Mandoo (Dumpling) Gook (Soup)

My family upholds our Korean tradition to make mandoo (dumplings) from scratch every New Years Day.  I can't share with you my family's mandoo recipe because I would have to kill you before my mom killed me, but I will share with you what you can do with the mandoo: make mandoo gook (soup)!  Even if you don't have a year's supply of delicious homemade dumplings in your freezer like I do, you can make this soup with any dumpling you buy from the freezer section of your nearby Korean super market.  Here's my slight spin on the traditional mandoo gook!


Cook-to-Eat-to-Be Happy Time: 20 min
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4

 

Ingredients:

• Chicken broth - 4 cups
• Dumplings - 1 dozen
• Sliced dduk (rice cakes) - 1 cup
• Scallions - 2 stalks
• Eggs - 2
• Ghim (Dried seaweed) - Just a little
• Ground beef - 1/4 lb
• Soy sauce - 1 tablespoon
• Sugar - 1/2 tablespoon

Directions:
1. Soak dduk in cold water.

 

Note: How much dduk you put in your gook is your preference.  I like dumpling > dduk.  But remember that cooked dduk doesn't hold well, so only add how much you can eat.  You can always add more at a later time.

2. Add chicken broth to pot and bring to a rolling boil.  Rolling boil means it's not going crazy like a boiling culdron. 

3. Whisk eggs in small bowl and pour into chicken broth.  (If your broth is boiling like crazy, it won't be the end of the world but your egg is going to separate into tiny little pieces and make your broth murky).  (Save a little bit of your whisked egg for extra credit later - See step 7).

4. Add dumplings and cook over medium heat (~5 min) until the dumplings umm look like little brains.  I'm sorry, but that's the only way I can explain it.  They will float to the top and the dumpling skin will be tightly boiled to the filling... and it'll look like a little brain.  Haha.  MrMC doesn't like it when I compare food to not appetizing things, but well - I can't help it, that's what it looks like!

5. Are you ready for my little spin?  Korean people don't do this, but I like it :)  So, while dumplings boil into little brains, combine ground beef, soy sauce, and sugar in pan and cook.  Put aside to top dish later.

6. Drain dduk and add to pot along with almost all the scallions.  (Save some of the scallions for plating).  Cook max 2 minutes.

 

Note: Be careful not to overcook the dduk!  It will get mushy and not be yummy.

7. Extra credit: To make your mandoo gook prettier, fry and slice some of the beaten egg you saved, cut up some seaweed, and add to top of your bowl of mandoo gook along with the leftover scallions and marinaded beef.

8. Eat & Be Happy!