Korea is famous for its soups and stews, especially during the fall and winter, when we all crave steaminghot comfort food. So much of Western cooking is about clarity in broths. This is the exact opposite: the bones are simmered hard so that the fat—the meat and marrow—emulsifi es into the broth, and what you get is a broth that has a satisfying mouthfeel. The brightness of the pumpkin is a great way to balance the rich broth. I don’t generally like wine with hot soups; instead, reach for a flavorful beer like Spring Street Saison from Avondale
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beef bones, with a little meat still on them
- 8 ounces daikon radish, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds
- ½ white onion, sliced about ¼ inch thick
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 12 Kabocha Dumplings
- 1 cup watercress sprigs
How to Make It
- Place the bones in a pot and add enough cold water to cover. Let sit at room temperature until all the blood has seeped out of the bones and meat, about 1 hour.
- Drain the bones, then fill the pot with enough cold water to cover the bones by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat to a simmer, skim off any foam that rises to the surface, and keep at a rolling simmer for about 3 hours, until the broth is reduced to 8 cups; continue skimming off foam diligently. The broth should be cloudy and milky white.
- Transfer the bones to a large bowl. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, then return it to the pot. Pull off any meat from the bones, chop it into small pieces, and add it to the soup. Discard the bones.
- Bring the soup to a simmer, add the daikon and onion slices, and simmer until the daikon is tender but still holds its shape, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the dumplings to the soup and simmer until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Divide the soup among four bowls (3 dumplings for each bowl). Garnish with the sprigs of watercress and serve immediately.
