Tteok-manduguk (Rice Cake and Dumpling Soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 4 to 5 quart soup pot
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Nonstick or well-seasoned skillet for jidan
• •Sharp knife for thin egg garnish

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the rice cakes

   Rinse the sliced rice cakes under cold water, then soak them in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes if they are refrigerated, firm, or stuck together. Freshly cut soft rice cakes need only a rinse. Soaking evens the texture so the outside does not turn mushy before the center softens.

2. 2

   Start the broth

   Put the beef, 8 cups water, onion, garlic, and kelp in a heavy pot. Bring it slowly to a bare simmer over medium heat. Pull the kelp out as soon as the water begins to simmer, after about 10 minutes, because kelp left too long can make the broth slick and bitter.

   If foam rises from the beef, skim it. Do it early and calmly. A clear New Year soup begins before any rice cake goes in.
3. 3

   Simmer and shred

   Lower the heat and simmer the beef broth gently for 55 to 60 minutes, until the meat is tender and the broth tastes full but clean. Lift out the beef, onion, and garlic. Discard the onion and garlic, then shred or slice the beef thinly. Strain the broth if you want the clearest bowl.

4. 4

   Season the broth

   Return 6 cups of broth to the pot. If you have less, add water; if you have more, save the extra. Season with 2 teaspoons soup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Taste it now. It should be a little more seasoned than plain soup, because the rice cakes will soften the saltiness.

5. 5

   Make egg garnish

   Beat the egg yolks with a pinch of salt in one bowl and the whites with a pinch of salt in another. Wipe a skillet with a little neutral oil and cook each into a thin sheet over low heat, about 1 minute per side. Keep the heat low so the colors stay clean. Cool, then slice into thin threads for jidan (egg garnish).

6. 6

   Cook rice cakes

   Drain the rice cakes and add them to the simmering broth. Stir once so they do not settle and stick. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until they float and turn tender but still chewy. Do not walk away here; rice cakes move from correct to swollen quickly.

7. 7

   Add the mandu

   Add the mandu and keep the broth at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. Fresh mandu usually need 4 to 5 minutes; frozen mandu need 7 to 8 minutes. They are done when the skins look slightly translucent and the filling is hot through. Hard boiling tears the wrappers and muddies the soup.

8. 8

   Finish the bowls

   Taste the broth one last time and add salt in 1/4 teaspoon increments only if it needs it. Divide the rice cakes, mandu, broth, and shredded beef among four bowls. Top with jidan, scallion, gim, and a few sesame seeds if using. Add a few drops of sesame oil only at the table, because too much turns a clean broth heavy.

Chef Tips

• •For the clearest holiday bowl, use homemade beef broth and strain it. For a lighter weeknight version, replace half the beef broth with anchovy-kelp broth. That is a safe corner to cut. Boiling the mandu hard is not.
• •Buy tteokguk-tteok that is flexible and clean-smelling. If the slices are cracked at the edges, they have dried out and will split in the pot. They can still be used, but soak them 30 minutes and cook them gently.
• •If using store-bought frozen mandu, choose one with a mild pork, beef, tofu, or kimchi filling. Very spicy mandu will take over the broth, and this soup is meant to taste clean.
• •Soup soy sauce seasons differently from regular soy sauce. Guk-ganjang gives salt and savor without making the broth dark. If you only have regular soy sauce, use 1 teaspoon soy sauce and make up the rest with salt.
• •Serve immediately. Rice cakes keep absorbing broth as they sit, and a proper bowl becomes thick and sleepy after twenty minutes.

Advance Preparation

• •The beef broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Chill it, lift off the hardened fat, and reheat only the amount you need before adding rice cakes and mandu.
• •The egg garnish can be cooked and sliced up to 1 day ahead. Keep the yellow and white threads separate in a covered container so they stay neat.
• •Do not cook the rice cakes ahead. They swell, soften, and cloud the broth. Add them only when the table is nearly ready to eat.
• •Frozen mandu can go straight into the broth. Do not thaw them on the counter; thawing makes the wrappers sticky and more likely to tear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 520g)