Recipes

Tteokbokki

September 30, 2020

Korean spicy rice cakes are the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and savory. A super quick and easy one-pot recipe that’s ready in under 30 minutes!

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Disclaimer: I’m not Korean, so this definitely isn’t an authentic recipe. But it tastes super good and my tummy is super happy, so it’s alright in my book.

The best part of this recipe is that you can literally dump all the ingredients into the pot, let it boil and thicken, and then it’s ready to serve!

Key Ingredients

  • Rice cakes: Any shape will work, but traditionally the cylindrical/tubular ones are used.
  • Fish cakes: Fish cakes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so any that you can find will work. The fish cakes found in tteokbokki at restaurants are usually flat sheets that are cut into triangular or rectangular pieces. However, I’ve made these with fish cakes in ball form and it tastes just as amazing!
  • Vegetables: I love the flavor of this gochujang-based sauce on onions and Napa cabbage, but any vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, etc. will taste great too.
  • Soup broth or water: Traditionally, an anchovy stock is used to prepare tteokbokki. However, more often than not, I don’t have the ingredients on hand for anchovy broth so I’ll substitute with dashi broth or water. These rice cakes will still turn out amazing with water! Just remember to add an extra 1 tbsp of soy sauce if using water since it will be missing some salt that broth usually contains.
  • Gochujang (Korean chili paste): Any Korean or Asian market will have this. Gochujang usually comes in mild, medium, or hot spice levels, so get the one you can handle! This is where most of the heat in the sauce comes from. so bear that in mind if you use hot since this recipe calls for 1/3 cup of gochujang. I use the CJ Haechandle Gochujang (Hot) from my local Korean market, but it’s also available on Amazon!
  • Gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes powder): Any Korean market should have this! Check the Asian markets or the Asian aisles of your local grocery stores as well. I’ve also heard some spice sections of Target having it as well! You can add less of this if your gochujang is already spicy enough. For our house, I use a full 1 tbsp in this recipe, but we like our dishes extremely spicy. This Tae-kyung Gochugaru is my favorite and I order it off Amazon!
  • Optional add-ins: One thing I love adding into tteokbokki is a brick of ramen! Just remember to use additional water if adding ramen since it will soak up a lot of the liquids. Another option is adding cheese on top to melt over the tteokbokki! The cheese is super tasty and also helps with the spice level if it’s too spicy for you.

Directions

These are the rice cakes and fish cakes I usually use for tteokbokki.

If using frozen rice cakes, make sure to rehydrate them by soaking for 2+ hours in cool water. If using refrigerated rice cakes, soak them in cool water while prepping the other ingredients.

Heat up 3 cups of broth or water until boiling. Set aside.

Add 2.2 lbs (1 kg) cylindrical rice cakes, 3 sheets of cut fish cakes, 2 cups Napa cabbage, 1 small onion, and 3 cloves of minced garlic. Then, add in the 3 cups of hot broth or water from the previous step, 1/3 cup of gochujang, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp white granulated sugar, and 1-3 tsp of gochugaru into the pan and turn the heat on to medium-high. Stir frequently to make sure the rice cakes are not sticking to the bottom.

The gochujang should dissolve pretty quickly into the sauce as you stir.

Boil until the rice cakes have softened through and the sauce has thickened (8-10 minutes).

Then, add in 1 tbsp of sesame oil and 4 stalks of chopped green onions. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the green onions have wilted.

Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as necessary with salt or soy sauce, depending on your preference. May consider adding an extra 1 tbsp of soy sauce if water was used as the base, but taste first! Continue to simmer until sauce has thickened to your liking.

Top with sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Tteokbokki

 


AuthorTiffany AngelaCategoryDifficultyBeginner


Korean spicy rice cakes are the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and savory. A super quick and easy one-pot recipe that's ready in under 30 minutes!

Yields6 Servings
Prep Time15 minsCook Time15 minsTotal Time30 mins


Ingredients
 2.20 lbs (1 kg package) cylindrical/tubular rice cakes
 3 sheets fish cake, cut in triangular pieces
 3 cloves garlic, minced
 2 cups (4-5 large leaves) Napa cabbage, cut in 1 inch pieces
 1 small onion, sliced
 3 cups anchovy broth, dashi broth, or water
  cup gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
 2 tbsp soy sauce (can use 3 tbsp if using water instead of broth)
 2 tbsp white granulated sugar
 1-3 tsp gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)
 1 tbsp sesame oil
 4 stalks green onions, cut in 2 inch pieces
 sesame seeds (for garnish)

Directions
1

If using frozen rice cakes, make sure to rehydrate them by soaking for 2+ hours in cool water. If using refrigerated rice cakes, soak them in cool water while prepping the other ingredients.

2

Heat up 3 cups of broth or water until boiling. Set aside.

3

Add 2.2 lbs (1 kg) cylindrical rice cakes, 3 sheets of cut fish cakes, 2 cups Napa cabbage, 1 small onion, and 3 cloves of minced garlic. Then, add in the 3 cups of hot broth or water from the previous step, 1/3 cup of gochujang, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp white granulated sugar, and 1-3 tsp of gochugaru into the pan and turn the heat on to medium-high. Stir frequently to make sure the rice cakes are not sticking to the bottom.

4

Boil until the rice cakes have softened through and the sauce has thickened (8-10 minutes). Then, add in 1 tbsp of sesame oil and 4 stalks of chopped green onions. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the green onions have wilted. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as necessary with salt or soy sauce, depending on your preference. May consider adding an extra 1 tbsp of soy sauce if water was used as the base, but taste first! Continue to simmer until sauce has thickened to your liking.

5

Top with sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Ingredients

Ingredients
 2.20 lbs (1 kg package) cylindrical/tubular rice cakes
 3 sheets fish cake, cut in triangular pieces
 3 cloves garlic, minced
 2 cups (4-5 large leaves) Napa cabbage, cut in 1 inch pieces
 1 small onion, sliced
 3 cups anchovy broth, dashi broth, or water
  cup gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
 2 tbsp soy sauce (can use 3 tbsp if using water instead of broth)
 2 tbsp white granulated sugar
 1-3 tsp gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)
 1 tbsp sesame oil
 4 stalks green onions, cut in 2 inch pieces
 sesame seeds (for garnish)

Directions

Directions
1

If using frozen rice cakes, make sure to rehydrate them by soaking for 2+ hours in cool water. If using refrigerated rice cakes, soak them in cool water while prepping the other ingredients.

2

Heat up 3 cups of broth or water until boiling. Set aside.

3

Add 2.2 lbs (1 kg) cylindrical rice cakes, 3 sheets of cut fish cakes, 2 cups Napa cabbage, 1 small onion, and 3 cloves of minced garlic. Then, add in the 3 cups of hot broth or water from the previous step, 1/3 cup of gochujang, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp white granulated sugar, and 1-3 tsp of gochugaru into the pan and turn the heat on to medium-high. Stir frequently to make sure the rice cakes are not sticking to the bottom.

4

Boil until the rice cakes have softened through and the sauce has thickened (8-10 minutes). Then, add in 1 tbsp of sesame oil and 4 stalks of chopped green onions. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the green onions have wilted. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as necessary with salt or soy sauce, depending on your preference. May consider adding an extra 1 tbsp of soy sauce if water was used as the base, but taste first! Continue to simmer until sauce has thickened to your liking.

5

Top with sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Tteokbokki

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