The Base of Korean Soups: Broth, Water, and Rice Water

No matter what kind of soup you are making you will be adding some kind of liquid. There are three main options that you can use as a base for your soup.

Broth

Using broth as the base for your soup can completely elevate your soup, giving it depth, bringing out the umami flavor, and more. If you are making soup, I would always recommend using a broth this is the best option to get an authentic flavor.

The broth you use depends on the recipe and what flavors are present in that dish. The broth you use can vary from protein-based to seaweed-based. I recommend making broth in bulk and freezing it so that you always have some whenever you need it. A good broth that works for a lot of Korean dishes to have in stock is seaweed anchovy broth.

Rice Water

Rice water aka Soksaldemul “속쌀뜨물” is the second best liquid you can add as the base for your soup. Rice water can add some extra nutrients to your soup and also help to deepen the flavor of the soup.

Water

Water is the last liquid option that you can use as the base for your soup. If you are in a pinch ad only have water, then there are two things you can do to boost the flavor of your soup.

1. You can add some MSG to your soup to enhance the umami flavor. Only add a small sprinkle to your soup and then taste your soup before adding any more. MSG can make or break your dish really easily.
2. If you are using water as the base, you can add flavor to your soup by making a quick makeshift broth on the fly. All you need to do is stir fry your protein on low heat until the fat and juices are released then add your water and simmer. Doing this method will help you to add some flavor to your soup if you are using water as the base. You can use this method when using broth as the base as well to add even more flavor. If you do use this method, then use a mixture of sesame oil and regular oil to stir fry your cuts of meat that are low in fat. (Remember to use low heat if you use sesame oil to stir fry your low-fat meats.)

So, in conclusion, using a broth like seaweed, anchovy, or beef bone broth is ideal, but if you don’t have that try and use rice water, and if you don’t have that try and use some plain water enhanced with msg or just use plain water if you don’t like msg.