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Tteokguk (Korean Rice Cake Soup)
4.7 from 171 votes

Tteokguk (Korean Rice Cake Soup)

Tteokguk is a Korean soup featuring sliced garae tteok rice cakes simmered in a savory beef broth seasoned with soup soy sauce and garlic. The recipe provides two broth preparation methods: a quicker sauté-and-boil approach and a traditional simmered broth using multiple beef cuts and aromatics. The soup can be garnished with scallions, egg ribbons, and strips of gim (roasted seaweed), adding layers of flavor and texture.

Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

Beef Broth (quick method)
  • 1/2 pound beef chuck or loin, rib eye; preferably tender cut
  • 2 tablespoons soup soy sauce see note 1, guk ganjang (국간장
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • salt
  • black pepper
If using traditional method for broth
  • 1/2 pound beef brisket
  • 1/2 pound flank steak
  • 1/2 pound beef shank
  • 1/2 onion medium
  • 3 scallions white parts or 1 Korean daepa white part
  • 5 garlic 6 plump cloves
  • 2 tablespoons soup soy sauce aka guk ganjang
Rice cakes (garae tteok)
  • 4 cups garae tteok sliced; Korean rice cake (가래떡
Garnish
  • 1 scallions or 2 scallions
  • 1 egg optional
  • 1/2 gim cut 1.5-inch strips with kitchen shears, or simply crush them with hands, aka nori, roasted sheet

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Soak the rice cake slices in cold water for about 20 minutes.
Quick method
  1. Cut the beef into thin, bite-sized pieces (1 to 1.5 inch). In a pot, sauté the beef with 1 tablespoon of soup soy sauce until all the pieces turn brown. Pour in 12 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Skim off the foam. Add the garlic, another tablespoon of soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to boil, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
  2. Add the rice cake slices and boil until soft, usually about 5–8 minutes. Lightly beat the optional egg and drizzle over the soup before turning off the heat. Or make jidan (egg garnish), as shown below. Ladle the steaming soup into individual bowls and garnish with chopped scallions and gim strips.
Traditional method
  1. In a large pot, bring the meat, onion, scallions and garlic to a boil in 14 cups of water. Reduce the heat to medium low, and skim off the scum. Simmer, covered, until the meat is tender enough for shredding, about an hour or longer. You can add more water if reduced too much. You'll need about about 10 cups at the end. Remove the meat and cool. Discard the vegetables. Stir in soup soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
  2. To make egg garnish (jidan), separate the optional egg white and yolk if desired. Lightly beat the white by gently cutting it with a spoon. Stir the yolk with a spoon until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Pour each egg part into a thin layer, tilting the skillet and/or spreading with a spoon. Cook each side briefly. (Do not brown the egg.)
  3. Roll each egg crepe, and slice into short thin strips. Slice the scallion diagonally into thin strips.
  4. Cut the cooled beef into 1 to 1.5-inch wide strips against the grain, shred, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Add the rice cake slices and boil until soft, usually about 5–8 minutes. Ladle the steaming soup into individual bowls and garnish with the shredded beef, optional egg garnish, scallion and gim strips.

Notes

  • Use soup soy sauce (guk ganjang) for authentic broth seasoning; if unavailable, use a small amount of regular soy sauce combined with salt to avoid darkening or sweetness.
  • Fish sauce can be an alternative to soy sauce if desired.
  • Add mandu (Korean dumplings) for a variation—see tteok manduguk recipe.