Dwaeji Gukbap Recipe

Dwaeji Gukbap is Busan's signature comfort food: a milky, deeply savoury pork broth ladled over rice with slices of tender pork. Diners season it themselves with shrimp paste and chilli, making every bowl personal.

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

120 mins

Total time

140 mins

Servings

4 servings

Calories

620

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork neck bones or pork shoulder bones
• 500 g pork shoulder or belly
• 3 litres water
• 1 onion, halved
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• Salt, to taste
• Cooked short-grain rice, to serve
• Salted shrimp (saeujeot), chilli paste and kimchi, to serve
• Toasted sesame seeds and black pepper, to garnish

Instructions

1. Rinse the bones, cover with water and boil hard for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse clean.
2. Return the bones and pork shoulder to a clean pot with 3 litres of water, onion, garlic and ginger.
3. Bring to a boil, skim well, then simmer gently for 1 hour 30 minutes until the broth turns milky.
4. Lift out the pork shoulder, slice it thinly and set aside; strain the broth and season with salt.
5. Place a scoop of rice in each bowl, ladle over the hot broth and top with sliced pork.
6. Garnish with spring onions, sesame seeds and pepper, and serve with saeujeot, chilli paste and kimchi on the side.
7. Let each person season their own bowl to taste.

Pro tips

• Blanching the bones first is what keeps the broth clean-tasting rather than cloudy and greasy.
• A gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, builds the milky colour gradually.
• Slice the pork thinly against the grain so it stays tender in the hot broth.
• Season lightly at first; the salted shrimp served alongside adds plenty of salt.

Frequently asked questions