Sujebi is my FAVORITE food in the whole wide world. It’s only fitting that this dish would be the very first post of my blog. Whenever anyone asks me what my favorite food is, my answer is always the same: my Halmoni’s Sujebi! 10 times out of 10, my answer will always be the same.
Some Background Info
“Halmoni” means grandma in Korean & “Sujebi” (also known as “뜨더국 (Ttudo-guk)” in North Korea) is a Korean traditional soup that consists of dough roughly torn by hand and mixed vegetables married together in a rich and savory broth. The broth is usually made with dried anchovies (멸치), and kelp (다시마). So in other words, this dish could be described as sort of a rustic/homey Korean-style Pasta Soup made from a rich, umami flavored broth. Although it may differ from region to region in Korea, the most common vegetables added are potatoes, zucchini, and kimchi. But really, you could make it with whatever vegetables that YOU love to eat.
Inspiration
I always get somewhat emotional whenever I talk about or eat this dish; mainly because it holds such a special and dear place in my heart since my favorite person in the world (my halmoni) made it for me. She would always explain to me that the BEST kind of sujebi is one that’s simple. “You don’t need much to make it taste delicious and flavorful” and “The longer you simmer the broth, the better and richer the flavor,” she would say. Growing up, I tried so many different varieties of this dish (mostly in restaurants), but none of them would ever compare to my halmoni’s. She made it for me in so many different ways, but my favorite was always just the simplest one with just potatoes and zucchini with a touch of gochujang because I like it spicy. Hehe. Add a side of fresh cabbage kimchi? omg… you’re in HEAVEN.
Sujebi is the ultimate comfort food.. at least for me.. and one that I hope will be in your repertoire soon once you try it! So what are you waiting for? Let’s… get.. COOKIN! 🙂
Let’s make the easiest and most delicious, savory, homey, and rich umami flavored Sujebi! This is an original Korean recipe by my one and only grandma. Guaranteed to be EXCELLENT! (as good as any.. if not, better than any other sujebi you’ve ever eaten). Enjoy! First, prepare the dough: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the salt, oil, and water with the flour, making sure to add water in little by little (plus more if needed). This step is very forgiving, as you can add more flour or water depending on how wet the mixture is. Knead the mixture until a nice dough ball is formed (not too wet, not too dry.. see picture in post for reference). Then, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 10-15 minutes. Next, prep the vegetables: Chop the scallions into small pieces for garnish (keep the white root tips to use for the broth). Peel, rinse, and chop the potato lengthwise, then in half lengthwise again, and then into bite-sized pieces. Chop zucchini in the same manner. Next, in a 4-6 qt stockpot, add 4 cups of water with anchovies, kelp, and scallion roots and bring it to a boil. Boil for at least 10 minutes. Remove anchovy pouch & scallion roots. Add potatoes, zucchini and soy sauce and boil for another 10 minutes, until vegetables are cooked. Taste broth and add salt, if necessary. (should not be too salty if serving with gochujang and kimchi) Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Using your hands, pull apart the dough into small, rough bite-sized pieces. (This is the fun part!.. Highly personal preference on how big or small you want the noodles to be). I would recommend trying to make them a bit on the smaller and flatter side. Gently toss them into the pot along with everything else. Cook for another 4-5 minutes until noodles are cooked through and floating to surface. Add scallions just before removing from heat. Plate & garnish with sliced & toasted seaweed, if desired. Add gochujang 1 teaspoon at a time, for an extra spicy kick. Serve with kimchi & enjoy! For toasted seaweed, take a sheet of seaweed paper and quickly heat both sides above open flame on stovetop (~5-10 seconds each side). Then, thinly slice it for garnish.Halmoni's Sujebi (수제비) – Grandma's Korean Hand-Pulled Dough Soup
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Grace
December 7, 2021 at 12:37 amOh my gosh I can’t wait to try it myself!
Andrew
January 6, 2022 at 1:44 amHahhaha thank you! you should try it 🙂