Chicken Dduk Gook -- Korean Comfort Food for a Brisk, Fall Day

The weather is definitely starting to turn here in NJ.  Yesterday was another brisk and windy day.  And yet, the kids needed to burn some energy so I bundled them up and took them to a local playground.  An hour and a half later when the temperature noticeably dropped, I whisked the kids back home into a nice warm bath and then scoured the fridge wondering what to fill their tummies with.  It was a perfect day for Dduk Gook.

Dduk Gook (Rice Cake Soup) to me is like Korean comfort food--it's steamy, rich, hearty and satisfying, especially when you want something to warm you up.  It's traditionally eaten on New Years Day and believed to bring good luck for the new year and give the person who eats it an additional year of life.

The version that I make more often is one that I learned from my very good friend and college roommate, Jennie.  It's a deviation from the traditional version, which uses beef broth, and gives an American twist to a Korean classic.

Ddukk gook with chicken

Instructions:
1. Poach the chicken breasts in chicken broth until cooked through.
2. Using the same broth, make the soup with the addition of garlic, soy sauce, salt and black pepper.
3. Put the dduk (thinly sliced rice cakes) into the simmering stock and cook until they float to the top, and then another 5 minutes until soft.
3. Shred the chicken and combine with soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, chili pepper and scallions.
4. To serve, ladle up some soup with dduk and top with some chicken.
5. To jazz it up, you can garnish it with julienned egg omelet and roasted seaweed.

When I make the traditional version I add dumplings to the soup.  But since we were eating it with chicken, the dumplings were fried and served on the side.  My hungry little kiddies devoured it all!