Tteokguk Toppings: Stir-fried Beef and Flower-shaped Egg Garnish
Elevate Your Tteokguk for Seollal! Crafting Delicious Stir-fried Beef Toppings and Beautiful Flower-shaped Egg Garnishes
It feels like the new year just began, but a month has already flown by, and the grand holiday of Seollal is just two days away. To make your Tteokguk (rice cake soup) even more refined, visually appealing, and delicious, a wonderful method is to stir-fry seasoned minced beef to create flavorful toppings. The way Tteokguk is prepared varies by region and ingredients used. Whether you make it with anchovy broth, beef bone broth, or plain water, topping it with stir-fried beef and finely julienned egg garnish, separated into yellow and white, adds a touch of elegance. You can even shape the egg garnish into rhombuses or charming flowers. This festive season, let’s enhance the taste and appearance of your Tteokguk with these heartfelt toppings!
For the Stir-fried Beef Topping- 200g beef (for stew or ground)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 0.5 Tbsp minced garlic
- 0.5 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp cooking wine (cheongju) or mirin
- 0.5 Tbsp sesame oil
- Pinch of black pepper
For the Flower-shaped Egg Garnish- 2 eggs
- 2 eggs
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Beyond the stir-fried beef, let’s create beautiful egg garnishes to make your Tteokguk truly special. I was inspired by the lovely flower-shaped garnish that Jihyo from ‘I Live Alone’ recently made and decided to try it myself! After all, as the saying goes, food that looks good tastes good, doesn’t it? Let’s begin making the essential beef topping and the artistic flower-shaped egg garnish to create a visually stunning Tteokguk!
Step 2
Prepare 200g of beef for the topping. Instead of pre-ground beef, using stewing beef that you can mince yourself yields a better texture. Pat the beef dry thoroughly with paper towels to remove any excess blood. Then, finely chop the beef into small pieces using a knife or a food processor (cutter).
Step 3
Grinding the beef yourself at home allows you to achieve your desired texture. If you don’t have a food processor, you can finely mince it with a knife. While store-bought ground beef is convenient, grinding it yourself ensures better control over the freshness and quality of the meat.
Step 4
Now, let’s season the finely chopped beef. Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 0.5 tablespoon of brown sugar. Gently mix them together to marinate the beef. The sugar helps to eliminate any gamey odor and enhances the savory flavor.
Step 5
Next, add 0.5 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of cooking wine (or mirin), and a pinch of black pepper for the marinade. Heat a pan over high heat. Add the marinated beef and quickly stir and break it apart with chopsticks or a spatula to prevent clumping. Stir-fry until all the moisture has evaporated – this is key to getting it ‘dry’ (bakk). Just before turning off the heat, drizzle in 0.5 tablespoon of sesame oil for aroma. Your delicious stir-fried beef topping is now complete!
Step 6
This homemade stir-fried beef topping has a delightful texture, with small pieces of beef that are chewy, unlike finely ground beef. Because it’s seasoned, it’s delicious on its own. Any leftover topping from the holidays can also be wonderfully used in bibimbap (mixed rice).
Step 7
Store the prepared beef topping in an airtight container and freeze it. This way, you can keep it for a long time and use it conveniently in Tteokguk or other dishes whenever needed.
Step 8
Now, let’s make the flower-shaped egg garnish that will enhance the visual appeal of your Tteokguk. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and whisk them well. For a smoother and finer garnish, strain the mixture through a sieve to remove the chalazae (egg white strands). While you can separate the yolks and whites to make separate egg crepes, I found it simpler to use the whole eggs (yolk and white mixed).
Step 9
Heat a non-stick pan over low heat. Add a little cooking oil, then wipe the pan with a paper towel to create a thin oil coating. This prevents the egg from sticking and allows you to make thin crepes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then pour the whisked egg mixture evenly across the pan, spreading it thinly. Once the surface of the egg is fully cooked, immediately slide it off the pan without flipping. It’s important to cook it thinly.
Step 10
It’s best to shape the cooked egg crepes while they are still warm. Trim the rounded edges of the egg crepe to create a neat rectangle. These rectangular pieces will be the base for our flower shapes.
Step 11
Take one of the rectangular egg crepes and roll it up tightly. This makes it easier to julienne later.
Step 12
Take the other rectangular egg crepe and fold it in half. Now, make several slits along the folded edge, leaving about 1cm uncut at the very end. The closer the slits, the more voluminous and flower-like the petals will appear.
Step 13
After making the slits, roll up the folded crepe again. Rolling it so the slit edges are on the outside will create a more petal-like appearance. To secure the flower shape, you can use a piece of spaghetti or a toothpick inserted through the center. Using spaghetti is convenient as it will soften and blend in after cooking.
Step 14
Comparing the flower garnish I made with Jihyo’s from the TV show, there was a slight difference. For garnish #1, I made slits on the ‘open’ side after folding. For garnish #2, I made slits on the ‘folded’ side, as seen on TV. When stood upright, garnish #1 tended to droop slightly, while garnish #2 held its shape more rigidly. Don’t you think the ‘mistake’ in shape #1 also has its own charm? Feel free to try both methods!
Step 15
Cut the leftover trimmings from the egg crepes into diamond shapes for bite-sized garnish. This way, you’ll have both flower-shaped and diamond-shaped garnishes to complement your Tteokguk. Scattering diamond-shaped pieces adds a nice touch of fullness.
Step 16
Here’s a comparison of the flower-shaped egg garnish methods inspired by Jihyo from ‘I Live Alone’. Number 1 is the garnish I made by mistake, slitting the open side instead of the folded side. Number 2 is made by slitting the folded side, as shown on TV. When stood up, number 1 droops a bit, while number 2 maintains a firmer shape. But isn’t the shape of number 1 also quite natural and pretty? It’s okay to make mistakes! Both outcomes are lovely. (laughs)
Step 17
With our carefully prepared stir-fried beef topping and beautiful flower-shaped egg garnish, we’re ready to assemble. Add these toppings to your Tteokguk, along with some chopped green onions and shredded seaweed. This will result in a Tteokguk that is not only delicious but also visually stunning. Enjoy a festive and wonderful Tteokguk!
Step 18
When making Tteokguk for the holidays, try preparing the stir-fried beef topping and flower-shaped egg garnish I’ve introduced. You’ll enjoy a Tteokguk that satisfies both taste and appearance. I hope you have a special and delicious Seollal Tteokguk with these heartfelt toppings!
