TTEOK GUK WITH MANDU (KOREAN RICE CAKE SOUP WITH SIMMERED DUMPLINGS)

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

8 oz of store-bought raw Korean BBQ Beef (Bulgogi)

5 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 cup cold water

1 tbsp chopped garlic

10 pieces store-bought beef dumplings 2 cups sliced fresh rice cakes

½ cup scallion, chopped Optional garnishes:

1 egg “crepe” (recipe follows)

1 pack seasoned Gim nori

1 tsp Korean chili flake

Directions:

1. In a medium Dutch oven, sauté Korean BBQ beef until fully cooked — 3 to 4 minutes. Cool and chop into bite-size pieces and set aside.

2. Add the low-sodium beef broth to Dutch oven and water, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic and chopped scallion and cook for 2 more minutes.

3. Add dumplings to the simmering beef broth for 3 minutes or until the dumplings float to the top, and then add fresh rice cake. Cook for 3 minutes or until the rice cakes are soft and tender to the touch.

4. Make sure the broth comes to a boil with dumplings and rice cakes. This helps the broth get richer in flavor.

5. Ladle the steaming soup into an individual bowl garnished with chopped Korean BBQ beef, thinly sliced egg “crepe” (recipe follows), Gim nori and Korean chili flake.

EGG CREPE Ingredients:

1 egg

1 tsp butter

Pinch of salt and 1 turn of black pepper mill

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and season with salt and pepper

2. Heat 12-inch nonstick pan over medium heat; add butter, then add seasoned egg mixture

3. Tilt the pan so the mixture cooks fully on both sides. Do not overcook — there should be no brown color on the egg “crepe”

4. Remove from the pan cool, then roll egg “crepe” and slice into thin strips.