This one came from Anders E., a reader in South Korea – thanks! He mentioned that this variety is often enjoyed on Korean New Year, and since that was a couple days ago, I thought I’d have it today. Here’s a little info about how it fits in with Lunar New Year celebrations from wikipedia:
The origin of eating tteokguk on New Year’s Day is unknown. However, tteokguk is mentioned in the 19th century book of customs Dongguksesigi (동국세시기, 東國歲時記) as being made with beef or pheasant used as the main ingredient for the broth, and pepper added as seasoning.[2] The book also mentions the custom of having a bowl of tteokguk in the morning of New Year’s Day to get a year older, and the custom of saying “How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?” to ask a person’s age.[3]
In the book The Customs of Joseon written in 1946 by historian Choe Nam-seon, the New Year custom of eating tteokguk is speculated as being originated from ancient times. The white tteok signifying purity and cleanliness would be eaten as a ritual to start off the New Year for good fortune.[3]
In Korea, on Lunar New Year’s Day, a family performs ancestral rites by serving tteokguk to their ancestors during a joint meal.[4] Although tteokguk is traditionally a seasonal dish, it is now eaten at all times of the year.
Happy Lunar New Year! Let’s have some tteokgukmyun!
Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Not sure whether it contains beef or not, but I’m guessing it does. To prepare, add everything to 500ml boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Enjoy!
The rice noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
Has a rich beef scent.
The vegetables sachet.
Lots of mushroom in there!
Finished (click image to enlarge). The noodles are made of rice and are broad with a nice chewiness. The broth is quite good – it has a nice beef flavor with a nice thickness as well as a little hint of spiciness. The vegetables hydrated perfectly. 4.25 out of 5.0 stars.EAN bar code 8801043023399.
Nongshim Ramen Flavor Combo, Shin Noodle Ramyun, Chappagetti, Neoguri, Anseung Tangmyun, 20-count
