Korean Hotpot Soup Base for Spicy, Savory Broth

This Korean hotpot soup base is a savory, gently spicy broth made with dried anchovies, kelp, mushrooms, gochugaru, and Korean fermented seasonings. It gives a shared pot of vegetables, tofu, noodles, and meat a deep umami flavor, and you can adjust the heat and salt to suit the ingredients you plan to add.

Ingredients

7 cups (1.66 L) cold water
8 large dried Korean anchovies, about 12 g, heads and dark innards removed if visible
1 piece dried kelp (dashima), about 6 by 6 inches (15 by 15 cm; 5 g)
2 dried shiitake mushrooms, about 10 g
½ medium yellow onion, about ¾ cup chopped (75 g)
1 scallion, about ½ cup roughly chopped (15 g)
1 tablespoon (9 g) finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons (12 g) Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
1 tablespoon (18 g) gochujang, Korean red pepper paste
1 tablespoon (18 g) doenjang, Korean soybean paste
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Korean soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) fish sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) mirin or other cooking rice wine, optional
1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) ground black pepper

Instructions

Prepare the stock ingredients. Wipe the kelp with a damp cloth to remove loose surface dust; avoid washing off its natural coating. If the anchovies are whole, remove their heads and the dark central innards when easy to reach, since these can make a long-simmered stock bitter. Roughly chop the onion and scallion, and mince the garlic. Put the water, anchovies, kelp, dried shiitake, onion, and scallion in a medium pot.
Infuse the broth. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, watching for small bubbles rather than a vigorous boil. Once it simmers, the broth is hotter than the USDA FSIS safe minimum temperature for fish of 145°F (63°C). Simmer for 8 minutes, then lift out the kelp with tongs; leaving kelp in a rolling boil or cooking it for a long time can make the broth slick or bitter. Continue simmering the anchovies, mushrooms, and vegetables for 7 minutes.
Mix the seasoning. While the stock simmers, stir the gochugaru, gochujang, doenjang, soup soy sauce, fish sauce, mirin if using, sugar, black pepper, and minced garlic together in a small bowl. The pastes will not dissolve completely, but mixing them first makes them easier to distribute evenly through the broth.
Strain and season. Pour the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, discarding the spent anchovies and vegetables. Add the seasoning mixture and stir over medium heat until the pastes dissolve and the broth returns to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Taste before adding salt: soup soy sauce, doenjang, and fish sauce are all salty, and the ingredients cooked in the hotpot will contribute their own flavor.
Use it as a hotpot. Set the seasoned broth on a portable burner or keep it at a gentle simmer on the stove. Add sturdy vegetables first, then tofu, mushrooms, noodles, and thinly sliced proteins in batches so the pot stays hot. Use a food thermometer for meat and seafood: poultry must reach 165°F (74°C), ground meat 160°F (71°C), whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, lamb, or goat 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest, and fish 145°F (63°C). Avoid dipping utensils that have touched raw ingredients into ready-to-eat food.

Tips

Keep the stock at a gentle simmer. A rolling boil can turn kelp stock cloudy and can pull harsh flavors from the anchovies. Removing the kelp after 8 minutes is a simple way to keep the broth clean-tasting while the mushrooms and anchovies continue to infuse.
Adjust salt after the pastes dissolve. Brands and types of Korean soup soy sauce, fish sauce, and doenjang vary in saltiness. If the finished broth tastes too intense, add hot water a little at a time. If it tastes flat, add a teaspoon of soup soy sauce or fish sauce, taste again, and stop before it becomes salty.
Choose substitutions with the flavor change in mind. If Korean soup soy sauce is hard to find, use light soy sauce and begin with a little less; it is usually less aromatic and may make the broth darker. If doenjang is unavailable, miso can provide fermented savoriness, but it is milder and sweeter, so the result will not taste quite as traditionally Korean. For gochugaru, use a mild red pepper powder rather than generic hot chili flakes if possible; standard flakes can be sharper and hotter.
Control heat without losing balance. Gochugaru gives the broth a red color and a rounded pepper flavor, while gochujang adds sweetness and body. For a milder pot, use 1 tablespoon (6 g) gochugaru and keep the pastes as written. For more heat, add extra gochugaru in small increments rather than adding a large amount of hot sauce.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the broth bubbling in a tabletop hotpot, with ingredients arranged around the pot so diners can add them as they eat. For four people, a useful starting point is 12 ounces (340 g) firm tofu, 8 ounces (225 g) mushrooms, 4 cups (about 300 g) sliced napa cabbage, 2 cups (about 100 g) leafy greens, and 8 ounces (225 g) thinly sliced beef or pork. These are serving ideas rather than extra ingredients in the base recipe; add them in batches and let each portion cook fully before serving.

