Korean Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk)

Thick sweaters are out. Snow boots are here. Just few hours until I hop on a plane for our next vacation. We are being adventurous this time and decided to pick Alaska as our winter destination. Everyone who knows this thought we were insane when we decided to go there. As the trip got closer, I was so nervous and thought we have picked a wrong destination too. But Alaska has been on our bucket list for a while and we thought it would be nice to cross it off and celebrate the new year there.

Until then, I wanted to share this recipe to start off the new year. I love Korean food, and so does my family! It was early Fall when we visited Korea this year, which gave us the perfect excuse to slurp on a big bowl of Korean soup. Now that the weather is getting chilly, I felt it was appropriate to share a tasty soup recipe.

This one is called Tteokguk (Îñ°Íµ≠), a traditional Korean dish that is served during Korean Lunar New Year’s Day and New Year. It is served on that particular day to bring good luck for the year. This soup is so easy to make and so comforting. The broth starts with good beef brisket that is cooked low and slow to give it more depth and flavor. You can add dumplings too!

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as I do, and have a happy new year everyone! Cheers!

Korean Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk) Recipe

Servings 1

INGREDIENTS

500gr beef brisket

10 cups water

1 medium onion, sliced

8 stalks green onion, cut into 5

5 cloves garlic

400gr Korean rice cakes

1 tbs tamari soy sauce

½ tsp minced garlic

Salt to taste

Toppings:

Fried egg, thinly sliced

Green onion (green part only), thinly sliced

Roasted dried seaweed, cut into thin strips

Shredded cook brisket, season with 1 tbs sesame oil

INSTRUCTIONS

In a pot, combine beef brisket, water, onion, green onion, and garlic. Cook over medium low heat for about 1.5 hours. Discard the vegetables, keep the stock, and cool the meat from the stock. Shred the meat using a knife or hands and add sesame oil to the meat.

Soak the rice cakes in cold water for 15 minutes. Discard the water after 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the toppings.

Boil the stock in a clean pot. Add minced garlic, soy sauce, and the rice cakes, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook the rice cakes. Adjust the taste by adding salt and add a pinch of black pepper.

Serve the soup in a bowl and add toppings on top.

Keyword International, Soups and stews