Joraengi Tteokguk

Ingredients

Rice cakes

• 500 grice flour, short grain
• or 600 g bought joraengi tteok
• about 200 ml boiling water
• 1 teaspoonsalt

Broth

• 600 gbeef brisket or shank
• 2.5 litreswater
• 1onion, halved
• 6garlic cloves
• 5spring onions
• 1 tablespoonblack peppercorns

To season

• 3 tablespoonssoy sauce
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonsesame oil
• black pepper

To garnish

• 2eggs, separated and cooked as thin sheets
• 2spring onions, sliced
• toasted gim, seaweed
• toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Put the beef into a large pot. Cover it well with cold water. Bring it up slowly to a simmer. Skimming is what keeps it clear. Skim it off with a large spoon. Keep skimming until no more appears. That takes about ten full minutes. Add the halved onion and the garlic. Add the spring onions and peppercorns. Cover it over and simmer gently. Give it about an hour and a quarter.
2. Lift the beef out and set it aside. Strain the broth through a fine sieve. Line it with cloth for a clearer result. Skim any fat from the surface. Let the cooked beef cool a little. Shred it finely along the grain. Season it with a little soy and sesame oil. Making the rice cakes takes practice.
3. Put the rice flour and salt in a bowl. Pour boiling water in a little at a time. Stir it with a wooden spoon as you pour. This is a hot water dough and must be.
4. Let it cool just enough to handle. Knead it while it is still very warm. Knead it for a good ten minutes. It should become smooth and quite stiff. Roll a piece into a rope about two centimetres thick. Cut it into pieces about three centimetres long.
5. Roll each piece smooth between your palms. Use your thumb and forefinger to squeeze. Pinch it firmly but do not cut through. The waist should be about half the thickness.
6. Keep them covered as you work. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the shaped rice cakes to it. Give them two minutes after they float. Lift them out into cold water. That stops them cooking and sticking. Drain them before they go into the soup. Beat each one separately with a pinch of salt.
7. Cook each as a very thin sheet in a pan. Use a low heat so they do not colour. Let them cool and slice them into strips. Bring the strained broth back to a simmer. Season it with soy sauce and salt. Add the drained rice cakes to it. Give them about three minutes. Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Set shredded beef over each one.
8. Add strips of egg white and yolk. Scatter sliced spring onion over it. Crumble toasted gim over the top. Add a few toasted sesame seeds. Add black pepper and a drop of sesame oil. It does not keep once assembled.

Technique

• Kaesong folklore says the pinched shape mocks Yi Seong-gye, who founded the Joseon dynasty in thirteen ninety-two and moved the capital away from Kaesong, the former Goryeo capital, with the pinch representing throttling him; that account is folklore rather than documented history but is part of the dish’s identity.
• Joraengi tteok are rolled into a rope, cut short and pinched at the middle into a gourd shape rather than sliced flat, which gives thick ends and a thin waist that cook at different rates and make it chewier than the usual sliced version.
• The dough must be made with genuinely boiling water, since that gelatinises the rice starch and makes it workable and chewy, while cold water gives a powder that will not bind.

Substitutions

• Bought joraengi tteok are sold frozen and need only boiling.
• Ordinary sliced tteokguk rice cakes make the standard version of the soup.

Variations

• Most of Korea uses flat oval slices rather than the pinched Kaesong shape.
• Some households add mandu dumplings to the same soup.
• The egg strips, spring onion and seaweed garnish are standard across versions.

History

Kaesong folklore says the pinched rice cakes mock Yi Seong-gye, founder of Joseon, whom the old Goryeo capital resented.

Frequently asked questions

What is Joraengi Tteokguk?

Joraengi Tteokguk is a soup & stew from North Korea: kaesong soup of bottle-gourd-shaped rice cakes in clear broth. Kaesong folklore says the pinched rice cakes mock Yi Seong-gye, founder of Joseon, whom the old Goryeo capital resented.

How long does Joraengi Tteokguk take to make?

Joraengi Tteokguk takes 40 minutes plus resting of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Joraengi Tteokguk?

Yes, within limits. Bought joraengi tteok are sold frozen and need only boiling. Ordinary sliced tteokguk rice cakes make the standard version of the soup.

What is the most important thing to get right in Joraengi Tteokguk?

Put the rice flour and salt in a bowl. Pour boiling water in a little at a time. Stir it with a wooden spoon as you pour. This is a hot water dough and must be.