Tteok guk (떡국) – Korean rice cake soup
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
35 mins
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Total Time
45 mins
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Servings
4 people
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Calories
264 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Soup
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Cuisine
Korean
Tteok guk (떡국) – Korean rice cake soup
Description
Tteok guk uses specially sliced rice cakes (tteok) as the main component, soaked briefly before cooking to ensure tenderness. The broth is a clear anchovy stock providing umami depth, flavored further with soy sauce, garlic, and optional vegetables like onion and julienned carrot.
The soup includes a sweet and savory meat garnish made from sliced beef or ground meat marinated in soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, and sesame oil, which enriches the broth’s flavor. Thin egg crepes are cooked, folded, and sliced to garnish the soup with soft, silky ribbons.
Toppings also include sliced green onions and crumbled roasted seaweed (gim), adding texture and aromatic notes. This soup is traditionally enjoyed during Korean New Year but is satisfying any time of year as a warming meal.
The recipe suggests using anchovy stock, which imparts a distinctive Korean seafood flavor. If anchovy stock is unavailable, other light broths can be substituted, though the characteristic taste will differ. For a fuller flavor, including the meat garnish is recommended.
Ingredients
- 1 lb rice cake 떡국떡 Tteok guk tteok, slices/ovalettes for soup
- 8 cup anchovy stock (see my tips page for making anchovy stock)
- 2 green onions (sliced thin)
- 1/2 onion optional, sliced
- 1 carrot optional, julienned
- 1 Tbsp garlic chopped
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce guk ganjang 국간장, soup type
- 1/2 tsp salt
- black pepper
Toppings
- 1 roasted seaweed sheet crumbled or cut into strips, gim (김
Ground Beef
- 1/2 lb beef stew meat optional, brisket or ground beef
- 4 tsp soy sauce (jin ganjang 진간장)
- 4 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp rice cooking wine
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper ground
Egg Garnish
- 2 egg
- 1 tsp cooking oil for frying
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Prepare the anchovy stock - see My Tips page (under Korean Ingredients menu) on how.
- Rinse and soak rice cake in cold water (especially if the rice cake is frozen) for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Whip 2 eggs in a bowl and season with some salt and pepper.
- Drizzle oil in a non-stick frying pan and heat on medium high heat. Pour egg into the pan and immediately lift the pan off the heat. Swirl egg around the pan to spread it evenly to make a thin crepe like pancake. Put the pan back onto the heat, lower the heat to medium and when the egg is almost cooked like the picture below, turn it over.
- When the egg is all cooked, take it out of the pan and let it cool on your cutting board. When it is cool enough to handle, fold it into overlapping thirds (tri-fold). This way, you can cut the strips more uniformly.
- If you are working with a piece of brisket or stew meat, slice the meat into thin strips and season it with soy sauce, sugar, mirin, garlic, pepper and sesame oil. Mix it well.
- You can also use ground beef instead – this will save you the extra work of slicing the beef. Cook the beef in a frying pan on medium high heat until fully cooked. No need to add any extra oil.
- Heat anchovy stock in a pot over medium high heat. Season soup by adding salt, gook kanjang and chopped garlic. You can also add sliced onions and carrots to the soup to add some color and additional nutrients. Bring to a boil.
- Drain rice cake slices and add to the boiling soup. Cover pot and cook for few minutes. When rice cakes float to the top, they are now cooked and ready to eat. Turn off the heat, sprinkle some black pepper and add sliced green onions.
- Taste soup and adjust seasoning if needed. Add more salt if needed. Ladle rice cake soup into a bowl.
- Garnish with beef, egg, green onions and roasted seaweed. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and extra black pepper if you’d like and there you go!
Notes
- Rice cake slices can be found in Korean grocery stores or at Trader Joe's.
- The meat garnish, though optional, adds significant flavor to the soup if anchovy stock is used.
- You may omit garnishes for a simpler version, but the egg and meat enrich the dish traditionally.
- The dish is customary for Korean New Year's celebrations but suitable for any day.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 264 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 264kcal | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 10g | 3% |
| Protein | 14g | 28% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 122mg | 41% |
| Sodium | 921mg | 38% |
| Potassium | 281mg | 6% |
| Sugar | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 2725IU | 55% |
| Vitamin C | 4.3mg | 5% |
| Calcium | 42mg | 4% |
| Iron | 1.8mg | 10% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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