Randall Park’s- Tteokguk Soup

Randall Park joins us for a delicious conversation that explores how his southern California childhood shaped his acting career.

You’ve seen Randall in Fresh Off The Boat, Always Be My Maybe, The Interview, Ant Man & The Wasp, and so many other films and TV projects. He currently stars in the Netflix hit, The Residence!

Randall says he developed his skills as an actor and a comedian early on by observing his parents straddle multiple worlds as Korean Immigrants who were trying to navigate their new home in America, while still holding on to their cultural traditions and in some cases, their dignity.  

This was a great conversation about how Randall Park found his voice and then found his way as a comedian and an actor—even when his parents didn’t always agree with his choices. 

You will love this conversation. Randall shares this recipe for his mother’s Korean soup called Tteokguk. It’s a Korean soup traditionally served on the first day of the new year, but you can enjoy it all year long!

Make a pot and let us know whatcha think!

Ingredients

● 1 pound frozen oval rice cakes
● frozen dumplings (optional)
● 7 cups water
● 1⁄2 pound flank steak or brisket, chopped into small pieces
● 1 tsp Minced garlic
● 3 Green onion, chopped
● 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
● 2 eggs
● 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
● 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
● 1/2 teaspoon dashida
● 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
● 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
● salt
● 1 sheet of dried seaweed paper
● sesame seeds

STEP 1

Soak the frozen rice cakes in water for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Bring the water to a boil in a heavy pot over high heat and add the beef and garlic and
dashida and cook for 5 minutes.

Step 3

Roast both sides of the seaweed directly over the stove flames until it’s crispy. crush into
tiny pieces and set aside.

Step 4

Add the rice cake slices and dumplings into the boiling soup along with soy sauce and
fish sauce. Stir it with a ladle.

Step 5

Cover and let it cook for 7 to 8 minutes until all the rice cakes are floated and are
softened throughout.

Step 6

Add the eggs, stir it up a bit, and let cook for about a minute.

step 7

Add sesame oil, ground black pepper, salt and green onion. Stir the soup.

step 8

Remove from the heat and ladle the rice cake soup into individual serving bowls.
Garnish with crushed seaweed, sesame seeds.

Michele’s Kitchen Notes

I can’t wait to try this soup in the New Year but may have to test it out on one of these chilly Spring nights. Also—If you having trouble finding dashida, try Whole Foods, Fresh Market, or your local Asian marketplace.

AND I will be adding dumplings to mine!

Make a pot and let us know how it goes. Thanks to Randall Park for sharing this family loved recipe.