I FINALLY figured out how to make Ddukgook (Korean Rice Cake Soup)

When you think of Korean food, the first thing that pops into your head is probably Korean BBQ. But, for me, I always think of soups. Korean cuisine is loaded with soups and stews, and as someone who could eat soup everyday, it's a great thing for me. One of my favorites is Ddukgook, a mild and very clean tasting beef broth with slices of rice cakes, scallions, and egg. It's especially comforting during cold weather, but I could pretty much eat it all the time. Only, I never knew how to make it...

Until now! Now, I have to admit, it took a lot of research, but I've eventually come up with a recipe for ddukgook that tastes right to me.

It's actually pretty simple. Start by making your beef broth. You'll want about a pound of beef (any kind is fine) for 8 cups of water, which you'll reduce down to about 6-7 cups.

The first step is the most important. It might seem like it's one you can skip, but trust me. You need to do it. I learned my lesson the hard way.

Soak your beef in cold water for one hour, changing the water every 15 minutes. This will drain the blood from the beef and help you get a nice, clean-tasting broth. 

Rinse off the beef and transfer it to a clean pot. (I like to use an enameled cast iron pot.) Cover the beef with eight cups of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about an hour or so, skimming off any foam or scum as it appears. Then add in 4 whole, peeled garlic cloves and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour more.

Strain broth into a container and refrigerate until you're ready to use it. Once it's cold, you can easily skim off all the fat.

Now, for the ddukgook!

Bring your broth to a boil and season with about a tablespoon of gook ganjang, which is a special kind of soy sauce used for soups. If you use regular soy sauce, it won't taste the same. I would add a little gook ganjang as you go, instead of adding the whole spoonful at once. This will allow you to taste it and check your seasonings. If you feel like it needs more, add more. Every brand of sauce is different.

Meanwhile, soak your dduk in cold water. If you bought fresh, soft tubes of dduk that you are going to slice yourself, you can skip this step. But, if they're hard from the fridge, this helps soften them up again.

After the broth tastes good to you, drain the dduck and add them to the soup, along with five or so scallions sliced lengthwise. As the dduk cook, it will make the soup a little bit white and translucent. That's what you want to happen. Put the lid on and boil for about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and swirl in two beaten eggs. Cook about two minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

Top with sliced roasted seasoned seaweed and sliced beef brisket, if desired.

I forgot to take a picture before we ate it all, but will add one the next time I make it!