Korean Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk)

Name: Korean Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 pound (454g) Korean rice cakes; 1/2 pound (227g) beef brisket, fat trimmed and removed; 1 small onion, peeled and quartered; 4 cloves garlic, sliced thick; 2 stalks scallion (white parts); 12 cups (2.84L) water; 1-2 tablespoons Korean soup soy sauce *; salt and pepper, to taste; beef brisket, from broth; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil; salt and pepper, to taste; 1 large egg; 1 scallion (green part); Korean gim (dried, roasted seaweed sheet) **

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Tteokguk (dduk guk / 떡국) is a delicious Korean rice cake soup with tender, chewy rice cakes cooked in a clear, savoury beef brisket broth. This tasty and comforting soup is topped with various garnishes, including the tender, sesame-seasoned beef brisket that was cooked in the broth.

A bowl of Korean rice cake soup topped with shredded beef, scallions, egg, and seaweed.

材料
代用
バリエーション
作り方
キッチングッズ
保存
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FAQ
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Tteokguk is a classic and popular dish that is famously eaten on Korean New Years (Seollal / 설날), the first day of the Lunar calendar. Up until very recently, rather than everyone aging up individually on their birthdays, Koreans would all age up a year together on Seollal. Eating a bowl of this Korean rice cake soup was considered an essential part part of this process.

Korean rice cake soup beside plates of all of its toppings.

The tteokguk eaten during Seollal is considered to be auspicious because the clear broth symbolizes purity and a clean and fresh start for the new year; and the white, oval rice cakes (similar in shape to old Korean coins) symbolize a bright and prosperous future. And so, Korean rice cake soup is part of an important ritual to recognize the new year that has begun.

Although known for this symbolic Korean New Years purpose, this dish is also enjoyed on Western New Year's Day, as well as all year round. It is a great interactive dish where everyone can garnish as they please. I like to take an extra large portion of the delicious, tender beef brisket for mine.

Close up of toppings on Korean rice cake soup.

Do you love rice cakes as much as I do? Then I think you will also love Shanghai stir fried rice cakes that are cooked in a savoury chicken stir fry. Korean spicy rice cakes are another great way to enjoy tender rice cakes with a deliciously spicy kick.

材料

お餅 (年糕) / tteok / dduk (떡) - These tender and chewy rice cakes are usually made from steamed glutinous rice flour and a bit of regular rice flour. The pillowy cakes are flavourless on their own, but readily soak up the flavour of the soup or sauce they are prepared in. You can buy rice cakes fresh (best), frozen (good), or dried (usually lower quality). Don't get the long cylinder-shaped rice cakes that are use for トッポギ; look for the version that is sliced into thin ovals.
Beef brisket - This lean cut of meat is perfect for using in this soup.
野菜類 - Onion, garlic, and scallion.
Korean soup soy sauce / guk-ganjang (국간장) - This is a type of Korean soy sauce made of fermented soy beans and brine. It is saltier, richer, with more umami flavour than regular soy sauce, as well as lighter in colour, which is great for seasoning soup while maintaining clarity. This ingredient is essential for making an authentic Korean soup, such as this one.
ゴマ油 - This adds a wonderful sesame flavour to the shredded beef brisket. Some like to use toasted sesame oil in this dish instead.
Salt & Pepper
Egg garnish / jidan (지단) - Jidan is a topping used for Korean rice cake soup made of thin strips of fried egg yolk and egg white. This topping is optional and doesn't add a lot of flavour, however, it's easy to make and makes a nice, colourful addition to the dish, so I recommend that you try it.
Korean roasted seaweed / gim (김) - An optional topping for tteokguk. You can buy these in large sheets or in small packages meant for snacking. If you buy the large sheets, ensure that it is roasted. I usually use kitchen scissors to cut up this seaweeds into thin strips.

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Korean soup soy sauce

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ゴマ油

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A serving bowl of rice cakes in beef broth.

代用

Korean soup soy sauce - If you can't get Korean soup soy sauce, you shouldn't substitute with regular soy sauce in soups. 魚醤 would be the best substitute. If you have to use regular soy sauce, use a tiny amount and season to taste with salt.
Korean roasted seaweed / gim (김) - You can substitute for this with nori (Japanese sushi seaweed) if needed.
Egg garnish / jidan (지단) - An alternative is to simply drizzle a lightly beaten egg into the boiling soup right before turning off the heat (do not stir). Or, you can omit the egg entirely.

バリエーション

The original version of tteokguk actually used a pheasant broth. In modern times, this beef broth version is the standard, known as 'Seoul-style'. However, you can find chicken, vegetable, or anchovy broths used in different households.

