Tteokguk
Hot Korean Rice cake soup to ring in the New Year
Hot Korean Rice cake soup to ring in the New Year
Ingredients:
Broth (beef)
12 cups of cold water
½ pound of beef brisket
1 medium onion peeled and halved
8 cloves of garlic peeled and left whole
3 scallions white and pale green parts (dark green parts reserved)
2-3 tablespoons Korean soup soy sauce or more to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
Cooked beef brisket removed from the broth thinly shredded
1 clove garlic finely minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs or 1 egg for every 2 people
Thinly sliced scallions from the reserved dark green parts
Crumbled or thinly sliced gim dried seasoned seaweed/ laver
4 cups sliced dduk Korean rice cakes (or 1 cup per person), soaked in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes
Excitement bounced through my body as I woke up in my aunt’s house in New Jersey to the smell of a rich, beef broth that wafted through every room in the house.
I fell in love the very first time I tried Tteokguk. Tteokguk, a Korean rice cake soup, is eaten on the morning of New years every year as per Korean tradition, and the house is always bustling bright and early to make sure it’s ready on time. Every time I wake up I know that one of my favorite meals is cooking on the stove. I could picture the process of cooking in my head as all of the flavors and smells activate every sense on my body. I envisioned the chopped onion, the dark green scallions, and garlic all being added to water in a big pot to make the savory beef broth, which is brought to a boil, which takes around 2 hours.
In the meantime, whisked egg yolks are cooked and cut into strips, while the egg whites are beaten and set aside. The memory of the loud sizzles and pops of the egg cooking on the stove while I was on the couch with my ipad is forever stuck in my mind. My grandmother is always the one cooking the soup, as she makes the best food. Everytime time we visit them, the moment we walk through the front door we are welcomed by an elegant, rich smell of Korean food that she makes for our tired, hungry, jetlagged bodies to eat as we arrive.
But New Years is when the magic happens. Once the broth is done cooking, the beef is shredded and is seasoned with minced garlic, sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste. The vegetables are removed from the broth, and the broth is seasoned with soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. There is something about the way that the broth is cooked and seasoned by my grandmother that just makes it so much more mouthwatering than any kind of Tteokguk restaurants give you.
The rice cakes and egg white are then added until fully cooked and soft. The soup is then garnished with thinly sliced scallions, some salty dried seaweed, thin egg yolk strips, and the juicy seasoned beef and served. The first sip of the rich, hot soup brings out so many happy feelings as the rich flavors explode through your mouth and warm chills course through your body. These types of traditions are important to keep your family bond tight and cherish the relationships that you have right now, as they don’t last forever. It is the time where you forget about life and problems and celebrate New Years with your family. I hope my future holds me making this dish just like my grandmother and bring my future family together.