Tteok Mandu Guk is a traditional Korean Rice Cake Soup with Dumplings.
Korean cooks love to make a warm and comforting bowl of rice cake dumpling soup to celebrate the New Year. We typically make the popular comfort food during the winter as a cozy way to warm up on a cold day.
Our quick & easy homemade Tteok Mandu Guk recipe features chewy Korean rice cakes, tender mandu dumplings, and slices of braised beef. The broth is flavoured with sesame oil, fish sauce and garlic.
Serve Korean Dumpling Soup as a hearty lunch garnished with finely chopped chili, sliced omelette and scallions.
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What Is Tteokbokki?
Literally translated as “stir-fried rice cake,” tteokbokki is a beloved Korean rice cake.
You can easily find Korean rice cakes sold as a street food in busy cities like Seoul or Busan, typically boiled in a spicy broth or grilled until crispy.
Tteokbokki is made with a type of rice cake called garaetteok, a cylinder-shaped white rice cake prepared with short grain rice. They have a distinctly chewy texture.
The thick type is often sliced into thin oval shapes when making Tteok Mandu Guk. You can also use the longer and thinner variety when making our Korean rice cake soup recipe.
We prefer the larger cylindrical tteokbokki as they are easier to grab with chopsticks.
What Is Mandu?
Mandu are the name used to describe dumplings in Korean cuisine. Mandu can be steamed, boiled, pan-fried, or deep-fried. The styles also vary across regions in the Korean Peninsula.
We like to use frozen Korean leek dumplings in our Tteok Mandu Guk. You can use your favourite brand of frozen dumplings, gyoza or potstickers purchased at a local Asian grocer.
What Is Tteok Mandu Guk?
In Korean Teok means “rice cake,” Mandu means “dumplings,” and Guk means Soup. So Tteok Mandu Guk translates to Korean Rice Cake Dumpling Soup.
Koreans enjoy a large bowl of this comforting soup on New Year’s Day to grant good fortune or good luck as they turn another year in age. Often it is served with a side of kimchi or other homemade banchan.
Tteok Mandu Guk For Korean New Years
Korean New Year is called Seollal and marks the first day of the lunar calendar. It’s a big celebration in Korean culture that spans three days of family gatherings.
Eating the soup with loved ones is a popular tradition on this day because it symbolizes getting a year older in Korean culture and the coin-like shape of the rice cakes are often thought to bring good fortune, prosperity, and wealth for that year. The white color of the rice cakes also symbolizes purity, new beginnings, and cleanliness.
We think the mandu dumplings also look like tiny purses so the symbolism of good fortune and wealth can be appreciated when slurping each and every spoonful.
A common custom is to say “you’re now a year older” after eating a bowl of Tteok Mandu Guk on New Year’s Day. Today the soup is also eaten on Western New Year’s Day on January 1st.
Travel to Korea by Cooking Tteok Mandu Guk at Home
I love traveling through Asia.
As a professional food and travel writer I’ve eaten my way through India, Maldives, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
My first visit to Asia had me living in South Korea for a year as an English teacher. That’s when I was first introduced to yummy fermented vegetables like kimchi.
In Korea, I’ve enjoyed many steaming bowls of Tteok Mandu Guk at restaurants in Seoul, Suwon, Busan, Samcheok, Jeju and even the North Korean DMZ.
My first time slurping through a bowl of Korean Rice Cake Soup was almost immediately after getting off the plane in Seoul. I spent my first week in Korea attending intensive teacher training classes. Whenever we’d break for lunch they’d serve us take out containers filled with bulgogi, Tteok Mandu Guk and selection of healthy banchan.
This Rice Cake and Dumpling Soup recipe is a simple Korean dish that is quick and easy to make on the stove. The dish features braised beef slices, dumplings, chewy rice cakes and a broth flavoured with scallions, fish sauce and sesame oil.
After enjoying your first few spoonfuls, you’ll realize why Korean Rice Cake Dumpling Soup enjoyed with a cold pint of Hite beer is a must-try when visiting South Korea!
Where To Eat Korean Rice Cake Soup
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Korean restaurant that serves an authentic Tteok Mandu Guk recipe.
Haven’t traveled to Korea before? It may be helpful to first sample Korean Dumpling Soup at a local restaurant to better understand how it is served. You’ll get an idea for the ideal rice cake to dumpling ratio, how spicy to make the broth, and the best side dishes to serve at the table.
In Toronto, popular Korean restaurants that may serve Tteok Mandu Guk include Doma, Korean Village Restaurant, Arisu, Charcoal and Salt, Koko Share Bar, The Owl of Minerva, Seoul Shakers, Té Restaurant, Barrio Coreano, Momofuku Noodle Bar, Tofu Village and Korea House.
My Family Loves Korean Dumpling Soup
My parents flew to Asia to visit me on holiday during the 12 months I lived in Seoul. Before landing at Incheon they visited Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan.
They had never been to a Korean restaurant at home in Toronto or Oakville before so every dish was a delight and surprise to their taste buds.
It’s no secret that my dad is a picky eater so I was a little nervous about him finding commonplace menu items like raw fish, spicy soup and fatty samgyeopsal to be unappealing.
