Recipes
Soups & stews · Korean home cooking

KPop Demon Hunters-style seolleongtang (ox-bone soup)

A milky beef-bone soup like the comfort food served to Rumi in KPop Demon Hunters. This home version uses a long, active boil for a rich broth, then adds tender beef, rice and spring onion.

300 min4 servings6 stepsDifficulty: Intermediate
KPop Demon Hunters-style seolleongtang (ox-bone soup)

AI-generated cooking illustrations. Follow the written quantities and instructions.

01 / Before you start

Ingredients

4 servings

Get your ingredients ready
Get your ingredients ready

Everyday kitchen measurements

For 4 servings. Use a small 180 ml paper cup, a level eating spoon (about 15 ml) and a small teaspoon (about 5 ml).

How to fill the cup and spoons

Use the same cup and spoons throughout. Their sizes vary, so these amounts are approximate. Spoon flour in loosely and level the top without pressing. Measure vegetables after chopping, without packing them down. The amounts in g/ml are the original reference quantities. For part of a pack, use the specified pack weight and divide the contents evenly.

King Arthur Baking

Essential, optional and substitute ingredients

Keep essential ingredients. For a replacement, use its listed amount and cooking changes instead of that ingredient’s original amount. Skip optional ingredients and their preparation if omitted. Photos show the original recipe.

  • Essential

    Bones create the milky broth. Ask a butcher for cut soup bones; ordinary boxed beef stock will make a different clear soup.

  • Substitute available

    If Beef shank or brisket — 1 small 300 g piece is unavailable

    Use 300 g lean stew beef if shank or brisket is unavailable. The beef must be fully cooked and tender before serving.

  • Essential

    Keep the bones covered during the long boil. Add boiling water as needed, never cold water directly into the hot pot.

  • Optional

    Leave out if unavailable. It adds gentle sweetness but is not needed for the bone broth.

  • Optional

    Leave out if unavailable. Remove it before serving.

  • Optional

    Serve beside the soup or put a spoonful in each bowl. The soup can be eaten without rice.

  • Optional

    Leave out if unavailable; they are a fresh topping.

  • Optional

    Do not salt the whole pot heavily. Diners can season their own bowls; omit if limiting salt.

  • Optional

    Leave out if unavailable or add only to adult bowls.

Tap each ingredient as you prepare it. Check product labels for egg, soy, sesame, wheat, fish or shellfish where relevant.

02 / You’re ready to cook

Step-by-step cooking

  1. Step 1

    Place the cut beef bones in a large pot and cover with cold water. Soak for 20 minutes, then drain and rinse well under running water to remove bone fragments. Wash the pot and keep raw-bone utensils away from ready-to-eat food.

  2. Step 2

    Cover the rinsed bones with fresh water, bring to a rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes. Pour out this first cloudy water. Rinse the bones again and scrub the pot clean; this removes scum and gives a cleaner-tasting broth.

  3. Step 3

    Return the bones to the clean pot with about 12 paper cups fresh water and 1/2 onion if using. Bring to a strong boil, then keep at a steady medium-high boil, partially covered, for about 3 hours. Check often and add boiling water whenever the bones begin to show; do not leave the pot unattended.

  4. Step 4

    Add the 300 g beef shank or brisket and 1 paper cup radish slices if using. Continue boiling for about 1 hour, adding boiling water as needed, until the beef is fully cooked and easily pierced with a fork. The broth should look pale and milky from the boiling bones.

  5. Step 5

    Lift out the beef and let it cool just enough to handle, then slice it thinly across the grain. Remove the bones and onion with tongs and strain the hot broth into a clean pot. Skim visible fat; taste the broth before adding any salt.

  6. Step 6

    Reheat the strained broth until steaming hot. Divide the sliced beef and radish among four bowls, pour the broth over them, and add sliced spring onion if using. Offer cooked rice, salt and black pepper separately so everyone can season their own bowl. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

03 / Enjoy your meal

Finished dish

Finished dish: KPop Demon Hunters-style seolleongtang (ox-bone soup)
KPop Demon Hunters-style seolleongtang (ox-bone soup)
Helpful tips

A paper cup is 180 ml; a level tablespoon is 15 ml and a teaspoon is 5 ml. Use a large stable pot and keep the bones submerged during the 4-hour cook. The broth freezes well in individual portions. Beef bones may contain small fragments, so rinse and strain carefully.