Tteokbokki is a popular Korean street dish with chewy rice cakes cooked in a spicy, sweet, and red pepper sauce. Using genuine ingredients and simple steps, you can easily prepare this food in your kitchen.
Ingredients Needed
- Korean rice cakes (tteok): 350g, divided
- Korean fish cakes: 150g, cut (optional, for added flavour)
- Korean soup stock: 2 cups (anchovy or kelp-based for umami)
- Onion: 60g, thinly sliced
- Tteokbokki sauce:
-
- 3 Tbsp* gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1.5 Tbsp raw sugar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- Garnish:
- 1 tsp** sesame oil
- 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- Boiled Eggs (Optional)
*-Tbsp: tablespoon
**- tsp: teaspoon
Step-by-Step Cooking Process
1. Prepare Rice Cakes
Refrigerated or frozen rice cakes should be soaked in warm water for 10 minutes. This makes them soft and better textured.
2. Make the Stock
Prepare Korean stock traditionally by simmering anchovies and dried kelp in water for 10 minutes. You may use vegetable or chicken stock as a substitute, but traditional anchovy/kelp stock tastes the best.
3. Blend the Sauce
In a bowl, mix gochujang, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and gochugaru. Blend well to make a smooth, spicy sauce.
4. Cook the Tteokbokki
- In a large pot, boil the stock on medium-high heat.
- Pour in sauce and stir until the sauce dissolves in the stock.
- Add rice cakes that have been soaked, fish cakes, and onion.
- Boil for 3–5 minutes until the rice cakes become soft and start absorbing flavour. Lower heat and simmer another 2–4 minutes to thicken the sauce.
5. Garnish and Serve
- Finish with mixing in sesame oil and topping with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve hot for maximum flavour!
Tips for Restaurant-Style Flavour
- Use real Korean ingredients: Gochujang and gochugaru provide the classic colour and spice.
- Fish cakes are old-school, but skip for vegetarian versions.
- Tteokbokki is great on its own, but boiled eggs, cheese, cabbage, or ramen noodles are all good additions.
FAQs
- Can I substitute with non-Korean rice cakes? : Use chewy cylindrical rice cakes for the traditional texture; don’t use flat or round rice cakes that are used in soups.
- How spicy is it? : Vary the amount of gochujang and gochugaru to taste.
