Dduk Mandu Guk

5 from 2 votes

Dduk Mandu Guk (떡만두국), or Korean Rice Cake and Dumpling Soup, is a traditional New Year's Day recipe that's also delicious winter comfort food. Thin rice cakes, plump dumplings, and poached egg whites float in a light and flavorful broth. It's then topped with seaweed and egg strips for the perfect finish.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 681

Author Jessica Kwon

Ingredients

3 eggs
½ tablespoon cooking oil
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth and/or water
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1½ tablespoon fish sauce
1 lb flat rice cakes (tteok) thawed (see notes)
½-¾ lb mandu (dumplings) fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1-2 green onion thinly sliced; for garnish
½ sheet roasted seaweed sheets (sushi nori) cut into thin strips; for garnish
Sesame seeds for garnish
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the eggs. Separate egg yolks from egg whites and place into 2 separate bowls. Add ⅛ teaspoon salt to egg yolks. Whisk each separately.
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour in egg yolks and tilt pan to form a thin layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side, then slide out onto cutting board. Roll and cut into thin strips. Set aside for garnish.
Start the soup. Pour your broth or water into a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a rolling simmer. Stir in garlic, fish sauce, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Add the rice cakes and mandu dumplings to the broth. Cook for 2-4 minutes uncovered or until they start to float, stirring often to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
Turn heat down to medium-low. While stirring the soup, slowly pour in egg whites to create ribbons. Then pour in sesame oil and season to taste with salt and/or fish sauce.
Serve immediately and top with green onion, egg yolk, seaweed strips, and sesame seeds.

Notes

Flat rice cakes (tteok): Thinly sliced cylindrical rice cakes are traditional for tteokguk. They can be find fresh, refrigerated, or frozen and are most readily available at Asian markets or on Weee! but they're now available at Trader Joe's as well.
- The cooking time will vary depending on what type of tteok you use. Fresh rice cakes only need to cook for 1-2 minutes while refrigerated (or thawed from frozen) will require 2-4 minutes.
Mandu (dumplings): Pre-made mandu is a huge timesaver for this recipe, but you can also make your own. Any flavor would work. Frozen dumplings can be found at all Asian markets, but Korean markets will have a wider variety of traditional mandu. I've also seen them at Costco. Another alternative is to ask your local Korean restaurant if they will sell them to you uncooked (fresh or frozen).
Broth: I prefer to use chicken bone broth for this recipe. Feel free to use beef or vegetable broth instead - even water would work. I recommend using a low-sodium broth for better control of the seasoning.
If you don’t have fish sauce on hand, swap it out with anchovy stock or chicken or beef bouillon instead. You could also season with soy sauce or soup soy sauce instead, but the flavor will be different.
Tteok Mandu Guk must be served immediately! Otherwise, the rice cakes and dumplings will bloat and become soggy.
To make this ahead of time, you can prepare the broth in advance without the poached egg whites. Let cool completely before storing it in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Complete the dish day-of by heating the broth in a pot over medium heat, covered. Cook the rice cakes, mandu, and toppings as directed and serve immediately.

Nutrition