Taste Korea -- Tteok-kuk, Rice Cake Soup

Lunar New Year's Day is just around the corner. Most of you may understand how important it is in Korea, and there is one thing you can't miss that day. It is Tteok-kuk, a rice cake soup. You may have Tteok-kuk any time or any place you want, but eating Tteok-kuk on Lunar New Year's Day is the traditional way. It tastes special and you will finally feel that Lunar New Year's Day has come. Now, are you ready? Here's the recipe!

Ingredients: (serving 5 persons)

• a spoonful of soybean sauce
• 2 eggs
• 2 sheets of toasted seaweed (kim)
• a teaspoonful of powdered sesame seeds mixed with salt
• a spoonful of a minced green onion
• 200g of minced beef (or 150g of beef cut in small pieces and 50g of minced beef)
• sesame oil
• a piece of green onion
• 5 cups of white rice cake sliced in small, thin pieces

How to cook:

1. Heat the pot and spread it with sesame oil. Pan-fry the minced beef and addsoybean sauce for seasoning. Pour water enough for 5 persons and boil.(1-1: Or you can boil water with beef cut in small pieces in a medium pot.)
2. Add the tteok and boil again for 10 minutes. Overcooking will cause tteok to lose its consistency.
3. Add salt and soybean sauce for seasoning.
4. Fry the egg whites and yolks separately in thin layers.
5. Cut the fried whites and yolks in thin strips, which is called Jidan.
6. Crush the toasted seaweed.
7. Serve Tteok-kuk with Jidan and crushed seaweed on top.

(In the case that No. 1-1 is used, you have to cook the minced beef with soybean sauce in a saucepan. Then put it with the egg and the seaweed on top of Ddeok-kuk.)