Beoseot Jeongol
(Korean Mushroom Hotpot)
This is one of my
favorite dishes. Jeongol pans are similar in appearance to paella pans – anything
wide and deep will do. Hotpots are generally cooked on a burner on the table
while everyone gathers round watching it simmer. If you don’t have a burner for
your table, you can just as easily cook it on your stovetop and move it to the
table for serving. The broth is the star of this dish. You want to make it
multidimensional with lots of umami flavor.
Broth (enough for 2
hotpots):
2 c dried shitake mushroom (or equivalent amount of several dried
varieties)
4 c boiling water
2 -2”pieces of kombu (dried kelp)
6 lg dried
anchovies
4 c water
½ T salt
Rinse dried mushrooms to remove grit and place in a large
bowl. Cover with boiling water and put a weighted plate on top to keep
mushrooms submerged, until mushrooms are fully rehydrated for around 1 hour.
Reserve liquid for broth and slice mushrooms (remove hard stems) for the hot
pot.
Put remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove
and discard anchovies and kombu. Combine with mushroom liquid and keep at a low
simmer.
Bulgogi:
1 lb of thinly sliced beef (bulgogi style) such as flank
steak
½ onion, sliced
3 green onions, split and sliced in 2” pieces including
green and white parts
5 T soy sauce
2 T sesame oil
2 T sesame seeds
1½ T sugar in the raw
2 T minced garlic
1 T minced ginger
½ t black pepper
Combine and set aside for a least 1 hour.
Make Two HotPots (one
with beef and one without):
Ingredients for one
hotpot
2 -3 lb fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (oyster, king
oysters, enoki, brown, shitake, etc.)
rehydrated mushrooms, sliced
bulgogi
1 onion, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onion, split and sliced in 2” pieces including
green and white parts
1 block tofu, sliced
watercress, chopped (optional)
1 T Korean red pepper flakes (gochu karu), optional
½ c soy sauce
1 T black vinegar
1 T sesame oil
In large wide jeongol pan, lightly coat with oil and arrange
vegetables and beef. Reserve a few green onion tops for adding at the end. Put a mound of raw bulgogi in the
center (omit in the vegetarian pot) and arrange mushrooms, onions and green
onions in little stacks all around it. Here is an example below:
Add slices of tofu on top of the other ingredients. Sprinkle
generously with black pepper. Heat pan over medium for about 5 minutes, until
fresh mushrooms release their liquid. Add warm broth until vegetables are just
covered. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer until beef and vegetables are
cooked, about 10 minutes. Add soy sauce and black vinegar. Taste broth and adjust seasoning if
necessary. As it cooks, stir it around. Sprinkle with watercress and a few
reserved green onion tops. Add enoki mushrooms if using and cook until wilted
about 1 minute. Add 1 T sesame oil.
Serve with steamed rice.
Continue adding additional broth as necessary as people
serve themselves from the pot.