Rice, kimchi, and small side dishes make natural accompaniments. Keep a small pitcher of hot water nearby to dilute the broth as it reduces or becomes more concentrated from the ingredients. If you prefer a soupier meal, serve the cooked vegetables and tofu in individual bowls with broth ladled over them. Remove noodles once tender so they do not absorb too much liquid while diners continue cooking other ingredients.

Variations

Make a non-spicy broth. Leave out the gochugaru and gochujang, then increase the doenjang to 1½ tablespoons (27 g) for a mellow soybean-forward base. Taste before adding the full amount of soup soy sauce, because the extra doenjang brings more salt and savoriness. This version is still strongly flavored, but it will not have the familiar red, peppery character.

Use a plant-based stock. Omit the anchovies and fish sauce, and add 3 dried shiitake mushrooms (about 15 g total) plus 1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce. Simmer the mushrooms and kelp in the water as directed, then season to taste. The result is earthy and savory, though less briny and less rounded than the anchovy version. Check that the doenjang and other condiments you use are suitable for your dietary needs.

Make the broth richer. Add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) toasted sesame oil to the seasoning mixture, or finish individual bowls with a few drops. Sesame oil is aromatic, so a little goes a long way; adding too much can cover the clean flavor of the kelp stock. You can also add a few extra dried shiitake mushrooms for a deeper mushroom note without changing the cooking method.

Storage and Reheating

For best quality, strain and store the soup base separately from hotpot ingredients. Refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking in a covered, shallow container, and use it within 3 to 4 days. If the pot has been used at the table with raw meat or seafood, do not save broth that has been in contact with raw juices; discard it unless it is brought back to a full boil and handled safely, and when in doubt, discard it.

Reheat a refrigerated portion in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it is steaming throughout and reaches 165°F (74°C). A thermometer gives the clearest check, particularly if the broth has been diluted or stored with other ingredients. Freeze plain broth in airtight freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months for best flavor, leaving room for expansion. Thaw it in the refrigerator, then reheat to 165°F (74°C); do not thaw it on the counter.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Korean hotpot soup base made from?

There are many Korean hotpot styles, so there is no single base used for every pot. This version starts with dried anchovy, kelp, and shiitake stock, then gets its savory, spicy flavor from gochugaru, gochujang, doenjang, soup soy sauce, garlic, and fish sauce. It works especially well with vegetables, tofu, mushrooms, and thinly sliced meat.

Is this the same as Korean army stew broth?

Not exactly. Army stew, or budae jjigae, is one particular Korean hotpot-style stew and often includes ingredients such as kimchi, sausage, luncheon meat, tofu, and noodles. This base is a flexible seasoned stock rather than a complete recipe for one named stew. You can use it for an army-stew-inspired pot, but the added ingredients will substantially change the final flavor and salt level.

Can I make the soup base ahead?

Yes. Make and strain the broth, cool it promptly, and refrigerate it in a covered container for up to 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months for best flavor. Reheat the base to 165°F (74°C) before using it, and add fresh hotpot ingredients during the meal rather than storing them mixed into the broth.

How do I make the broth less spicy or less salty?

For less heat, reduce or omit the gochugaru first; it is easier to adjust the pepper flavor without changing the fermented seasoning too much. To lower the saltiness, dilute the finished broth with hot water, then taste again. Avoid adding more doenjang, soup soy sauce, or fish sauce to fix a broth that is already too salty. Serve extra gochugaru at the table for anyone who wants more heat.

Can I use store-bought stock instead of making anchovy-kelp broth?

Yes. Use 7 cups (1.66 L) unsalted or low-sodium vegetable stock, or a mild unsalted chicken stock, and stir in the seasoning mixture. The broth will be convenient, but its flavor will differ: vegetable stock is usually less briny than anchovy stock, while chicken stock tastes fuller and less seaweed-forward. Taste before adding the fish sauce, since packaged stock may already contain plenty of salt.

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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

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