Dduk Gook (Rice Cake Soup)

This soup was delicious and super filling with the chewy rice cakes in there. We omitted the bulgogi when we made this (I don't remember why - we might have just plumb forgot), and it still tasted great. This is perfect on a cold winter's night - pure comfort and warmth!

Ingredients:

2 lbs Korean rice cake ovalettes

water

4 eggs, beaten

16 cups chicken broth

8 cloves garlic, finely minced

4-6 tbsps soy sauce (to taste)

4-6 scallion greens (cut into 2" long pieces)

1/4 lb bulgogi, cooked (we omitted this)

2-3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

2-3 sheets of seaweed (gim), cut into small, thin strips

sesame oil

sesame seeds

Method:

1. Soak rice cakes in cold water for approximately 1 hour.

2. Fry the eggs into a thick omelet. Fold or roll the omelet about an inch wide. Slice into thin strips.

3. In a large pot, heat the chicken broth. Then add garlic, soy sauce, scallions, and salt/pepper to taste. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.

4. Add rice cakes. Boil until ovalettes have softened, approximately 10 minutes.

5. Serve hot in large bowls garnished with egg strips, bulgogi, green onions, seaweed, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Pasta Fagioli

Here's a tasty, yet simple recipe for a delicious soup! It has a zesty, fresh taste to it that really opens up your palate. It's hearty enough to serve as a meal on its own. Mike got the original recipe from allrecipes.com, and I think the only change we made to it was to use rotini pasta instead of the spinach pasta mentioned in the recipe. The below serves four.

Ingredients:

2 stalks celery, chopped

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt to taste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked spinach pasta (we used rotini)
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, with liquid

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook celery, onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, red pepper and salt until onion is translucent. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce, and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes. (Simmering a bit more is okay; that way all the veggies get nice and soft, especially the celery.)
2. Add pasta and cook 10 minutes, until pasta is tender.
3. Add undrained beans and mix well. Heat through. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

As Albert says, "What's there to explain? It's chicken noodle soup, but Vietnamese." Indeed! Vietnamese-style usually means fresh veggies and a nice tangy taste to it, which is what you'll find with this delicious soup. It's tasty and easy to prepare; the laborious part is the chopping of the veggies. Below is Trang's recipe for the soup.

Ingredients:
8 cups chicken stock
1 large chicken breast, sliced thinly
1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly

2 cups cellophane noodles, soaked in water until soft

0.5 cups green onions, chopped

4 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste

2 tbsp rock sugar

Ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Add chicken stock and rock sugar to a pot. Bring chicken stock to a boil. Season to taste with fish sauce. Over season ever so slightly, because the seasoning will be diluted after the other ingredients are added.

2. Add chicken breasts and cook until almost done. Add Shitake mushrooms and green onions. Re-season with granulated sugar and fish sauce if needed. Cook for approximately 30 seconds and turn off heat.

3. Stir in cellophane noodles and cilantro at the very end. Sprinkle in ground black pepper if desired. Serve while hot.