Tteokguk (or rice cake soup) is a Korean dish that’s traditionally made for the Lunar New Year. Depending on the broth used, Tteokguk might not be vegan, however this Vegan Tteokguk recipe is! On Korean or Lunar New Year, it’s Korean tradition to eat what’s called “Tteokguk”. The word “tteok” means rice cake in Korean, and the word “guk” means soup. So there you have it – Tteokguk!
Tteokguk can truly be enjoyed any time of year and it really is so special. But why do we enjoy this special dish on Lunar New Year, specifically? Well, it is said that the whiteness of the tteok represents a pure, clean and fresh start to the new year. Furthermore, the way this specific tteok is sliced (into thin and round shapes) is supposed to represent the shape of coins, which symbolizes prosperity.
Recipe for Instant Vegan Tteokguk
There are many different ways to make tteokguk and of course, I’ll be showing you an easy instant vegan tteokguk! If you have extra time and want to make it more “from scratch”, I would recommend making the more in-depth version of this dish which I already have a recipe for! You can click here to get to that recipe, which will show you the step-by-step, starting from making the delicious broth from scratch.
However, I know that realistically a lot of us don’t want to make broth from scratch. We simply want to eat some delicious tteokguk quickly! Well, for those lazy times, I decided to make an “instant” version of this dish. This should take no longer than 10 minutes, probably closer to only 5 minutes! It’s so simple and easy.
Ingredients for Vegan Tteokguk
- Vegetable bouillon cube (or vegetable broth)
- Soft tofu
- Soy sauce
- Toasted sesame oil (chamgireum)
- Korean coin shaped rice cakes (tteok)
- Mushrooms of choice
- Garlic
- Korean vegan-friendly dumplings (Frozen)
- Dry roasted seaweed
- Green onion
How To Make Tteokguk (Vegan)
Start by adding water and vegetable bouillon (crumbled) in a pot. If you are using vegetable broth instead, just add vegetable broth to pot. Optionally, add kelp powder to pot if you have it. Whisk and bring to a boil.
In the meantime, in a small bowl, add soft tofu (cubed), soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. Mix well. Set aside (you can do this step in advance if you want more of the flavour to soak into the tofu).
Into the pot with broth, add in Korean rice cakes (tteok), mushrooms, minced garlic and vegan-friendly dumplings. Let this come back to a boil and cook until the rice cakes float to the top or if they are soft and chewy.
Now add in your marinated tofu, chopped green onions and crumbled up roasted seaweed (as much as you’d like). Give the broth a taste and add more soy sauce or sesame oil as needed.
Enjoy hot with a side of vegan kimchi!
Instant Vegan Tteokguk
Equipment
- Stove
- 1 Pot
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Knife
Ingredients
- 150 g Korean rice cakes coin shaped tteok
- 2 cups Water or Vegetable Broth
- 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube omit if using vegetable broth
- 1/3 package soft tofu cubed
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce more if desired
- 1 tsp Toasted Sesame oil (chamgireum), more if desired
- 1 cup mushrooms of choice, sliced, if needed
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 6 Korean vegan-friendly dumplings frozen
- 2 green onion stalks, chopped, optional topping
- Dry roasted seaweed optional topping
- 1/4 tsp kelp powder optional seasoning
Instructions
- Start by adding water and vegetable bouillon (crumbled) in a pot. If you are using vegetable broth instead, just add vegetable broth to pot. Optionally, add kelp powder to pot if you have it. Whisk and bring to a boil.
- In the meantime, in a small bowl, add soft tofu (cubed), soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. Mix well. Set aside (you can do this step in advance if you want more of the flavour to soak into the tofu).
- Into the pot with broth, add in Korean rice cakes (tteok), mushrooms, minced garlic and vegan-friendly dumplings. Let this come back to a boil and cook until the rice cakes float to the top or if they are soft and chewy.
- Now add in your marinated tofu, chopped green onions and crumbled up roasted seaweed (as much as you’d like). Give the broth a taste and add more soy sauce or sesame oil as needed.
- Enjoy hot with a side of vegan kimchi!
Nutrition
To know how to make the most delicious broth for this and to make this delicious rice cake soup from scratch, check out this more in-depth recipe here!
Just tried this recipe. I did it following the written recipe. But when I wanted to look at this video, I noticed that you did not list the garlic in the written recipe. Even without the garlic, I loved it.
Just updated the recipe with garlic but you can make it without garlic too 🙂
I love this quick recipe! So great to know I can make an otherwise complicated recipe into something very simple. Korean rice cakes are my addiction!
Thanks Linda! So happy I was able to make a complicated recipe more simple! lol