Tteokguk (rice cake soup)

I am starting to feel like I am writing about rice cakes almost every week, but this time it is about a very special dish in the hearts and minds of Koreans, namely tteokguk (rice cake soup). This soup is eaten usually during the celebration of the Korean New Year (Seollal). You usually eat it on New Year’s Day since it is supposed to bring luck and fortitude for the upcoming year and also add a year to your longevity.

There are many varieties of tteokguk and ways to cook it. The broth in particular is a whole art in itself and there are many secret methods. However, cooking it at home doesn’t need to be so hard as to cook the broth by simmering meat for several hours. Instead you can make the broth with a filter bag of myeolchi (dried anchovies) and some dashida powder (beef stock powder). Now, the usual basic ingredients you put in are manduu dumplings (if you have the time you can make the dumplings from scratch, including the covers, or just buy the covers ready-made and make the stuffing yourself or just buy the whole thing ready-made, either frozen, fresh or refridgerated). In addition to the manduu you usually add rice cake, some sliced beef or other meat and soy sauce. Once everything it starting to get warm in the boiling broth, you can crack and add an egg or two straight into the bowl during the last minutes or you can add pan-fried julienned egg on the top. Other garnish you can add are sesame seeds, sliced spring onions and seaweed.


Historically tteokguk was a seasonal dish, and the custom of asking “How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?” when inquiring about someone’s age stems from this fact. Tteokguk, which signifies purity and cleanliness, is now eaten any time of the year, but especially on New Year’s.

Jaws – more than an amazing movie

Most of you probably already know the Spielberg classic “Jaws” which, with its amazing shark replica and tension-filled storyline, still to this day is a film that every man needs to have seen. Therefore, there is no wonder that the ddeokbokki-place with the same name is a chain restaurant worth visiting.

Sundae (Korean blood sausage), ddeokbokki (Korean rice cake and fish cake in red spicy sauce) and deep fried vegetables, seafood and other succulent types of food are all on sale at Jaws. There are many similar places in Korea, both chain restaurants, mama’s-and-papa’s places as well as stray vendors out on the street that sell these dishes, so “Jaws” is just one among many, but it is a good one at that.

The picture shows takeout sundae, ddeokbokki, odeng (fish cake soup) deep fried sweet potato, dumplings, noodle packs, shrimp and sweet cabbage. All together these different types of street food make for a whole meal fit for 2-3 persons. The question is how good it is for the health, but that is a question I will have to deal with in another blog post, hopefully far far into the future. If you add some “kim” (salty seaweed) to the odeng it makes it just that much better. The deep fried things come with soy sauce and the sundae comes with spice mix of salt and chili powder, which all add to the flavor. When ordering sundae the staff often asks if you want “naejang” which are some of the inner organs of the pig, such as lung, liver and ear. The ears are surprisingly chewy (the texture reminds me of cartilage) and flavorful once dipped in the spice mix, whereas the other innards I could probably do without (although they might be the most nutritious food on the table since it most likely has a lot of iron!)

So cast your previous prejudice and fears aside and try this variety of dishes at least once!

Jokbal and Korean Food Official Homepage

First of all, let me once again introduce the official website on Korean Food, brought to you by the Korean Food Foundation. At http://koreanfood.net/intro.html you can get info, recipes, news, stories...well, basically anything that concerns Korean Food. Furthermore, the website is available in various languages such as English, Japanese, Spanish etc. so please do surf in and mention "Pros", "Cons" and "Suggestions" down here in the comment box.

Now for my own Korean food experience...

Jangchungdong hosts a bakery which sells traditional Korean sweets and pastries at a surprisingly low price. You can find everything from macarons to mont blancs and of course more Korean items such as rice cake-covered ice cream and other sweets. But before dessert one needs to intake dinner first, correct? That is what this blog post will be about (the bakery introduction was just to lure you guys in!^^)

     However, before starting, non-pork eaters need to heed this warning, since this dish is ALL about the pig and its various edible (?) parts. Jangchungdong is known as the heart of Seoul for jokbal and there is a variety of shops to choose from. We settled upon trying the restaurant Pyeongando Halmeoni Jib (평안도 할머니집) with the longest history (and the steepest price at the same time!). Jokbal is basically a Korean dish consisting of pigs’ feet cooked with soy sauce and spices. The liquid its served in is basically made from soy, ginger, garlic and rice wine. The menu is limited to different sizes of jokbal depending on how many people you are, and there are also a few bigger side dishes to choose from. For me as someone who is not used to eating anything else but the flesh of the pork, jokbal was at first a bit of an extravagant experience. At the bottom of the dish is the foot with the worst parts removed, but you can still easily detect that it actually is a foot. :) This is covered with delicately sliced pork meat which reminded me a little bit of samgyopsal meat. However, the slices also include the gelatinous skin of the pig which is said to be good for our skin as well! It might be difficult to mouth at first and it is an acquired taste, but after a few times it tastes deliciously. At a price of 30.000 for the smallest portion which is good for 2-3 people it is not the cheapest of foods out there, but totally manageable for even a student’s wallet. So do not hesitate and try this dish at least once in this area.