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.
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 726kcal
Ingredients
- 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
Tteokbokki Sauce
- 3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
- 2 teaspoons gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) (see notes for heat levels)
- 1 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped, approx. 1 tablespoon)
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)
Garnishes
- toasted sesame seeds
- green onions
Instructions
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!
Notes
- 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.
