Korean Soup & Stew Golden Ratios Explained | 20 Restaurant Recipes

"What should I cook today?" Many people struggle because the seasoning comes out differently every time they make a soup or stew. The secret to a consistent, restaurant-like taste is not fancy ingredients but the ratio of the seasonings. In this post, we organize 10 soups and 10 stews — 20 golden ratios in total — exactly as in the original source, and explain the measurement units and ingredients in a simple way. Any difficult or unfamiliar cooking terms will be explained one sentence at a time so they are easy to understand.

1. Measurement Units and Basic Ingredients Explained

The "T" used in these recipes means a tablespoon (큰술), and 1T is about 15cc (one heaping rice spoon). This means that 0.5T is half of that, and 0.25T is a quarter portion.

Whenever you see "T," you can gauge it using a rice spoon as your reference. This means you can approximate the amounts with a common spoon even without a measuring tool.

The "soup soy sauce" (국간장) that appears commonly across many recipes is a soy sauce that is clear in color and high in saltiness, used to season without ruining the broth's color. It is also often called "Joseon soy sauce" (조선간장).

This means that the clean seasoning of soups and stews is set with soup soy sauce rather than dark soy sauce (진간장). In other words, even among soy sauces, the type matters for the result.

[Key Terms Explained]
T (Tablespoon, 큰술): A measurement unit where 1T is about 15cc, similar to one heaping rice spoon.
Soup Soy Sauce (국간장): A light-colored, strongly salty soy sauce used to season while keeping the broth's clear color.

2. Clear and Light Soup Golden Ratios Explained (No. 1–5)

① Seaweed Soup (미역국) — Soup soy sauce 1T + sesame oil 0.5T + garlic 0.5T + fish sauce 0.5T. This means you stir-fry the seaweed in sesame oil and set a savory seasoning with soup soy sauce and fish sauce.

② Soybean Paste Soup (된장국) — Soybean paste 1T + soup soy sauce 0.5T + garlic 0.5T. This means the soybean paste provides the base flavor while soup soy sauce fills in the remaining seasoning.

③ Bean Sprout Soup (콩나물국) — Soup soy sauce 1T + garlic 0.5T + salt 0.25T. This means you finish lightly with salt to bring out the refreshing taste of the bean sprouts.

④ Radish Soup (무국) — Soup soy sauce 1T + garlic 0.5T + sesame oil 0.5T. This means it is a clear soup where the radish is stir-fried in sesame oil to add a nutty flavor.

⑤ Kimchi Soup (김치국) — Kimchi 1 cup + soup soy sauce 0.5T + garlic 0.5T + sugar 0.25T. This means a little sugar is used to tame the sourness of the kimchi and balance the taste.

[Key Terms Explained]
Fish Sauce (액젓): A seasoning made by fermenting fish in salt, which adds a deep savory flavor to the broth.

3. Nutty and Hearty Soup Golden Ratios Explained (No. 6–10)

⑥ Dried Pollock Soup (북어국) — Soup soy sauce 1T + sesame oil 0.5T + garlic 0.5T. This means the dried pollock is stir-fried in sesame oil to produce a milky, nutty broth.

⑦ Egg Soup (계란국) — Soup soy sauce 1T + soup soy sauce 0.5T + salt 0.25T. This means you set the seasoning with soup soy sauce and fine-tune it with salt to make a soft egg soup. (Kept exactly as written in the original.)

⑧ Beef Radish Soup (소고기뭇국) — Soup soy sauce 1T + garlic 0.5T + sesame oil 0.5T. This means the beef and radish are stir-fried in sesame oil to create a rich, savory flavor.

⑨ Spinach Soup (시금치국) — Soup soy sauce 1T + garlic 0.5T + salt 0.25T. This means it is a spinach soup boiled clear with soup soy sauce, without soybean paste.

⑩ Dumpling Soup (만둣국) — Soup soy sauce 1T + sesame oil 0.5T + ginger 0.5T. This means the ginger removes off-flavors to produce a clean dumpling soup broth.

[Key Terms Explained]
Off-flavor (잡내): The characteristic fishy or gamey smell of meat or fish, which can be reduced with ginger, garlic, or sesame oil.

4. Savory Paste-Based Stew Golden Ratios Explained (No. 11–14)

⑪ Soybean Paste Stew (된장찌개) — Soybean paste 1T + red chili paste 0.5T + red pepper powder 0.5T. This means a little red chili paste is added to the soybean paste to create a deep and sharp taste.

⑫ Kimchi Stew (김치찌개) — Kimchi 2 cups + red pepper powder 1T + garlic 0.5T. This means you add plenty of well-fermented kimchi and use red pepper powder to add color and spiciness.

⑬ Soft Tofu Stew (순두부찌개) — Red pepper powder 1T + soup soy sauce 0.5T + garlic 0.5T. This means you make a red seasoning with red pepper powder and set the seasoning with soup soy sauce.

⑭ Cheonggukjang Stew (청국장찌개) — Soybean paste 2T + red chili paste 0.5T + garlic 0.5T. This means soybean paste is added to the cheonggukjang to strengthen the savory flavor.

[Key Terms Explained]
Red Chili Paste (고추장): A seasoning made by fermenting red pepper powder with fermented soybean powder and glutinous rice, adding sweetness and savoriness along with spiciness.

5. Spicy and Rich Stew Golden Ratios Explained (No. 15–20)

⑮ Army Stew (부대찌개) — Red chili paste 1T + red pepper powder 1T + garlic 1T. This means equal amounts of red chili paste and red pepper powder are added to make a rich and spicy broth.

⑯ Soft Tofu Stew (순두부찌개) — Red pepper powder 1T + soup soy sauce 0.5T + garlic 0.5T. This means it uses the same ratio as No. 13, serving as a base form you can vary by adding other ingredients.

