We tried a little variation on the traditional TteokGuk this new year.  Usually TteokGuk is a broth made with beef brisket.  Well, not where Eun Jeong comes from.  She made something more akin to her mother’s recipe, which involved a briny anchovy broth with strips of steak replacing the stringy overboiled brisket.

As an extra bonus, we found these multi-colored Tteok at the supermarket and thought we’d have some fun.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 Dried Anchovies, cleaned
1/2 Daikon or Korean Radish, quartered
1 sheet Dashima (broth quality kelp)
1 White Onion, quartered
1 Leek, trimmed and sliced
Tteok (chewy rice cakes), cut into coin shapes
Mandu (stuffed dumplings)
Soy Sauce to taste
Leek or Green Onions, thinly sliced

GARNISH
250g Beef, steak or round, sliced into ribbons
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Fresh Ginger, minced
1 tbsp. Light Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 Egg, beaten
1 tbsp. Canola Oil
2 sheets Salted Dried Seaweed (Nori, or Gim)
Sesame Oil
Toasted Sesame Seeds

METHOD

1. Mix the Beef with the Garlic, Salt, Ginger, Light Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil. Cover and marinate overnight.

2. Put the Anchovies in a diffusion device (like a teaball) or wrap in cheesecloth and boil in a pot full of water, along with the Radish, Dashima, White Onion and Leek for 15 minutes.  Turn down to a simmer.  Cook for 15 more minutes.

3. Remove the Anchovies, Radish, Dashima, White Onion and Leek from the broth.

4. Add the Tteok and Sliced Leeks to the broth and boil, skimming the scum off the surface.

5. Add Soy Sauce* and taste.  It should be just a little bit salty but not overpoweringly so–like a slight ocean flavor.  Bring the heat back down to a simmer.

6. Cook the Egg in Canola Oil gently like a thin omelet.

7. Roll the Egg and slice it into ribbons.

8. Cook the marinated beef in a pan over medium high heat until just cooked through, around 5 minutes.

9. Put the Dried Seaweed in a bag and crush it.

10. Ladle the soup in individual bowls.

11. Garnish with the Beef, Egg, Dried Seaweed, Toasted Sesame Seeds and a drizzle of Sesame Oil.

* We recommend, if you can get your hands on it, “Joseon GanJang” 조선간장, which is a traditional Korean style soy sauce that is lighter than Japanese soy sauce.

More pictures here