so little. The shiitake stems, which most recipes throw away, go into the broth to steep and are strained out later — a small, thrifty step that adds real body.
Ingredients
- 5g dried anchovies for broth (3 anchovies, about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 piece dasima dried kelp (5 x 1cm, about 2 x 1/2 inch)
- 10g onion (2 x 1cm piece, about 1 tablespoon chopped)
- Shiitake mushroom stems
- 5g guk-ganjang Korean soup soy sauce (1 teaspoon)
- 300ml water (1 1/2 cups)
- 20g baby bok choy (1 head, about 3/4 oz)
- 20g shiitake mushrooms (2 caps, about 3/4 oz)
- 2g minced garlic (1/3 teaspoon)
Instructions
- Put the shiitake mushroom stems, the anchovies with heads and guts removed, the dasima kelp, and the onion into cold water and boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes to make an anchovy broth.
- Strain out the shiitake stems, anchovies, kelp, and onion from the broth, then slice the shiitake mushrooms into thin pieces and cut the baby bok choy into 4cm (about 1 1/2 inch) lengths.
- Add the prepared shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy to the boiling broth, season with the soup soy sauce, then add the garlic and let it come to a brisk boil once.
Tips & Variations
- Guk-ganjang (Korean soup soy sauce) is saltier and lighter in color than regular soy sauce, and it is what keeps this broth clear. Look for it at a Korean market or online. If you must substitute, use regular soy sauce sparingly and add a pinch of salt — the color will be darker.
- Dried anchovies and dasima are sold in bags at Korean and most Asian groceries. Always pull the heads and dark guts off the anchovies; leaving them in makes the broth bitter and fishy.
- Do not boil the kelp too long. Ten minutes is right. Past that it turns slimy and gives off a strong ocean smell.
- Save your mushroom stems. If you are using fresh shiitake, the stems from the two caps are exactly what the recipe calls for. Dried shiitake works too — soak them first and use the soaking water as part of your 300ml.
- Baby bok choy cooks in under a minute. Add it at the very end so it stays green and slightly crisp.
- This makes a small, single-serving amount. Scale everything up proportionally if you are feeding a table.
Nutrition
- Calories: 45 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Fat: 1 g
- Sodium: 2441 mg