Tteokguk (New Year's Rice Cake Soup)
The 'good luck' soup Koreans eat on Lunar New Year: oval slices of chewy rice cake in a clear, savoury beef broth, topped with egg ribbons, toasted seaweed and scallions.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Brown the beef
Heat the sesame oil in a pot over medium-high heat and stir-fry the beef with the garlic for 2-3 minutes until no pink remains.
- 250g beef, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
✅ Done when: beef is lightly browned and no longer pink
Cook the broth
Add the water and soy sauce, bring to a boil over high heat, then skim off any foam. Lower to medium-low heat and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until the broth is clear and tasty.
- 1.8L water
- 2 tbsp soup soy sauce
✅ Done when: broth is clear, foam skimmed off, and tastes well seasoned
Make the egg strips
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Cook the rice cakes
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Serve
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Brown the beef
Heat the sesame oil in a pot over medium-high heat and stir-fry the beef with the garlic for 2-3 minutes until no pink remains.
- 250g beef, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
✅ Done when: beef is lightly browned and no longer pink
Cook the broth
Add the water and soy sauce, bring to a boil over high heat, then skim off any foam. Lower to medium-low heat and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until the broth is clear and tasty.
- 1.8L water
- 2 tbsp soup soy sauce
✅ Done when: broth is clear, foam skimmed off, and tastes well seasoned
Make the egg strips
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Cook the rice cakes
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Eating tteokguk on Seollal, the Lunar New Year, is one of Korea's most important food traditions. The white rice cakes symbolise a clean, fresh start, and their round, coin-like shape is said to bring prosperity.
Records of the custom go back to at least the Joseon period.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Koreans traditionally say you grow a year older by eating your New Year's bowl of tteokguk.
💡 Fun Fact
Children sometimes joke about eating extra bowls to grow up faster.
Korea
37.57°N, 126.98°E
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