I love when hotels let you make your own waffles. I don’t know why, I just do. I had one for breakfast every morning while in North Carolina. Yes, I like variety, but in this case, I’m all for waffles, all the time.

You may not recognize a ginkgo tree, but you would definitely recognize the leaves. They’re really unique because they’re sort of half moons, like open hand-held fans. In late fall / early winter, if you’ve ever been outside near ginkgo trees, then you would definitely know them from the stench. Apparently, the female trees produce a stinky fruit when fertilized. Basically, to me, it smells like rotten trash. It’s awful. But it’s a helpful little tree, in that many people take ginkgo biloba supplements regularly for health benefits. Also, you can eat the seeds. I had no idea!

The seeds look like this. They are covered in a hard shell which you have to crack. These are what’s in the fruit thsat smell like rancid death. Man, smell your hands after you crack these shells… foul! It’s gross. Then you can roast them with a little bit of oil. Then pop them in your mouth and enjoy! What do they taste like? I can’t really describe it, but it’s quite mild. While we were eating them, they kept saying you can’t eat too many, only 5 at a time. I kept asking why and they kept saying just because. So then I looked it up. According to wikipedia, children should not eat large quantities over large periods of time because they could be poisoned. Oye. This did not make me feel better. I am not a child, nor do I readily have access to ginkgo nuts, but I don’t really like to eat anything that can cause poisoning in children. If something can poison a kid, it can poison me too. So I’ve experience my ginkgo nut tasting, and I’m happy to say I’ve gotten that out of my life!

It finally got really cold, as in snowing cold, and I get certain cravings whenever the temperature gets that low. I could eat this all the time, but I really want it when it’s cold. Ddukgook is traditionally something that’s eaten on new years day. Why? There’s probably some real historical and cultural reason, but I say it’s because it’s friggin tasty, that’s why. Do you need a better reason than that?

So don’t freak out folks, but I decided to actually make this. Yes, I made it myself in my very own kitchen, with my very own hands. Crazy, I know. It helps because it’s quite easy. There can be some variations on the recipe for this, but the concept is quite sound and similar among all recipes. So here’s mine.

Ddukgook – Korean Rice Cake Soup

Ingredients (for 2 big ass servings):
Dduk – sliced rice cake
Beef – however much and whatever cut you like (stew meat, steak, whatever)
Water (or theoretically, broth)
Garlic – 2 cloves, chopped
Green onion – sliced
Eggs – 3-4?
Sesame oil
Fish sauce – 2 tbsp
Salt
Pepper
Nori – 1 sheet

1. Take 3-4 cups of the dduk and soak it in water
2. Take 2 egg yolks and 1 egg white, mix with a fork, add some salt, and cook it in a pan so that it’s a thin sheet (like a giant extremely thin egg pancake). Once cooked on both sides, slice it into skinny strips as a garnish
3. Cut up the beef into small bite sized strips/pieces and cook it up in a pot with some sesame oil until browned on the outside
4. Add 8 cups of water to the pot (or chicken broth, or a combination), lower heat, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes
5. Add the dduk, garlic, and fish sauce to the pot, increase the heat a bit, and let this all cook up until the dduk are all floating to the top
6. Add the green onion
7. Take the rest of the eggs, mix it up with a fork, add a pinch of salt, and slowly pour the egg mixture into the pot. After waiting for about 5 seconds, stir the mixture slowly until the egg is cooked
8. Add a little more sesame oil if you want, add some black pepper
9. Take the nori sheet and grill it over a burner until it’s crunchy and then crush it up into bits
10. Ladle the ddukgook into a bowl and garnish with egg strips and nori flakes
11. Shovel into mouth and chew