ImJjang’s Ultra-Speed Yukgaejang

Restaurant-quality spicy beef soup — on the table in 15 minutes

Introduction

Yukgaejang (육개장) is one of the great pillars of Korean cuisine — a deeply spiced, crimson broth enriched with shredded beef, fresh vegetables, and the unmistakable warmth of chili oil. Traditionally, this soup demands hours of simmering. In the hands of Chef Im Seong-geun (임성근), known to his audience as ImJjang (임짱), it demands fifteen minutes.

In this re-uploaded video titled “[재업] 여러분도 15분 만에 만들 수 있습니다” — “You Can Make This in 15 Minutes Too” — Chef Im distills his decades of professional kitchen experience into a single-pot recipe that any home cook can replicate on a weeknight. The dish is structured around one non-negotiable technique: building the chili oil base in precise sequence to extract maximum colour and flavour without any bitterness from burning.

Chef Im also shares one of his characteristically bold flavour-pairing insights: adding tuna sauce (참치액) to a meat-based broth. The collision of sea-derived umami with the richness of the beef broth produces what he describes as an “umami explosion” — a technique rarely seen in traditional yukgaejang but entirely consistent with his philosophy of pragmatic, results-driven cooking.

Recipe at a Glance

Ingredients

Chef Im measures by the chef’s spoon (밥숟가락 계량 — standard Korean tablespoon, approx. 15 ml).

Chili Oil Base

• Chili oil (고추기름) — 2 tbsp (increase slightly in cold weather for extra warmth)
• Neutral cooking oil (식용유) — 1 tbsp
• Garlic (마늘), minced — 1 heaping tbsp
• Ginger (생강), minced — a very small amount (excess ginger turns bitter)
• Gochugaru (고춧가루, Korean red pepper flakes) — to colour (added after the oil cools slightly)

Broth & Vegetables

• Water — 800 ml
• Bean sprouts (콩나물) or mung bean sprouts (숙주) — 1 generous handful (콩나물 added early; 숙주 added last)
• Pre-seasoned namul (나물) from the fridge — approx. 100 g (any seasoned vegetable side dish works)
• Green onion (대파), cut into large chunks on the bias — to taste

Seasoning

• Tuna sauce / anchovy fish sauce (참치액) — a splash, for umami depth
• MSG (미원) — a small pinch
• Salt (소금) — to taste, adjusted at the end
• Black pepper (후추) — a few shakes
• Egg (달걀) — 1, beaten lightly

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 — Build the Chili Oil Base

Place a pot over medium heat. Add the chili oil (2 tbsp) and cooking oil (1 tbsp). Once the oil is warm, add the minced garlic (1 heaping tbsp). Stir continuously — do not allow the garlic to brown. Add the ginger immediately after the garlic, keeping the heat moderate. Stir just briefly; over-cooking ginger at this stage releases bitterness that will persist through the entire soup.

https://preview.redd.it/7qqbnezvi4rg1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db7d9a2b5dabb17c90ad6f25ee79c921e4721328

Step 2 — Add the Gochugaru (Critical Technique)

Remove the pot from the heat momentarily, or reduce to the lowest setting. Allow the oil temperature to drop slightly. Only when the oil has cooled just below frying temperature should you add the gochugaru. This is Chef Im’s most-emphasised point: gochugaru scorches instantly in over-hot oil, producing a harsh, acrid bitterness. Adding it into slightly cooled oil allows the chili to bloom — releasing its deep red colour and full flavour without burning.

https://preview.redd.it/utq3gvnxi4rg1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=285f8355faf83eb961641197584b8a027eaa2cde

Step 3 — Add Water and Adjust Colour

Pour in 800 ml of water. Stir immediately. Chef Im says to “adjust the colour” at this point — the broth should turn a rich, appetising deep red. If too pale, add a touch more gochugaru. Bring to a boil over high heat.

