Recipes Dinner Meat Dishes Beef Main Course Tteokguk (Korean Rice Cake Soup) 4.5 (2) 1 Review Tteokguk (pronounced sort of like DUK-gook) is a soup of chewy-soft rice cakes cooked in steaming translucent broth. And, just like American New Year's foods, it's a good-luck dish that carries symbolic significance. The white color of the rice cakes signifies purity, so the soup represents a way to start the year off fresh. And traditionally, when you enjoy your New Year's bowl of rice cake soup, your age increases by one year. Though the soup can be made with chicken, pork, pheasant, or seafood, these days it's typically made with beef. By Ann Taylor Pittman Ann Taylor Pittman For 20 years, Ann Taylor Pittman built a career of creating healthy recipes at Cooking Light magazine, where she most recently served as Executive Editor. She is the recipient of two James Beard Foundation Awards: a feature writing award for "Mississippi Chinese Lady Goes Home to Korea" and a cookbook award for The New Way to Cook Light. She is now a freelancer specializing in recipe development, writing, and video. Ann lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, their 13-year-old twin boys, one big dog, and one little dog. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 2, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Jennifer Causey Active Time: 25 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Yield: 6 Ingredients 6 cups water 4 cups unsalted beef stock 1 pound beef brisket, trimmed and cut into 4 chunks 1 large white onion, halved 4 large garlic cloves, lightly crushed 1 1/2 pounds rice cake ovalettes 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon water 1/2 teaspoon plus dash of kosher salt, divided 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided 1 small garlic clove, grated 3 tablespoons Korean soup soy sauce 6 toasted nori sheets 6 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions Directions Combine 6 cups water, beef stock, brisket, onion, and crushed garlic cloves in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer; partially cover, and cook until brisket can be shredded (it will not be fall-apart tender, we want it with some chew), about 2 hours. Place rice cake ovalettes in a large bowl, and add cold water to cover. Separate any that are stuck together. Let rice cakes soak 20 to 30 minutes. Drain. Meanwhile, heat a medium-size nonstick skillet over medium. Combine egg yolks, 1 teaspoon water, and dash of kosher salt. Add 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add egg yolk mixture to pan, and swirl to form a thin layer; cook until just done on bottom without browning, about 1 minute. Flip egg, and cook just until done, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn egg out onto a cutting board. Roll up egg, and cut into thin slices. Remove brisket from stock mixture; shred brisket with 2 forks, and place in a medium bowl. Add grated garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil; toss well to combine (I find this easiest to do with my hands). Strain stock mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl or 8-cup measuring cup; discard solids. Add enough water to stock mixture to equal 8 cups, and return to Dutch oven. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in soy sauce. Add rice cakes, and cook until chewy-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Return shredded brisket to soup, and remove from heat. Ladle soup evenly into 6 bowls; top each with about 2 tablespoons sliced egg, 1 crumbled nori sheet, and 1 tablespoon scallion. Rate It Print