Rice Cake Soup / 떡국 / Ddeokguk

When i cooked Ddeokbokki, i had to cook Ddeokguk, a soup filled with soft Korean rice cakes (Ddeok).  Ddeokbokki was too spicy for my grandchildren.  Renee will not try it , Alexander said that his palate is more mature and tried a piece. You should see his face turned red and his eyes rolled big from the spiciness.  He reached for his Sprite and gave a big smile.  We praised him for being so brave and he was beaming with pride.  Luckily Ddeokguk is simple to cook.  This again might not be what most koreans expect Ddeokguk to be but give this recipe a chance, you might like it as much as Renee and Alexander did.



Ingredients:

6 cups beef stock
1 pound Korean rice cake.
1/4 pound beef - sliced thin
4 shitake mushrooms - soaked and slice thin
1/2 pound of green leafy vegetables - washed and cut to bite sizes
Sesame oil
Green onions for garnishing
Salt and pepper to taste

Marinate for the beef:

2 tbsp soya sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp shaoxing wine
A dash of pepper
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Method:

Soak rice cakes in cold water for 30 minutes to 1 hour and separate the rice cakes.

Marinate sliced beef with the marinate for 10 minutes.

Bring the beef stock to a boil and add shitake mushrooms.  Cook for 10 minutes until mushrooms have released their flavor.

Add rice cakes and boil until soft.

Add in green leafy vegetables, cook until vegetables are cooked.

Add in marinated beef and bring the soup to the boil.

Sprinkle with sesame oil and adjust taste with salt and pepper

Serve hot garnished green onions.