Tteokguk is the soup Koreans eat on Lunar New Year morning, and it works just as well on an ordinary Tuesday.
The white oval rice cakes stand for a clean start to the year, and finishing a bowl traditionally means turning one year older.
For readers outside Korea the practical questions are different: where to find sliced garae tteok, whether frozen rice cakes work, and how long the broth really takes.
This post covers both the classic beef-broth version and a no-meat anchovy version that finishes in about 20 minutes, plus the dumpling variation and the seasoning that makes the difference.
Contents
- What tteokguk is, and why the rice cakes are white
- Classic beef-broth tteokguk recipe (serves 4)
- 20-minute no-meat version: anchovy broth ratio
- Seasoning and garnish: guk ganjang and jidan
- Variations: tteok-manduguk and broth swaps
- Working with frozen or store-bought sliced garae tteok
What tteokguk is, and why the rice cakes are white
Tteokguk is a soup built on clear broth and thinly sliced white oval rice cakes called garae tteok.
The white color stands for a bright, clean new year, which is why the bowl opens Seollal, the Lunar New Year morning.
Eating a bowl also carries a small custom: it marks turning one year older.
None of that requires the holiday.
Frozen or online-ordered sliced tteok works year-round, so the soup is a normal weeknight option outside Korea too.
| Classic beef broth | 1 h 40 min total |
|---|---|
| Quick anchovy broth (no meat) | About 20 min |
| Servings (classic recipe) | 4 |
| Sliced garae tteok | 4 cups |
| Anchovy broth ratio | 1 L water : 15 g dried anchovies (+ 10 g kelp) |
| Anchovies for a 4-serving pot | About 45 g (12 cups ≈ 3 L × 15 g) |
| Broth per serving (before simmering) | 3 cups (about 710 ml) starting liquid |
Classic beef-broth tteokguk recipe (serves 4)
The classic method builds the broth from beef, then seasons it with soup soy sauce.
The Korean Bapsang recipe uses 1/2 lb beef and 12 cups of water for the broth, with 4 cups of sliced garae tteok.
Total time comes to about 1 hour 40 minutes, and the pot serves 4.
The beef is simmered to make the broth, then sliced and returned to the soup, so the meat does double duty as both broth base and topping.
Divided across four servings, the starting liquid works out to 3 cups (about 710 ml) per person before simmering reduces it.
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20-minute no-meat version: anchovy broth ratio
Skipping the beef cuts the time to about 20 minutes, roughly five times faster than the classic.
The ratio that Korean recipe sources use for the quick broth is 1 liter of water to 15 g of dried anchovies, with about 10 g of dried kelp (dashima) added.
Some sources list the kelp as optional.
For a 4-serving pot using the same 12 cups (about 3 liters) of water, that works out to about 45 g of anchovies.
The anchovy version stays clear and light.
The beef version is richer and heartier, so the choice is really about whether the meal should feel light or filling.
Both versions are standard home methods in Korea, not one authentic and one shortcut.
Seasoning and garnish: guk ganjang and jidan
The seasoning that defines tteokguk is guk ganjang, or soup soy sauce.
It is lighter in color and saltier than regular soy sauce, and it is made for seasoning broths without darkening them.
Regular soy sauce will darken the clear broth, so it is worth finding the soup-specific kind if the goal is the classic look.
The order matters too: season after the rice cakes go in.
Simmer the broth, add the tteok, and once it floats, season with guk ganjang and salt to taste.
The standard topping is jidan — egg separated into yolk and white, cooked into thin sheets, cut into strips, and laid on top.
Chopped seaweed and sesame often join it.
Variations: tteok-manduguk and broth swaps
The most common variation is tteok-manduguk: add dumplings to the same soup.
Frozen mandu from the same Korean grocers that carry the rice cakes works for this.
Beef is only the classic choice, not the rule.
Anchovy, chicken, and vegan broth all work in the same pot.
What changes is the broth’s weight — a meat-free anchovy base keeps the soup light, while beef makes it a fuller meal.
Vegan broth specifics (what replaces the anchovies or beef) were not confirmed from a primary recipe source, so the exact build is left to the broth package directions.
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Working with frozen or store-bought sliced garae tteok
Sliced garae tteok is sold fresh, refrigerated, or frozen specifically for this soup, so finding it is not the hard part — handling it is.
Frozen rice cakes should be soaked in cold water before boiling so they soften evenly and do not stay hard in the center.
The bigger risk is overcooking.
Sliced rice cakes go from chewy to mushy quickly, so boil briefly until they float, then season.
If the pot sits, the tteok keeps absorbing broth and swells.
For the clearest result, cook the tteok in the broth close to serving time rather than far ahead.
👉 sliced garae tteok availability and storage
👉 full classic recipe with jidan and mandu variation
👉 quick anchovy-broth tteokguk in about 20 minutes
Related posts
Sources
- 1/2 lb beef, 12 cups water, 4 cups tteok, serves 4, 1h40m, g (koreanbapsang.com)
- 1L water : 15g dried anchovies + 10g kelp, ~20 minutes, clea (cookpick.kr)
- H Mart and Amazon carry sliced rice cakes for tteokguk; curr (hmart.com)
Before Seollal 2027 on February 6
- Cook the broth ahead and store it separately from the rice cakes; combine only when reheating so the tteok does not swell.
- Boil sliced tteok briefly, until it floats — overcooked rice cakes turn mushy and the broth thickens.
- Leftover soup stores refrigerated, but the tteok keeps soaking; expect softer rice cakes on day two.
- Jidan (egg garnish) can be made ahead and kept refrigerated until serving.
FAQ
Q. Where can I buy Korean rice cakes for tteokguk (sliced garae tteok)?
Sliced garae tteok is stocked at Korean grocery stores and sold online. Korean recipe sources list H Mart and Amazon as common places to find it in the US, though current listings and prices were not verified in this post.
Q. Can I use frozen tteok?
Yes. Frozen sliced rice cakes work year-round. Soak them in cold water before boiling so they soften evenly, then boil briefly until they float.
Q. Can I make tteokguk with anchovy broth instead of beef?
Yes. Use 1 liter of water to 15 g of dried anchovies (with about 10 g of kelp). The no-meat version finishes in about 20 minutes and keeps the broth clear and light.
Save this tteokguk recipe and try it before Seollal 2027 on February 6 — frozen sliced garae tteok makes it doable any weekend.
Cover photo: Tteokmanduguk (rice cake dumpling soup) by 방신애 — CC BY 4.0
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