my greenish iguana-to-be

Korean Rice Cake Soup
(Duk Gook) Recipe







Korean Duk Gook, a soup filled with soft Korean rice cakes (Dduk), is always eaten on New Year's Day. Soothing and simple, it takes less than 30 minutes if you use pre-made or store-bought broth. It's also common to add dumplings and/or sliced beef to the soup for a heartier dish.


Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 (1 lb) package Korean duk (flat oval rice cakes)
6 cups broth (beef, anchovy, or chicken)
Soup soy sauce and pepper (to taste)
2 eggs, fried and sliced into thin strips
Dried seaweed sheets, cut into thin slices
2 scallions, chopped (optional garnish)

Preparation:
Soak rice cakes in cold water for about 20 minutes.


-Bring Beefbroth to a boil.*

-Season to taste with soup soy sauce and black pepper.

-Add rice cakes and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.

-Ladle into individual bowls and then add egg and seaweed strips and scallions.

(Serves 4)

* If you are using store-bought broth, then mix 4 cups broth with 2 cups water and season with soup soy sauce.

Korean Cabbage Soup Recipe (Baechu Gook)

This cabbage soup is not often found in restaurants but is a staple in Korean households. Healthy, low-fat, and rich in nutrients and vitamins, Baechu Gook is Korean comfort food and is especially popular in the winter months.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 head Napa cabbage, chopped
4 cups beef broth*
4 Tbsp Korean soybean paste (daenjang)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp black pepper**
2 scallions, chopped

Preparation:
In a large pot, bring beef broth up to a boil.

-Add Daenjang soybean paste when the soup is very hot, stirring to dissolve.

-When it begins to boil, reduce to a simmer and add cabbage and garlic.

-Cook until cabbage is very tender, about 20 minutes.

-Turn off heat and add black pepper and chopped scallions.

(Serves 4)



*You can use store-bought beef broth for this soup if you don't have time to make your own.

**I like my baechu gook very pepper-y, but you can also replace this with red pepper powder (kochukaru) if you want that type of spiciness instead.

Spicy Korean Soft Tofu Stew (Soondubuchigae)

Like many Korean stews, soondubuchigae can be adjusted for very different spice levels and flavor preferences. Many Korean people like their soondubu with kimchi, and I do admit that it's a delicious combination. But most of the time I crave it with clams, kimchi, and an anchovy base. I used shrimp, clams in the version in the photograph, and added enoki mushrooms at the end. In restaurants, soondubuchigae is served in traditional earthenware bowls while bubbling hot. Raw egg is added to the stew and folded into the contents to cook from the heat within the bowl.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
Tbsp sesame lb or 1 cup beef (thinly sliced)
Tbsp garlic, finely chopped
Tbsp red pepper powder (kochukaru) cups
anchovy stock, beef stock, or water
cups soft tofu
Tbsp soy sauce
1 lb unshucked clams or 1 cup shucked clams,
rinsed2 scallions, sliced Eggs (optional)

Preparation:

In a soup pot, stir-fry the beef, garlic, and kochukaru in the sesame oil for about five minutes.

Add anchovystock or Beefbroth stock or water and soy sauce to the pot.

Bring to a simmer.

Add soft tofu and return to simmer.

Add clams and simmer until the clams are cooked, about 10 minutes, until they shrink, or until the shells open (if using unshucked).

Add scallions and take off heat.

(Serves 4).

* This tofu stew can be made completely mild to very spicy. I've listed a medium amount in this recipe, about what I would consider to be the standard spiciness. Soft tofu stew with no spice is referred to as 'white' in Korean restaurants (for the color of the stew, not the people who eat it).

**Uncoagulated tofu is usually sold in tubes, but you can use silken tofu if you can't find the really soft stuff. Just slice it into small cubes and cook as directed.

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