Lunar New Year is celebrated with a variety of flavorful, unique foods in Asian culture.For Koreans, dduk-guk (rice cake soup) is a mainstay on the New Year’s table. I grew up eating this iconic dish every New Year’s Day, like many Korean Americans who observe the holiday on January 1 rather than on Lunar New Year, which lands sometime in lateJanuary or early February (this year, it starts on February 10).
Regardless of the date the New Year is celebrated, dduk-guk remains a traditional and comforting dish that Koreans around the world enjoy with loved ones. The rice cake soup is made with a base of either beef broth or anchovy broth, seasoned and boiled with flat, oval-shaped rice cakes that become soft and chewy in the soup. Sometimes dumplings are added to the mix, making itdduk-mandu-guk. Dduk-guk is usually topped with some combination of chopped green onions, strips of seaweed, thinly sliced fried egg and shredded beef (if beef broth is used). The soup is equal parts hearty, nourishing and satisfying: the perfect way to kick off a new year