Korean rice cake soup also varies geographically within Korea. For example, coastal regions along the Korean Straight often add oysters, and in the north-eastern province of Gangwon dumplings (mandu 만두) called tteok-manduguk (떡만두국) are added.

With dumplings (tteok-manduguk, 떡만두국) - If you want to add dumplings to your soup, you should steam or boil them separately then add them into the soup once the rice cakes have softened.
ベジタリアン - To make a vegetarian version of Korean rice cake soup, use a clear vegetable or kelp broth and substitute the beef with mushrooms and bite-sized pieces of firm tofu.

作り方

Soak the rice cakes in a bowl of cold water. Soak time depends on the kind of rice cakes you have. Fresh: not necessary if tender soft, 10 minutes if not pliable after fridge storage. Frozen: 10-20 minutes. Dry: 3 hours - overnight.

Trim the beef brisket very well. You just want the lean brisket with no pieces of fat or gristle. Prep the broth vegetables: Quarter the onion, trim the scallion stalks down to the whites (set the green tops aside), and peel and roughly slice the garlic cloves.

Add the beef, onion, scallion whites, and garlic slices into a large, lidded pot with 12 cups (2.84L) water. Bring the soup pot to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and skim any scum off of the surface. Cover and cook for 1 ½ hours. Watch that it doesn't boil over.

Turn off the heat and remove the brisket from the pot. Let it rest for 10 minutes. This will make the meat more tender.

Broth strained through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a bowl.

Discard the vegetables and strain the broth through cheese cloth into a large bowl. Wipe the pot clean before returning the broth to it. (Straining and wiping the pot is optional, but will give you a beautifully clear broth.)

Season to taste with Korean soup soy sauce, salt, and pepper. You can make the broth as mild or flavourful as you would like. I used about 2 tablespoons of soup soy sauce. Cover the pot and set aside for now.

Cooked beef brisket shredded on a cutting board.

Once the beef brisket has rested, cut it into long strips against the grain (about 1-1 ½" / 2.5-4cm wide). Then use a fork or your fingers to easily shred the tender meat.

Seasoned, shredded beef brisket in a bowl.

Place the shredded meat into a bowl and season it with sesame oil, minced garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well to season all of the meat.

Fried and sliced egg yolk and egg white.

Thinly slice the scallion greens into thin slices on a diagonal, and cut the gim (seaweed) into thin strips as well. Cook and slice the jidan (egg garnish) - see instructions below.

A serving bowl of cooked rice cakes in beef broth.

Once the toppings are prepared, return the broth to a boil. Drain the soaked rice cakes and add them into the pot. Boil them until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Ladle the rice cake soup into individual serving bowls, then top with your various prepared toppings.

How to make jidan (egg garnish)

Separate the egg yolk from the egg white into separate small bowls, blending each with a spoon.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Pour the egg yolk into the centre, then use the spoon to spread it into one flat, even layer. Cook it briefly so that the bottom side is set but doesn't have time to brown, then gently flip it over and briefly cook the other side as well.

Set the cooked yolk aside on a cutting board, and repeat the process with the egg white. Once the egg has cooled enough to touch, roll them into a tight omelette. Then use a sharpe knife to thinly slice them into strips.

キッチングッズ

このレシピでは以下のキッチングッズを使います。

Large pot or dutch oven with a lid - With a holding capacity of at least 5 litres. I used a 5 litre dutch oven and there was just room enough.
Cheesecloth
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保存

Once added to the broth, the rice cakes will not keep long as they will become mushy. Don't let it sit for too long. Remove and discard any remaining rice cakes before storing the broth. You can cook new rice cakes in the broth later if desired.

Cool tteokguk completely before storing. Then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

美味しく作るコツ

For the most beautiful and clear broth for your Korean rice cake soup, don't skip the step of straining the broth and wiping the pot clean.

FAQ

What is tteokguk?

Tteokguk (떡국) is a Korean rice cake soup that is made of rice cakes in a clear beef broth, served with toppings of shredded beef, sesame oil, thinly sliced egg yolks and egg whites, green onions, and roasted seaweed.

What does tteokguk mean?

Tteokguk (떡국) literally translates to 'rice cake soup.' Tteok (떡) means 'rice cake'; it can also sometimes be seen spelled as dduk, duk, or deok. And guk (국) means 'soup'.

How long will fresh rice cakes (tteok) keep?

Fresh rice cakes will spoil quite quickly, even within a few days while being stored in the refrigerator. If you don't plan to use fresh rice cakes right away you should freeze them in a freezer-safe container where they will keep for up to a few months.

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