Thankfully my parents both fell in love with the local comfort food Tteok Mandu Guk! They ordered the soup many times during visits to Insadong and Dongdaemun.
I knew my parents would love the dish because they enjoy tender braised beef, dumplings, chewy rice cakes and comforting bowls of soup.
I often cook this Korean Rice Cake and Dumpling Soup during the colder months of the year in the Fall and Winter. After spending a day outdoors in the cold there’s no better way to heat up your chilly bones then spooning through a steaming bowl of Tteok Mandu Guk.
Your hungry (and thawing) dinner guests will be smiling from ear to ear. Be sure to serve each bowl with a spoon and pair of chopsticks. You’ll need a spoon to slurp the broth and chopsticks to grab the dumplings and rice cakes.
Tteok Mandu Guk Recipe Cooking Tips
Our Korean Dumpling and Rice Cake Soup is quick and easy to make at home. We’ve included a few tips for first time Korean cooks:
- We suggest using a large pot or Dutch Oven to prepare this soup.
- We like making a homemade beef broth but Tteok Mandu Guk can also be prepared with anchovy, seaweed or chicken broth.
- Visit your butcher and purchase an affordable tough cut of beef like flank, brisket or chuck. When simmered for an extended period of time in water the tough beef softens. Bonus is that you can use the leftover water as your beef broth!
- You can purchase Tteokbokki Korean Rice Cakes online or at your local Korean supermarket.
- You can purchase frozen Mandu at your local Korean supermarket or substitute for other Asian dumplings like gyoza or potstickers. We’ve used vegetarian leek mandu in this recipe but kimchi dumplings are also very popular.
- You can purchase Gochugaru at an Asian supermarket, Korean grocer or on Amazon.
- We garnish the soup with sliced omelette, spicy red chili and scallions but you can also add seaweed.
Korean Dumpling Soup Health Benefits
Our homemade Tteok Mandu Guk recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
Beef is a great source of protein and minerals like iron as well as an excellent source of the amino acid L-caine. Beef also features antioxidant glutathione known for its anti-aging benefits.
Scallions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
Eggs contain two vital nutrients that are not present in many foods: iodine and vitamin D. Eggs are also rich in tissue-building protein and vitamin B12, which helps your body manufacture blood cells.
A useful source of copper, calcium, manganese, and phosphorus, sesame seeds help support circulatory, digestive and skeletal health.
Chili in the gochujang has been proven to help reduce the duration of sickness, prevent heart disease, and promote weight loss.
Nearly 50% of the people in the world get over 50% of their daily calories from rice. If eating brown rice featuring nutritious bran you’ll enjoy health benefits like cancer risk reduction and diabetes control.
What To Serve with Korean Rice Cake Soup
There’s nothing more comforting than cozying up to a bowl of Tteok Mandu Guk on a cold winter day!
The dish is often served in Korean homes on New Years as a celebratory dish for good luck but can certainly be enjoyed all year round.
Korean Rice Cake Soup with Dumplings is often served as a meal on its own because it is so filling. Since the dish is hearty we suggest pairing it with healthy side dishes (banchan) like kimchi or a fresh Korean salad.
You May Also Enjoy These Korean Recipes…
- Spicy Korean Kimchi Soju Cocktail
- Homemade Korean Strawberry Milk
- Oven Roasted Korean Gochujang Pulled Pork Shoulder
- Korean Breakfast Recipe Gochujang Baked Eggs & Potato
- Korean Beef Bulgogi Noodles
- Sangchu Geotjeori Sweet and Sour Korean Lettuce Salad
- Crispy Vegan Pan Fried Korean Tofu
- Buchimgae Buchu-Jeon Korean Chive Pancake
- Spicy Gukbap Korean Rice & Beef Soup
- Homemade Spicy Pork Bibimbap
- Baked Korean Gochujang Chicken Wings
- Peanut and Sesame Noodle Bowl with Korean BBQ Pork and Pickles
- Korean Ssamjang Chicken Kimchi Nachos
How To Make Tteok Mandu Guk (RECIPE VIDEO)
Korean Tteok Mandu Guk Soup
Equipment
- Large pot
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Non-stick skillet
Ingredients
- 7 cups Water
- 300 g Beef Flank, Brisket or Chuck
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tsp Canola Oil
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 lb Tteokbokki Korean Rice Cakes
- 200 g Frozen Mandu (12-14 Korean Dumplings)
- 3 Scallions thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Red Long Chili Pepper deseeded, sliced
- 1/4 tsp Gochugaru Korean Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil in a Dutch Oven over high heat and add the beef and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks from the whites of two eggs. Put the yolks and whites into separate bowls. Add pinch of salt to each and mix with a fork.
- Add the cooking oil to a heated non-stick pan. Turn off the heat. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the pan and tilt it so it spreads evenly and thinly. Let it cook on the hot pan for about 1 minute. Flip it over and let it sit on the pan for another minute, then take it off, slice it into thin strips and set it aside.
- Add sesame oil, ground black pepper, and chopped green onion. Stir the soup with a ladle. Remove from the heat and ladle the rice cake soup into individual bowls. Garnish with egg strips, sliced red chilies and sprinkle of gochugaru. Serve hot!
Nutrition
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