Gamjatang or Pork bone and potato soup

Gamjatang (pork bone and potato soup) is another Korean traditional nutritious dish. It’s usually made with pork spine bones, but you can use pork neck bones in this recipe.  The recipe is below.

The pork bones needs to be cooked until tender, which could be 3-4 hours depending on the source of your pork bones.

Perilla leaves is essential to this Korean dish - These are often labeled as “sesame leaves,” which is the correct translation, from what I've read but this plant isn’t related to the real sesame plant.

If you are tired of eating the same old, same old sinigang na baboy, try this recipe. It is a bit spicy which is really good to eat if you lost your appetite.

This pork bone and potato soup goes well with hot bowl of white rice.

I read somewhere that this dish is considered good for hangover.

The potato should be cooked until soft.

I followed the recipe from the Kimchi Chronicles, which I find to be the easiest and  required the least number of ingredients.  the only one ingredient that I did not use is the perilla seeds.

Ingredients:
Pork neck bones, onion, garlic, ginger, potatoes, green onions, perilla leaves, soybean paste, hot pepper flakes, hot pepper paste, cooking wine, perilla seeds powder (deulkkae garu), sesame seeds, fish sauce and soy sauce.

Procedure:
Soak the pork bones in water for 2 hours then drain. Bring the pork bone to the boil in a large stockpot of water for 5 minutes to cleanse the bone. Pour out the boiled water, rinse the pork bone under cold water and wash the pot. Boil the pork bone in new water for 2 hours with the stock ingredients and skim the foam that forms on the surface. Top up water about every 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into bite size pieces.  Wash the perilla leaves and tear into small pieces if the leaves are too big. Mix your sauce ingredients (red pepper paste, bean paste, garlic, ginger, cooking wine, soy sauce, fish sauce) in a small bowl and set aside. Add your potatoes, onions, sesame and perilla seeds(slightly ground in mortar and pestle), doenjang and sauce mix to the stock and cook for further 15 minutes or until potatoes cooked. Add cut green onion when ready to serve.  Serve with a bowl of hot rice.