Korean Rice Cake Soup With Dumplings (Duk Mandu Guk)

Korean rice cake soup with dumplings, traditionally eaten to celebrate Lunar New Year. Jean Cazals

Korean Rice Cake Soup With Dumplings (Duk Mandu Guk)

It is tradition in Korea to eat this soup for the Lunar New Year. I recommend using my Oxtail Soup as the base, but for a quick version, store-bought chicken broth and frozen dumplings will do. You can also lose the dumplings and double the amount of rice cakes to make rice cake soup (dduk guk).

Serves 4

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• Kosher salt or sea salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a splash of water
• 8 cups Oxtail Soup (recipe follows) or chicken broth
• 24 Korean dumplings (mandu), uncooked
• 1/2 cup meat picked from the oxtails from Oxtail Soup, shredded (optional)
• 8 ounces sliced rice cakes (dduk), soaked in cold water for 15–30 minutes and then drained
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Large handful of scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
• Large handful of julienned roasted seaweed (kim)
• Roasted sesame seeds

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Beat a pinch of salt into the eggs and add them to the skillet, swirling to evenly coat the bottom. Cook, without touching, until the egg is set but just barely browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until the bottom is set, again trying not to get too much color on the egg, 15–20 seconds more. Slide onto a cutting board, cut into thirds, and cut crosswise into thin strips. Set the egg strips aside.