Korean Rice Cake Soup is comfort food for me. The rich beef broth and chewy rice cake dumplings are a nice pick me up on a cold winter's day. It happens to be one of the traditional dishes served on Korean Lunar New Year.
Here is a recipe close to what my mother made. She would add extra onions for flavor and carrots to use as a garnish. I recommend going to a Korean market to purchase the ingredients.
Korean Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk)
Ingredients
Garnish
Instructions
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Take the rice cakes out of the package and soak them in water for about an hour. No need to defrost them if frozen.
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Start the anchovy broth: place 2 oz of dried anchovies and 8 cups of water in a large pot. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then let it simmer about 15 minutes.
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Marinate the steak: slice into thin strips, no wider than 1/4 of an inch. Place it in a bowl with 1 Tbs fish sauce and 2 minced garlic cloves. Let this marinate for 20-30 minutes.
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Finely slice the onion long ways and sauté in 2 tsp of vegetable oil with a dash of salt until it is translucent.
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Beat the eggs and cook in a non-stick frying pan as if to make an omelet. Place on a cutting board, roll, then cut into little strips. Also cut the green onions, shave the carrots, and cut the seaweed nori into thin strips.
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Strain the anchovies from the broth and set them aside to use in another dish. Place the broth in a large bowl. When the onions are done cooking, place them in the anchovy broth.
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Place the marinated steak in a pot and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then cover it with 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Skim the brown foam off the top and discard it. Let it simmer for 15 minutes.
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Strain the beef from the broth. Place the beef in an oven safe bowl to keep warm.
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Pour the anchovy broth back into the pot with the beef broth. Cover and simmer until the rice cakes are ready.
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When an hour has passed, drain the rice cakes and place them in the pot with the broth along with 2 Tbs of tamari and 1 1/2 Tbs of sesame oil. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the rice cakes are soft. Place the sliced beef back into the soup.
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Ladle the soup into a bowl, then garnish with egg, carrots, green onions and seaweed nori. Add extra tamari to season the broth to your liking.
Note
- The rice cakes used to make tteokguk are made long and called garaetteok. Their shape is symbolic, wishing for longevity in life; the oval slices resemble coins, wishing for wealth and prosperity.
