Clean Beef Tteokguk (Rice Cake Soup with Beef)
A clear rice cake soup served with stir-fried seasoned beef garnish and egg ribbons over dried kelp broth.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This beef tteokguk features a clean, savory broth brewed from dried kelp and seasoned with tuna extract sauce and soup soy sauce. Topped neatly with seasoned stir-fried ground beef and egg ribbons, it is light, clean, and satisfying—perfect as a hearty bowl to welcome the New Year or Seollal morning.
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
- Sliced rice cakes (tteokguk-tteok)300 g
- Ground beef100 g
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)1/2 tbsp
- Ground black peppera little
- Egg1
- Unseasoned dried seaweed sheets (gim)1/2 sheets
- Water5 cups
- Dried kelp (dasima)2 sheets (5 cm square)
- Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)1/2 tbsp
- Tuna extract sauce (chamchi-aek)1 tbsp
- Soak 2 sheets of dried kelp in 5 cups of water for about 30 minutes.
- Soak hard rice cakes in water in advance.
- Pat the blood off the beef to remove any gamey odor.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Soak hard rice cakes in water in advance.
Prepare ground beef, 1 egg, and unseasoned dried seaweed sheets.
Add 2 sheets of dried kelp to 5 cups of water and let it steep for about 30 minutes.
Lightly toast the unseasoned dried seaweed sheets in a pan and cut finely with scissors.
Make the beef garnish
Pat the blood off the beef to eliminate any gamey odor.
Place the beef in a pan, season with 1 tbsp mirin, 1/2 tbsp soup soy sauce, and a little ground black pepper, then stir-fry until fully cooked.
Make the egg garnish
Separate the egg yolk and white, fry each into thin sheets, and thinly slice into ribbons.
Boil the soup
Remove the dried kelp, add 1/2 tbsp soup soy sauce and 1 tbsp tuna extract sauce to season the broth, and bring it to a boil.
Add the rice cakes and cook; once they float to the top, they are done. Taste the broth and adjust with salt or soup soy sauce if it tastes bland.
Finish the dish
Ladle a portion of rice cakes and broth into a bowl and neatly arrange the garnishes on top to finish your beef tteokguk.
If you add finely chopped tofu when stir-frying the meat, it turns into an authentic Gyeongsang-do style kkumi tteokguk.
Ppunwife's tips
- Add the rice cakes and cook; once they float to the top, they are done.
- Taste the broth and adjust with salt or soup soy sauce if it tastes bland.
- If you add finely chopped tofu when stir-frying the meat, it turns into an authentic Gyeongsang-do style kkumi tteokguk.
FAQ
How can I tell when the rice cakes are done?
When boiled in the broth, the rice cakes are fully cooked once they float to the surface.
How do I make the Gyeongsang-do style kkumi tteokguk variation?
Add crushed or finely chopped tofu along with the ground beef while stir-frying to make traditional Gyeongsang-do style kkumi garnish.
How can I reduce the odor of the beef?
Patting off excess blood before cooking and seasoning it with mirin, soup soy sauce, and ground black pepper while stir-frying helps remove any gamey odor.
What should I add if the broth needs more salt?
Taste the broth and season with a bit of salt or soup soy sauce to suit your taste.
