Every New Year’s Day, my mom makes dduk guk (tteok-guk), or Korean rice cake soup to welcome good luck and prosperity in the New Year.
Although I come from a multicultural household, she never failed to make this for me every year. To keep the tradition alive, I started making my own by simplifying her recipe and making it more approachable!
If you’re searching for a quick and easy Korean rice cake soup recipe for New Year’s Day, give my recipe a try!
Dduk Guk – Korean Rice Cake Soup
Ingredients
- 12-14 oz brisket thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1/2 cup Korean radish roughly chopped
- 3 scallions white and green parts separated
- 6 cups water
- 10 oz rice cakes
Broth Seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tbsp soup soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp dashida or beef bouillon
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 egg whites
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Garnish
- 2 egg yolks (optional)
- seaweed strips (optional)
- scallions chopped (optional)
- sesame seeds (optional)
Chili Paste
- 1 tbsp gochugaru Korean red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1-2 tbsp broth
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil over medium-high heat. Add brisket and boil for 5 minutes. Skim off the scum as it boils.
- After 5 minutes, remove the brisket and set aside. Clean and rinse the pot thoroughly and return to the stove.
- To the clean pot, add 6 cups water, parboiled brisket, onion, Korean radish, and white part of scallions. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes until the beef is tender.
- Toss in the garlic and rice cakes. Then season the soup with fish sauce, soup soy sauce, and dashida.
- Gently whisk the egg whites before slowly pouring it into the soup. Add the green part of scallions and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with thinly sliced egg yolks, seaweed strips, scallions and sesame seeds.
- If you want it spicy, add a dollop of the chili paste. Serve and enjoy!
Garnish
- To prepare the egg yolks, heat a pan with 1/2 tsp of oil over medium heat. Gently whisk the egg yolks and pour it into a pan. Tilt the pan to spread the egg yolk as thinly as possible. After 1 minute, flip then cook for an additional minute. Remove and set aside to cool. Once cool, slice into thin strips.
Chili Paste
- Combine gochugaru, fish sauce and broth. Mix together until well combined.
