Vol. 10, Issue 02 February 2010 
Korean Easy-Cook Recipe – 떡국(Ddeokguk)
Food, Recipes
So, this Korean traditional soup is one of the most meaningful foods to Koreans, especially at this time of year.
By Park Suji
Seollal, or Korean New Year’s Day, is one of the major national holidays in Korea. Unfortunately, this year’s Seollal is from Saturday to Monday taking up the whole weekend, so that many people would probably have a hard time visiting their folks who live far away in their hometown. But the one thing all Koreans are never going to miss is to feast on Ddeokguk on the morning of Korean New Year’s Day. After eating Ddeokguk, Koreans regard their welcoming of the New Year as completed, and finally count their age as one year higher. It is not that difficult to see some children eating more than one bowl of Ddeokguk, so they can feel like they’ve aged more than a year.
So, this Korean traditional soup is one of the most meaningful foods to Koreans, especially at this time of year. Eating Ddeokguk would be a very nice way to feel Korean culture, and it is not too difficult to make, even for a novice in cooking. Here is the recipe for Ddeokguk.
How to make Ddeokguk (serves 2~3 people)
Things to Prepare: a boiling pan, 600ml of water, 400g sliced Garae-ddeok, 50g minced beef (or chicken), one egg, a little chopped scallion and dried laver, two table spoons of sesame oil, and soy sauce.
Method:
- Put 50g minced beef, two table spoons of sesame oil and soy sauce altogether into a boiling pan and stir-fry the beef.
- Put 600ml of water into the pan and bring to a boil.
- When the water boils, put 400g of sliced Garae-ddeok and boil for about 5 minutes more.
- Add a little chopped scallion and an egg, and boil for less than 1 minute.
- The soup is completed. Put it into a decent bowl, add dried laver on top, and enjoy!
It only takes about 10 minutes to make Ddeokguk at home. All the ingredients can be easily found in supermarkets. It is not too spicy nor does it have a strong scent, so people regardless of their age or culture can enjoy it together.
A well known fact among Koreans is that eating Ddeokguk on New Year’s day means purifying one’s soul by letting the old year out and the new year in, because ddeok (rice cake), especially the one used in Ddeokguk called Garae-ddeok, is a very pure and neat food. Because of this, Koreans gather with their family and relatives in their hometown on Korean New Year’s Day to wish good luck for the new year by sharing Ddeokguk together. In a way, Ddeokguk is the food that represents the deepest affection for their family that lies in the bottom of Koreans’ hearts.
By Park Suji
