Selina S. Lee

2017 is coming to an end. Closure is always hard for me but closing the year also means beginning of the new. Looking back, I had the most challenging year. I shed enough tears, I keep finding myself in this dark places and it took so much out of me to pull myself out every time. But I am so thankful because I always had people around me that encouraged me to get myself back up and keep going. Sometimes that’s all you need. If you are reading this, you are definitely one of them. So I personally want to thank you. I don’t know what else I can do to show my gratitude other than working on something I feel passionate about and share them with you. So here is one classic Korean new year’s day repertoire, called Tteokguk, a rice cake soup. It has plenty of warmth and heart in it.

I tried making it using the homemade bone broth. On most occasions, I use chicken broth or anchovies broth (for quickie) but wanted to get the best broth I could possibly make. Although it takes hours to make the broth, it’s definitely worth the time and efforts to serve something so special to kick-off the new year. I focused mainly on getting the best bone broth. Focused on reducing odor from the red meat and getting the excessive fat out as much as possible, resulting in most delicious and clean broth. Hope you get to try it this new years day and share it with your loved ones. Happy Holidays, Happy New Year!

즐거운 성탄과 희망찬 새해를 맞이하시기를 바랍니다!

BONE BROTH RICE CAKE SOUP (사골떡국) – 4 servings
INGREDIENT
1 lb rice cakes
½ cup chopped green onion
2 eggs
1/4 cup seasoned seaweed crisp

FOR BONE BROTH
3 lbs beef shank bones
1 lbs beef shank for soup
1 onion
4 garlic
3-4 large green onion roots
50g Korean radish (small chunk)

PREPARATION
First clean the beef shank bones in cold runny water then soak it in water for at least 2 hours (longer the better). Soak beef shank in cold water as well for at least 30 min to take some of the blood out. Soak rice cakes in cold water for about 30 min prior to cooking. Finely chop green onions for the topping. Make thin egg crepe on a non-stick skillet pan then cut into thin shredded pieces. In traditional Korean cooking, egg yolk and whites are cooked separately.

INSTRUCTION
1. In a large pot, add 12 cups of water, beef shank, bones and add (onion, garlic, green onion roots and radish) and bring it to boil. I use a small hemp cloth pouch to put all the ingredients inside. Boil it on med-high heat for 1 hr, lower the heat and boil it another 1 hr until broth is turns translucent and somewhat milky. Take the hemp cloth pouch out.

2. Broth should be reduced to about 8 cups. I usually make the broth the night before so I can lift any excessive fat the next day. Take the cooked beef and cut them into small pieces to be added as topping.

3. In the bone broth, add rice cakes and boil it for about 5-10 min until rice cakes are tender. Rice cakes will rise to the surface when ready. Season with salt to taste. Serve with seasoned seaweed crisp, egg crepes and chopped green onion, black pepper.

PRO TIP: Try using jjorangyi rice cakes (aka snowman) for bite size and chewy texture. Kids will love it too! Using the hemp pouch with onions and radish will get rid of any odor from the red meat. It will also add a layer of flavor in the broth.