Hearty and Delicious Tteokmandu-guk
The Best Home-Style Meal! A Golden Recipe for Hearty Tteokmandu-guk
A bowl overflowing with warm broth, chewy rice cakes, and perfectly filled dumplings! Make this satisfying Tteokmandu-guk at home, a dish loved by everyone from kids to adults. We’ve also added savory meat, vibrant carrots, and delicate egg garnish for an even richer experience. It’s the ultimate home-cooked meal that you’ll finish in one go!
Main Ingredients
- Tteokguk rice cakes (for 1 serving, approx. 150-200g)
- 1 dried shiitake mushroom
- 1 piece dried kelp (5x5cm)
- 1 egg
- A small amount of carrot
- 100g minced pork
- 3 Tbsp chopped green onion
- 2 frozen wood ear mushroom dumplings (or your favorite dumplings)
Seasoning and Others
- 1 Tbsp soup soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic (optional)
- A pinch of ginger powder (or ginger juice)
- A pinch of black pepper
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chili powder (optional, for a spicy kick)
- 1 tsp vinegar (optional, for umami)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (ground)
- 800ml to 1L water or broth
- 1 Tbsp soup soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic (optional)
- A pinch of ginger powder (or ginger juice)
- A pinch of black pepper
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chili powder (optional, for a spicy kick)
- 1 tsp vinegar (optional, for umami)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (ground)
- 800ml to 1L water or broth
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, soak the dried shiitake mushroom in lukewarm water for about 15-20 minutes until softened. Once rehydrated, remove the mushroom, trim off the tough stem, and thinly slice it. Don’t discard the soaking water; it’s infused with the mushroom’s wonderful aroma and will be used for the broth.
Step 2
In a pot, combine the rehydrated shiitake mushroom, the piece of dried kelp, and the mushroom soaking water (strained through a sieve). Add 800ml to 1L of water or anchovy/kelp broth and bring to a simmer over medium heat to create a rich, flavorful broth. Once the broth boils, remove and discard the kelp to ensure a clean taste.
Step 3
Rinse the tteokguk rice cakes under cold water. If they are stuck together, gently separate them with your hands. This ensures the rice cakes cook evenly and don’t clump in the soup.
Step 4
Wash and peel the carrot, then cut it into thin julienne strips. Lightly oil a pan and sauté the carrots over medium heat until they become slightly tender. Sautéing enhances their sweetness and vibrant color.
Step 5
Crack 1 egg into a bowl, remove the chalazae (white stringy bits), and whisk gently with a fork. Avoid over-whisking, as it can make the omelet fragile when you roll it later.
Step 6
Reduce the heat to low and pour the whisked egg thinly onto the pan. When the egg is about halfway set, gently roll it up from the edge to create a neat omelet. Be careful not to cook it over high heat, as it can burn easily.
Step 7
Once the egg omelet has cooled slightly, thinly slice it into julienne strips. These will serve as a beautiful garnish for your Tteokmandu-guk.
Step 8
In a separate bowl, place the minced pork. Add the chopped green onion, ginger powder, black pepper, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp sesame oil. (You can also add a little minced garlic here if you like).
Step 9
Mix the pork and seasonings thoroughly using chopsticks or your hands. Ensuring the seasoning is evenly distributed will enhance the meat’s flavor.
Step 10
Heat a pan over high heat and quickly stir-fry the seasoned minced pork. Use chopsticks to break up the meat as it cooks, ensuring it becomes loose and evenly browned. Cook until the pork is fully done.
Step 11
Prepare the wood ear mushroom dumplings by air-frying or pan-frying them until golden. (If you have pre-cooked dumplings from the air fryer, simply reheat them.) While you can add them directly to the boiling soup, pre-cooking them can add a more enjoyable texture.
Step 12
Once the broth is boiling, add the prepared tteokguk rice cakes and cook until they become soft and chewy. This usually takes about 3-5 minutes.
Step 13
When the rice cakes are almost done, add the dumplings to the pot and simmer until they are heated through. Adding dumplings will further enrich the soup’s flavor.
Step 14
Once both the rice cakes and dumplings are cooked, your Tteokmandu-guk is almost ready to serve. If the broth seems too concentrated, add a little more water or broth to reach your desired consistency.
Step 15
Ladle the Tteokmandu-guk with rice cakes and dumplings into serving bowls. Artfully arrange the sautéed carrots, julienned egg omelet, stir-fried minced pork, and sliced shiitake mushrooms on top. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped green onions for garnish.
Step 16
In a small separate bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, chili powder, sesame oil, and ground sesame seeds, mixing well to create a seasoning sauce. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Drizzling this sauce over the Tteokmandu-guk just before serving adds another layer of delicious flavor.
