Quick & Easy Lunar New Year Rice Cake Soup (떡국)

Having a bowl of tteokguk on Seollal (설날) aka Lunar New Year’s has been a long standing tradition in Korean culture. Eating it symbolizes becoming a year older and the custom of saying “How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?” is another way of asking a person’s age. I love tteokguk and eat it way more than just once a year. My friends like to tease me with the “How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?” question, knowing full well I’ve had dozens of bowls.

Making tteokguk isn’t overly difficult, but it can be quite time consuming. So for those of you who crave the deliciousness of tteokguk, but don’t quite have the time… here is my quick and easy tteokguk recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups Sliced Rice Cakes
• 3 1/2 Cups Beef Broth
• ½ Cup Jangjorim (장조림)/ Soy-Braised Beef
• 1 Green Onion
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Sheets Roasted Seaweed
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Place rice cakes in a bowl of clean water and let soak
2. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, add a pinch of salt and whisk together thoroughly
3. Wipe a pan with an oiled paper towel and heat it at medium-low
4. Fry the egg mixture on low heat
5. Move the fried egg to a cutting board, cut it into thin slices and place aside
6. Chop the green onion and seaweed sheets into thin slices and place aside
7. Pour the beef broth into a pot and bring to a light boil on medium heat
8. Drain the rice cakes, rinse through thoroughly and add to broth
9. Add pepper and salt to taste
10. Cook for about 10 minutes
11. Add the green onion and cook until the rice cakes are soft
12. Remove from heat and pour into bowls
13. Top with egg, beef and seaweed
14. Enjoy!