https://preview.redd.it/wtg6ldkyi4rg1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0fe6eb521f3d05f83bc9f6309ebb6090729b9ec5

Step 4 — Add the Vegetables

Add the bean sprouts (콩나물) early, as they need more cooking time. Add the pre-seasoned namul from the fridge — Chef Im notes that since these are already seasoned, they integrate naturally into the broth. Add the green onion, cut into large chunky pieces on the bias. The bias cut, he explains, causes the layers to separate like meat fibres, dramatically improving the texture in the soup.

https://preview.redd.it/h80aq400j4rg1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3303e4c211a789719c7e92f49329e873e4eda6e9

Note: mung bean sprouts (숙주) should only be added in the final 30 seconds of cooking to preserve their crunch.

Step 5 — Season the Broth

Add the tuna sauce (참치액) — Chef Im acknowledges this is unconventional but insists that the meeting of oceanic and meat-derived umami creates an explosive depth of flavour that traditional yukgaejang lacks. Add the MSG (미원, a small pinch). Taste. Adjust the final salt level with plain salt. Add several shakes of black pepper.

https://preview.redd.it/kh6luch1j4rg1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f784b622a363948dfd0be2ef8acee5ff50f75ab

Step 6 — The Egg Finish (줄알 technique)

While the broth is at a rolling boil, crack the egg into a bowl and beat it lightly. With the pot still bubbling, pour the beaten egg in a thin, continuous stream across the surface of the soup in a single slow motion. Chef Im uses the traditional term “줄알” (jul-al) for this technique — the egg is drawn across the broth in lines (줄, lines) rather than dropped in as a mass. Do not stir. Let the egg set undisturbed for 30 seconds.

https://preview.redd.it/1ffzkl12j4rg1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d0ec07a6e84c88f00bf67d1bc940d4bc506a308

Step 7 — Serve

Ladle immediately into a deep soup bowl. The result, as Chef Im demonstrates, is a presentation indistinguishable from restaurant-plated yukgaejang: a vivid crimson broth, silky egg ribbons on the surface, and substantial vegetable bulk beneath.

https://preview.redd.it/7plg07s2j4rg1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3883b0ab1565051867e618d1ac2f4ac5bb4b0609

Chef Im’s Key Tips

• The single most important step is adding gochugaru to slightly cooled oil — this is the difference between a vibrant, flavourful broth and a bitter, dark one.
• Ginger is a supporting character, not a lead. A small amount adds warmth; too much overtakes the entire soup.
• Tuna sauce in meat broth is unconventional but deliberate — the oceanic umami amplifies the beef flavours rather than competing with them.
• Cutting green onion on the bias (대파결 자르기) is not merely aesthetic — it creates a texture that mimics shredded meat, making the soup feel more substantial.
• Bean sprouts:콩나물 early, 숙주 last. They have fundamentally different cooking times and textures.
• The egg technique (줄알) requires a rolling boil and complete stillness after pouring — any stirring will break the egg into cloudy fragments.
• “냉장고에 있는 거 아무거나 넣으세요” — Chef Im’s philosophy in one line: use whatever pre-seasoned vegetables are in your fridge. Yukgaejang is a flexible, forgiving soup.

About Chef Im Seong-geun (임성근)

Im Seong-geun — universally known as “ImJjang” (임짱) — is a National Certified Korean Culinary Arts Technician (조리기능장) with over 40 years of professional experience in Korean cuisine. He won tvN’s Korean Cuisine Competition 3 in 2015 and reached the final seven in Netflix’s Black and White Chef Season 2 (흑백요리사2), where his extraordinary cooking speed and depth of flavour became the defining story of the competition.

His YouTube channel, 임성근 임짱TV, has accumulated over 900,000 subscribers drawn to his anti-production philosophy: no studio, no music, no fancy editing — only Chef Im cooking with complete professional authority. He is also a regular contributor to MBN’s cooking programme 알토란 (Altorang), where he has shared hundreds of practical everyday recipes with a national audience.