For my family, we celebrate two new years according to the lunar and anglo calendar. For each of our new years celebrations there are some traditional foods. The main staple at the Korean new year table is Dduk Gook (Rice Cake Soup). My mom makes a beef broth with a beef topping marinated in soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. This year was the first year that I made it all by myself. I am trying to learn my mom's recipes and also share that bond with her.
Luckily, I can share this recipe with you. Of course my mom doesn't use measuring devices so I am approximating.
My Mom's Rice Cake Soup
Recipe can be for 4-5 people so multiply as needed.
Ingredients:
- 4-5 lbs. of Beef Brisket (unsliced)
- 1 bunch of Green Onions
- 2 bunches/packets of Shitake or Maitake Mushrooms
- 1 Bulb of Garlic (crushed and minced)
- 2 tablespoons of Salt
- 2 tablespoons of Pepper
- 1/4 cup of Soy Sauce
- 2 packets of Flat Rice Cakes/Dduk (these come frozen, dry or fresh--I use either dry or fresh)
- 1 packet of dried and seasoned Seaweed
Directions:
The Night Before prepare the Beef Stock---Boil the Beef Brisket in a large pot and fill with water. As the water starts to boil, there will be some bubbles and a layer of gunky beef fat/blood that rises to the surface. When this happens, turn the temperature down to medium-low. Take a big spoon and small bowl to scoop up the gunky layer. Try not to pick up too much soup though! Continue to low boil/simmer the beef in the water for an hour. After the hour, let the pot cool and then put into the fridge overnight.
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| I have more beef than in the recipe. |
Day of---Take the Beef Stock out of the fridge. You will see that the fat has hardened into solid circles. This makes it easier for us to lift the fat out of the broth. Take a spoon and remove all the solidified fat and dispose of in a plastic bag. Leave the stock on the stove as you prepare the Beef Topping and Rice Cakes.
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| This is after I took out the bigger solidified fat circles. |
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| These are the solidified fat circles that I removed. |
Rice Cakes--Take the Rice Cakes out of the bag and put in a bowl of cold water to soak. Most of them are stuck together so pull them apart while they soak.
Beef Topping--Take out the Beef Brisket from the stock pot, thinly slice against the grain and put into a large bowl. Take the Green Onions and shred/julienne them and throw them into the same bowl with the beef. Then slice or gently pull apart the mushrooms into strips and add them to the bowl. Finally, add the garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Use your hands or put on temporary plastic gloves then mix it all up with your hands! Set aside and let it marinate in the fridge until you are ready to plate up.
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| Beautiful green onions and organic maitake mushrooms. |
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| Shredded Green Onions. |
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| Onions and Cold Beef together. |
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| Complete Beef Topping. |
About 15 minutes before you're ready to serve, boil the beef stock and make sure it gets piping hot! While boiling, drain all the water from the bowl of rice cakes and then add them into the boiling stock. Reduce the temperature to medium-low until rice cakes are cooked which should take about 5 minutes. They should be soft but not too soft or they will get mushy. Remove the Rice Cakes and put them into enough bowls for your party. Let the stock keep boiling on the stove. Take each bowl of cooked rice cakes and add a little handful (maybe 1/2 cup) or the Beef Topping. Then add the hot Beef Stock to the bowl, ladling the soup over the topping. Before serving, add thin strips of the seaweed for garnish. Sorry, we ate it so fast I didn't take a picture of the final bowl.... but I guess that is a good thing, right?
Serve with Kimchi and enjoy! You can also make this all year round but instead of rice cakes, use cooked rice.
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