It has been raining almost everyday here and it gets a bit chilly which makes it perfect for have soup to keep warm.
I have loved and enjoyed Korean cuisine since I was a teenager; my first exposure to Korean food was at a Korean BBQ place called Seoul Garden. My mum has always been open to trying all things new and she was the one to introduce Korean food to me. Back then, Korean BBQ and Kimchi is synonymous to Korean food as there wasn't many other Korean dishes besides BBQ. And all thanks to Hallyu, I have had the pleasure to be much better acquainted with the Korean cuisine. To add to my list of favourite Korean food is an entire range of rice & noodle dishes, the different types of kimchi, snacks, stews and soups!
Tteokguk consists of the broth/soup (guk) with thinly sliced rice cakes and it is a traditional dish that is usually eaten on Korean New Year's day. It is tradition to eat tteokguk on New Year's Day because it is believed to grant the consumer good luck for the year and gain a year of age which is similar to the Chinese. Korean rice cakes are now available all year round which makes it accessible to us and one does not have to wait till New Year to enjoy it.
Give this dish a try, it is simple yet packed with flavours, essentially a comfort food for wet and chilly days.
Ingredients
1.5L Water
250ml Chicken Stock
300g Wagyu Topside
500g Korean Rice Cakes (Soak in water for 10 mins if frozen/vacuumed packed)
2 Stalks Japanese Spring Onions
6 Cloves Garlic
1 Yellow Onion
Garnish
2 Eggs
1 Red Chilli
Japanese Spring Onion
Korean Seaweed
Seasoning
1/2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1/2 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
White Pepper Powder
Method
1. Bash the whole garlic cloves lightly. Cut the onion into halves. Cut the red chilli into slices and about 3" of the Japanese spring onion thinly for garnish. Cut the rest of the spring onions into 8" long pieces for the soup. ** Use a pair of kitchen scissor to cut the seaweed into strips when about to serve**
2. Put water and stock in a pot together with the 8" Japanese spring onions, bashed garlic cloves, onion halves & the entire piece of Wagyu Topside.
2. Put the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil on medium high heat then turn down to simmer for about 1 to 1.5 hour or till the wagyu is soft.
3. While the soup is simmering, prepare the eggs by separating the whites and yolks into separate bowls. Season with a pinch of salt and beat them up lightly. Heat a pan and on the lowest heat, fry the yolks and whites without burning them. Cut the eggs into thin strips and set aside.
4. After 1 to 1.5 hours, take out the wagyu and cut into thick slices, set aside. Remove and discard the veggies in the soup. Season the soup with pepper, fish sauce and soy sauce.
5. Bring the soup back to boil and add in the rice cakes, cook for about 5-7 mins or till it is soft.
6. Ladle the soup and rice cake slices into individual serving bowls. Garnish each bowl with the egg strips, sliced red chillies, seaweed strips and Japanese spring onions slices.