Korean Rice Cake Soup (떡국)

 
tteokguk.png

Happy New Year! I know I am technically 23 days late to say this. But it's better late than never, right? 

There is one thing that I must eat to celebrate the new year, which is a rice cake soup, pronounced as tteok-guk in Korean. It's a Korean tradition to have this soup to become a year older (officially) and be prosperous for the new year.

There is a saying in Korea that if you don't eat this soup, you have not started the new year officially. And many still believe that the more rice cakes you have, the richer you will be for the new year since these rice cakes resemble coins.

It is super easy to make with only a few ingredients, but it's incredibly delicious. It will make you feel so warm, and perfect for any cold days. But it's the best when you share this with your loved ones, sharing and setting goals for the year, just like my family used to do. 

The broth for the soup is usually either brisket broth or bone marrow broth. I wanted to make it in a traditional way, so I used bone marrow broth for my recipe, but you can easily replace it with any kinds of stock, depending on your preference. Whatever broth you use, you will love tasting these chewy and soft rice cakes in the soup.

Make this soup to welcome amazing things in your life for 2017!

Prep time: 5 minutes  l  Cook Time:  20 minutes  l  Total Time: 25 minutes  l  Serving: 2

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups of bone marrow broth (you can replace it with chicken broth, vegetable broth, or even water)

  • 1/2 onion, sliced

  • 1 cup of dried rice cakes

  • 3/4 tsp of salt

  • 1/4 tsp of soup soy sauce, gukganjang (It's optional. If you don't have it, I suggest not to add it.)

  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced

  • 1 egg, beat

  • 1/4 tsp of sesame seeds for garnish

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the broth.

  2. When the broth boils, add onion and rice cakes. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes over low-medium heat until rice cakes become tender.

  3. Season with salt and soy sauce (if you have soup soy sauce).

  4. About 3 minutes before finishing, add 3/4 of chopped scallions to the soup and egg to the soup. Stir it around. Simmer for another minute.

  5. Garnish with remaining scallion and sesame seeds.

 
James ParkComment