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.
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.