떡국

Tteokguk

BEEF STOCK

500g (1 pound) skinless fat-less brisket – soaked in cold water for 30 mins to remove any excess blood
10 cups water
1 large onion (270g, 0.6 pounds) – cut into quadrants
2 stalks of green onion (white part only), keep the green part for the toppings.
10 whole black peppers
400g (0.8 pounds) Korean rice cakes for soup (Tteokguk tteok, 떡국 떡)
1 Tbsp Korean soy sauce for soup (Guk-Ganjang, 국간장) – if you can’t find Korean soy sauce for soup, you can season with Korean fish sauce and/or fine sea salt instead. Just add them in small doses gradually while tasting.
1/2 tsp minced garlic
Fine sea salt to taste (I didn’t add any, but if you need it

TOPPINGS

2 eggs – egg white and yolk separated and pan fried separately at a low temperature with a little oil. Thin slice them. Alternatively, you can beat the eggs together and drizzle them into the soup 1 to 2 mins before serving.
1 to 2 stalks green onion (green part only) – thinly sliced
2 to 3 sheets Korean roasted dried seaweed (sushi seaweed is suitable) – cut into thin strips or crushed/torn with your hands.
shredded cooked brisket (from making the beef stock) – season with fine sea salt (1/4 tsp) & sesame oil (2 tsp) or add more of these to taste.

Put the water, onion and green onion into a large pot and boil on medium high heat with a lid on
Once the water starts to boil, add the meat. Boil them on medium high heat for a further 5 mins then reduce the heat to medium.
Boil them further for about 50 mins. (You would have boil the water for a total of 1 hr – approx.) This should give you about 4 cups of beef stock.
Sieve the water (stock) through a cheese cloth. Discard the vegetables but keep the stock and the meat. Cool the meat down for about 10 mins then shred the meat using a knife and/or hands. Season the meat with salt and sesame oil.

While the meat is cooling down, soak the rice cakes in cold water for 15 to 20 mins to soften. Drain the water. Prepare the other toppings while waiting. (Instructions are mentioned in the above ingredients section.)
Boil the stock in a clean pot on medium high heat and once it starts boiling, add the minced garlic and the soy sauce. Add the rice cakes and cook until softened (about 2 to 3 mins). Do not overcook the rice cakes as they can turn mushy.
Serve the soup in a bowl and garnish with the toppings. Enjoy! (I normally add a few sprinkles of ground black pepper into the soup for extra flavour.)