Stir-Fried Kimchi Rice Cakes

There’s something really satisfying when you’re eating chewy, sticky rice cakes. This kimchi rice cakes recipe is made with pork and kimchi, a classic combination packed with umami flavours. Bonus? It’s only uses 1 pan and it’s done in 15 minutes.

Something that I almost always have in my fridge is kimchi. It’s such a versatile ingredient that packs a strong flavour punch. Bonus is that it is also very healthy for you too. It’s made using lacto-fermentation which is a form of pickling that creates good bacteria and probiotics for your gut. If you have never had this before, and you don’t mind foods like sauerkraut then you should definitely try it!

At its simplest form, kimchi is made with nappa cabbage, red chili pepper flakes, garlic and salt but there are many different types of kimchi and many ways to make it so you really need to try it a few times from different places to know what your preference is.

As an ingredient, it goes really well in soups, stir-fries, sandwiches, noodles or just eat it  as side dish like they commonly do in Korean cuisine.

When you first try it, you might be surprised at the strong flavours it imparts. When I first tried it, it was the strong garlic flavour that was the kick in the face, but everyone has a different experience. Terry’s first experience was that he didn’t like the sourness of it (yet he likes pickles, go figure). The most predominant flavours I would say is the strong garlic flavour with a sour kick with a little spiciness to it.

I’m all for complex flavours and good eats but sometimes we don’t have the time or we just feel lazy. Instead of picking up the phone for takeout, why not spend 15 minutes to throw together a flavourful meal instead? I bet it’ll be done cooking before takeout would have arrived. 🙂

INGREDIENTS

A lot of these ingredients will be found at your local Asian supermarket.

This dish takes 15 minutes and you can switch out the protein as well. I usually just use leftovers.

Traditionally, the more tubular shaped rice cakes are used in a dish like this but I prefer the rice cake slices since they are more bite-sized, less messy and easier to eat. Rice cakes are usually located in the freezer aisle but they can also be found in the fridge section as well.

[optional] Bonito flakes are paper thin shavings of a fermented and smoked tuna that are high in umami and smoky flavours. They go great as a garnish on any kind of dish to give it a nice smoky flavour.

I added in dashi powder to this dish for an additional smokiness and umami but that is completely optional.

LET’S PREP!

Slice the pork into bite-sized pieces, then put it in a bowl. Then add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and let it marinate for a few minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, water and the dashi powder together and set aside for later.

Slice the carrots, onions and kimchi and set these aside as well.

Put the rice cake in a strainer and run hot water through it for 1 minute.

THROWING IT TOGETHER

Pre-heat the pan on medium-high heat with a bit of oil and butter. I highly recommend a non-stick frying pan for this. Do not use a cast iron skillet pan for rice cakes. I found this out the hard way, and was left with a lot of goopy messes.

When the oil is hot and the butter has melted, add the pork and stir-fry it for a few minutes until it has browned and caramelized.  Now you can add in the the kimchi, carrots and onions and stir-fry it together for a few minutes.

Lastly, add in the rice cakes and the sauce and cook until the rice cakes are chewy and soft. Voila!

(optional) Garnish it with green onions, bonito flakes, or sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Stir-Fried Kimchi Rice Cakes

★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews

• Author: Joyce | Pups with Chopsticks
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 Servings
• Category: Main, Side
• Cuisine: Korean, Asian

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Description

A quick and easy stir-fried kimchi rice cakes recipe that’s satisfyingly chewy and sticky packed with umami and smokey flavours.

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Ingredients

• 1 lb pork shoulder or pork butt (sliced)
• 1 1/2 cups kimchi
• 1 small carrot (cut into thin match sticks)
• 1 onion (sliced)
• 1 1/2 cups rice cake (frozen or fresh)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce (to marinate the pork)
• 1 tablespoon butter

Sauce

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoon mirin
• 5 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dashi powder
• 3 teaspoon hot water

Toppings (Optional)

• sesame seeds
• green onions
• bonito flakes

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Instructions

Preparation

1. Slice pork and marinate in soy sauce for a few minutes
2. Slice the onions into thin slices and put aside
3. Julienne the carrots into matchsticks and put aside
4. Chop the kimchi and put aside
5. Chop the kimchi and put aside
6. Put the rice cakes in a colander or strainer and run under hot water for 1 minute

Putting it Together

1. Set stove to medium-high heat and put some oil and butter into a frying pan
2. When the butter has melted and the pan is hot add in the pork and cook it until it the meat has been browned. (approximately 5 minutes)
3. Add in the kimchi, carrots and onions and cook for another 5 minutes
4. Add in the rice cakes and sauce then stir fry until the rice cakes are soft (approximately 3 minutes)
5. Garnish with toppings and enjoy! 🙂

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Serving
• Calories: 395 kcal
• Sugar: 3 g
• Sodium: 1209 mg
• Fat: 22 g
• Carbohydrates: 19 g
• Protein: 21 g

Keywords: tteokbokki, stir fried rice cakes, kimchi

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