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Korean Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk 떡국)

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Tteokguk (Korean Rice Cake Soup) is a traditional Korean dish served during Lunar New Year, symbolizing good fortune and new beginnings. It features soft, chewy rice cakes in a light, savory broth and is often garnished with colorful toppings like egg, seaweed, and beef.

Ingredients

1 lb rice cake slices/ovalettes for soup (떡국떡 Tteok guk tteok)

8 cups anchovy stock

2 green onions, sliced thin

1/2 sliced onion (optional)

1 julienned carrot (optional)

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp soup soy sauce (guk ganjang 국간장)

1/2 tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

1 roasted seaweed (gim 김) sheet, crumbled or cut into strips (for topping)

1/2 lb beef stew meat, brisket, or ground beef (optional)

4 tsp soy sauce (jin ganjang 진간장)

4 tsp sugar

1 tbsp rice cooking wine

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 eggs

1 tsp oil for frying

1 pinch salt (for egg garnish)

Instructions

  1. Soak rice cake slices in cold water for 20–30 minutes if refrigerated or frozen.
  2. Bring anchovy stock to a gentle boil in a large pot.
  3. If using ground beef, mix it with soy sauce, sugar, rice cooking wine, sesame oil, minced garlic, and black pepper. Sauté in a separate pan until cooked and set aside.
  4. Add chopped garlic, soup soy sauce, sliced green onions, and optional onion and carrot to the boiling stock.
  5. Drain soaked rice cakes and add them to the broth. Cook for 5–7 minutes until they float, stirring occasionally.
  6. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
  7. For egg garnish, beat eggs with a pinch of salt, cook thin sheets in a lightly oiled pan, cool, and slice into thin strips.
  8. Serve the soup hot, topped with cooked beef, egg garnish, and crumbled seaweed.

Notes

Soak rice cakes before cooking to prevent sticking.

Use vegetable stock instead of anchovy stock for a vegetarian version.

For a heartier soup, add mandu (dumplings) to make tteok mandu guk.

Do not boil too long during reheating—rice cakes can become mushy.

Freeze only the broth, not the rice cakes, for better texture when storing long-term.

Nutrition

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