Tteokguk
Thin slices of chewy rice cake simmered in a clear beef broth and finished with egg, scallions and toasted seaweed: the bowl Koreans eat on the morning of the Lunar New Year. About 40 minutes for four, including soaking the rice cakes.
- Time
- 40 min
- Level
- Easy
- Spice
- Serves
- 4
What is Tteokguk?
WHAT IT IS
Tteokguk is a clear beef broth filled with thin oval slices of white rice cake, finished with egg, scallions and toasted seaweed. Koreans eat it on Seollal, the Lunar New Year, and it's a comforting one-bowl meal on any other day too.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
No one knows when the custom began, but late-Joseon records of seasonal customs such as Dongguk Sesigi and Yeoryang Sesigi list tteokguk as essential for the New Year's ancestral rite and for feeding visitors. Before beef was common, the broth was often made with pheasant. Because it's eaten on New Year's Day, a bowl is said to add a year to your age, and the 18th-century scholar Yi Deok-mu called it cheomsebyeong, 'the rice cake that adds a year.'
Sources:Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (떡국)Rural Development Administration (농촌진흥청)National Institute of Korean Language (한식명 표준 번역)
Ingredients
재료Each Korean item has a substitute, in case you can’t get to a store.
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- 1⅓ lb (600 g), about 4 cupsSliced rice cakes for soup (tteokguk tteok) 떡국 떡
Unha’s Korean Sliced Oval Rice Cakes (tteokguk tteok) · 21.16 oz (3 × 7.05 oz)
Substitute: Look for thin oval slices at a Korean grocer, often in the refrigerated or frozen section. Cylinder rice cakes for tteokbokki can be sliced thinly on the diagonal instead.
Check price on Amazon Amazon US - ½ lb (225 g)Beef brisket, chuck or sirloin, cut into thin bite-size pieces 소고기
Substitute: For a richer, traditional broth, simmer a piece of brisket for an hour and shred it for the topping (see the tip in step 3).
Any grocer - 7 cups (1.7 L)Water 물
Substitute: Anchovy broth or store-bought beef bone broth (sagol) work too.
In your pantry - 2 tbspSoup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) 국간장
Sempio Soy Sauce for Soup (guk-ganjang) · 860 ml
Substitute: It keeps the broth pale and clear. Regular soy sauce makes the soup darker and slightly sweet, so if that's all you have, use 1 tbsp and finish with salt.
Check price on Amazon Amazon US - 1 tbsp (3 cloves)Garlic, minced 다진 마늘Any grocer
- 1 tbspToasted sesame oil 참기름
Otoki Premium Roasted Sesame Oil · 10.82 fl oz
Check price on Amazon Amazon US - 2Eggs, beaten 달걀
Substitute: For the classic holiday look, cook the whites and yolks separately into thin omelets and cut them into strips (jidan) instead.
Any grocer - 2Scallions, sliced on the diagonal 대파Any grocer
-
- Salt, black pepper and toasted sesame seedsIn your pantry
Method
만드는 법Sources we compared:Korean Bapsang10000recipeEncyclopedia of Korean Culture
- 1
Soak the rice cakes
Separate the rice cake slices and soak them in cold water for 20–30 minutes, until they soften slightly, then drain. Meanwhile, cut the beef into thin bite-size pieces and pat it dry, and slice the scallions.
Soft, freshly made rice cakes only need a quick rinse. Frozen or hard ones need the full soak, or they crack and cook unevenly.
- 2
Brown the beef
Heat the sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the beef and 1 tbsp of the soup soy sauce and stir for 2–3 minutes, until the beef is no longer pink.
- 3
Make the broth
Pour in the water, add the garlic and bring it to a boil, skimming off the foam. Turn the heat down to medium, cover and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until the beef is tender. Season with the remaining 1 tbsp soup soy sauce and some salt, making the broth a little saltier than you'd drink it.
The rice cakes soak up salt as they cook, so the broth should start out slightly salty. For the traditional version, simmer brisket with onion, scallion and garlic for about an hour, strain the broth, and shred the meat for the topping.
- 4
Cook the rice cakes
Add the rice cakes and bring the soup back to a boil. Cook for 4–6 minutes, until they float to the top and turn soft and chewy. Drizzle in the beaten eggs, wait 30 seconds without stirring, then stir gently, add the scallions and turn off the heat.
- 5
Garnish and serve
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the gim, sesame seeds and a little black pepper. Serve right away, before the rice cakes turn too soft, with kimchi on the side.
Koreans joke that each bowl of New Year's tteokguk adds a year to your age.
Say it in Korean
한국어로 말해 보세요For Lunar New Year's morning, or a Korean diner.
Cookware you’ll need
조리 도구Any pot that holds about 3 quarts works. This is the 5-quart lidded sauté pan we link to; it's deep enough for a pot of soup for four.
