Clear Brisket Broth Tteokguk with Traditional Garnishes

Method

1. Soak the brisket in cold water for 30 min to draw out the blood; this keeps the broth clear and free of any gamey smell. Soak the rice cakes in a separate bowl of cold water at the same time. Peel the onion and halve the leek lengthways.

2. Put the water, brisket, onion, leek, garlic and peppercorns in a 20 cm pot and bring to the boil over high heat, about 10 min. As it comes up, skim off all the foam and fat with a ladle. Then turn down to medium-low heat, set the lid ajar and simmer gently for 55 min. The beef is done when a chopstick slides in easily.

   Add in this stepWater 1,500 mlBeef brisket, in one piece 200 gOnion ½Korean leek or thick spring onion (daepa) 1Garlic cloves, whole 3Black peppercorns 8

   high heat→medium-low heat

3. Lift out the beef, let it cool for 5 minutes, then tear it into thin shreds along the grain with your fingers. Toss with the soy sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic and pepper; this is the beef garnish. Strain the broth through a fine sieve lined with kitchen paper so it is crystal clear. About half the original water will remain; top up with a little water if there is much less.

   Add in this stepRegular soy sauce 1 tspToasted sesame oil 1 tspMinced garlic ½ tspGround black pepper 1 pinch

4. Separate the egg, add a pinch of salt to the yolk and to the white and stir each gently with chopsticks so they do not foam. Oil a 18 cm frying pan, wipe it almost dry with kitchen paper and, over low heat, spread the yolk thinly and cook for 2 min, then the white for 2 min. When the surface looks dry, flip for just 10 seconds so it stays pale. Let cool and cut into fine 3 cm strips.

   Add in this stepEgg 1Salt, for the egg strips 1 pinchNeutral oil ½ tsp

   low heat

5. Pour the strained broth into a pot and bring to the boil over high heat, about 4 min. Season with the soup soy sauce, taste and add salt if needed. Drain the rice cakes, add them and cook over medium-high heat for 5 min, until they float and feel soft, then turn off the heat.

   Add in this stepKorean soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) 1½ tbspSalt to tasteSliced rice cakes for soup 300 g

   high heat→medium-high heat

6. Ladle the rice cakes and broth into bowls and arrange the beef garnish, yellow and white egg strips and thinly sliced spring onion on top. Snip the seaweed into fine strips with scissors, scatter over with the sesame seeds and serve straight away.

   Add in this stepThin spring onions 2Roasted seaweed sheets (gim / nori) 1Toasted sesame seeds ½ tsp