⑰ Kimchi Stew (김치찌개) — Kimchi 1 cup + red pepper powder 1T + garlic 1T. This means it reduces the kimchi and increases the garlic compared to No. 12, for a sharper taste.

⑱ Soft Tofu Stew (순두부찌개) — Red pepper powder 1T + soup soy sauce 0.5T + garlic 0.5T. (Kept exactly as in the original.)

⑲ Cheonggukjang Stew (청국장찌개) — Soybean paste 1T + red pepper powder 1T + garlic 0.5T. This means it is a variation that reduces soybean paste and adds red pepper powder compared to No. 14 for a spicier result.

⑳ Army Stew (부대찌개) — Red chili paste 1T + red pepper powder 1T + garlic 1T. (Same ratio as No. 15, kept exactly as in the original.)

[Key Terms Explained]
Red Pepper Powder (고춧가루): A powder made from ground dried peppers, the key seasoning that determines a stew's red color and spiciness.

6. All 20 Soup & Stew Golden Ratios at a Glance Explained

No.	Menu	Golden Ratio
01	미역국 (Seaweed Soup)	국간장 1T + 참기름 0.5T + 마늘 0.5T + 액젓 0.5T
02	된장국 (Soybean Paste Soup)	된장 1T + 국간장 0.5T + 마늘 0.5T
03	콩나물국 (Bean Sprout Soup)	국간장 1T + 마늘 0.5T + 소금 0.25T
04	무국 (Radish Soup)	국간장 1T + 마늘 0.5T + 참기름 0.5T
05	김치국 (Kimchi Soup)	김치 1컵 + 국간장 0.5T + 마늘 0.5T + 설탕 0.25T
06	북어국 (Dried Pollock Soup)	국간장 1T + 참기름 0.5T + 마늘 0.5T
07	계란국 (Egg Soup)	국간장 1T + 국간장 0.5T + 소금 0.25T
08	소고기뭇국 (Beef Radish Soup)	국간장 1T + 마늘 0.5T + 참기름 0.5T
09	시금치국 (Spinach Soup)	국간장 1T + 마늘 0.5T + 소금 0.25T
10	만둣국 (Dumpling Soup)	국간장 1T + 참기름 0.5T + 생강 0.5T
11	된장찌개 (Soybean Paste Stew)	된장 1T + 고추장 0.5T + 고춧가루 0.5T
12	김치찌개 (Kimchi Stew)	김치 2컵 + 고춧가루 1T + 마늘 0.5T
13	순두부찌개 (Soft Tofu Stew)	고춧가루 1T + 국간장 0.5T + 마늘 0.5T
14	청국장찌개 (Cheonggukjang Stew)	된장 2T + 고추장 0.5T + 마늘 0.5T
15	부대찌개 (Army Stew)	고추장 1T + 고춧가루 1T + 마늘 1T
16	순두부찌개 (Soft Tofu Stew)	고춧가루 1T + 국간장 0.5T + 마늘 0.5T
17	김치찌개 (Kimchi Stew)	김치 1컵 + 고춧가루 1T + 마늘 1T
18	순두부찌개 (Soft Tofu Stew)	고춧가루 1T + 국간장 0.5T + 마늘 0.5T
19	청국장찌개 (Cheonggukjang Stew)	된장 1T + 고춧가루 1T + 마늘 0.5T
20	부대찌개 (Army Stew)	고추장 1T + 고춧가루 1T + 마늘 1T

Table explanation: Numbers 01–10 are "soup" (국) menus. This means most of them use soup soy sauce as the base seasoning and add flavor with sesame oil and garlic. In particular, No. 01 Seaweed Soup features fish sauce, No. 05 Kimchi Soup features sugar, and No. 10 Dumpling Soup features ginger as its point. Numbers 11–20 are "stew" (찌개) menus. This means their main ingredients are soybean paste, red chili paste, and red pepper powder, and the ratios change depending on the level of spiciness. The Soft Tofu Stews at No. 13, 16, and 18 and the Army Stews at No. 15 and 20 each repeat with the same ratio, so they are easy to memorize as a basic formula.

7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Explained

Q1. Exactly how much is "T"?
1T is a tablespoon, about 15cc, similar to one heaping rice spoon, and 0.5T is half of that. This means you can roughly measure with a rice spoon even without measuring spoons.

Q2. Can I use dark soy sauce (진간장) instead of soup soy sauce?
It is possible, but the broth color will become darker and the flavor may change, so soup soy sauce suits clear soups better. This means that even the same soy sauce has a different intended use.

Q3. How many servings is this ratio based on?
The original table does not specify the servings or water amount, so this is "needs verification." It is safe to gauge based on about 2–3 servings (3–4 cups of water) and then adjust by tasting. This means that since pot sizes differ from home to home, you should adjust while checking the seasoning.

Q4. Why is the Soft Tofu Stew ratio the same multiple times?
It is because the basic seasoning formula is identical, and you create various soft tofu stews by only changing the main ingredients such as seafood, meat, or egg. This means the seasoning is fixed while the ingredients are variable.

Q5. How do I adjust if the seasoning is too bland or too salty?
If it is bland, add soup soy sauce or salt 0.25T at a time; if it is salty, add a little water at a time and taste. This means you should add a little at a time rather than a lot at once.

Q6. Is minced garlic the same amount as raw garlic?
Here, "garlic" usually means minced garlic, and if you use whole garlic, it has less aroma, so you may add a little more. This means the garlic in the recipe is based on the minced state.

※ Some background information in this post, such as the measurement units and the soy sauce explanation, was supplemented through search, and the amounts may need to be adjusted according to the state of the ingredients or personal taste.