Tteokbokki (Spicy Korean Rice Cakes)
Whether you are having it as a comfort food or a snack, here is a quick and easy delicious tteokbokki recipe made with Korean chewy rice cakes cooked in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce that can be enjoyed all year round.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer, Snacks
Cuisine: Korean
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 726kcal
- 1 lb rice cakes (garaetteok) (tubular shaped, approx. 2.5 cups)
- 1 sheet fish cake (or 4-5 fish balls)
- 1 small onion (finely sliced, approx. ½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (added after turning off heat at the end)
Broth Ingredients
- 3 cups water (Use 3½ cups for a more saucy tteokbokki)
- 1 piece kelp Optional for more umami. (3x3 inches)
- 1½ tablespoons hondashi dashi powder (or 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, or shiro dashi)
- ½ cup bonito flakes
Additional Add-ins (Optional, Pick One)
- 1 cup carrots and cabbage (shredded)
- 1 cup shredded cheese or American cheese slices (add on top right before eating)
- 3 eggs (soft or medium boiled)
- hotdogs or leftover meat
- ¼ cup kimchi (roughly chopped)
Preparation
Peel and slice the onion and set them aside
Cut the fish cakes into small pieces and set them aside
If you are using green onions as your garnish, finely chop it and set it aside for the end
If you are using any add-ins, prepare them now (ie. grate the cheese, boil the eggs)
Make the Tteokbokki Sauce
Finely chop or grate the garlic.
Mix the gochujang, gochugaru, sugar, and garlic together in a small bowl and set the sauce aside
Make the Broth
In a shallow pan, boil water on medium heat. Add in the kelp (optional), bonito flakes, and dashi powder and boil for 5 minutes. If you are not using hondashi dashi powder, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce instead.
Scoop out the bonito flakes and kelp and discard them
Cooking the Tteokbokki
Add in the tteokbokki sauce, onions, cabbage and carrots (optional), and rice cakes, and cook for about 5 minutes. Once the sauce starts to simmer, it's important to keep stirring it so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add in the fish cakes and cook for another 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened into a glossy sauce.
Do a taste test and adjust the sauce to your liking. Then try a rice cake, they should be soft and chewy. If they are still hard, continue to cook for a few more minutes.
Turn off the heat, drizzle in the sesame oil and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and/or green onions and add in any add-ins. If you are adding cheese, add that on top to melt it as well. Enjoy!
- To tweak the spiciness of this tteokbokki recipe, adjust the amount of gochugaru chili flakes.
- mild = 0-1 teaspoon
- medium = 2 teaspoons
- spicy = 3+ teaspoons.
- I highly recommend using hondashi dashi powder but if you can't find it, substitute it with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
- If you cannot find bonito flakes or kelp, omit it - you will only lose a bit of umami from the kelp and smoky flavor from the bonito flakes.
- To keep the rice cakes chewy, don't overcook them. Once the sauce has thickened and the rice cakes are soft, turn off the heat.
- If you cannot find fish cakes in sheet form, you can use fish balls instead.
- If you add cabbage or carrots, it will take longer to thicken the sauce.
Calories: 726kcal | Carbohydrates: 116g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 2463mg | Potassium: 489mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 429IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg