Description
Tteokbokki is Korea’s beloved street food featuring chewy rice cakes simmered in a spicy and savory sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2½ cups (600ml) water
- 7–8 large dried anchovies, heads and innards removed
- 1 piece dried kelp (dasima/kombu), roughly 4×4 inches
- 3 tablespoons gochujang
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon onion powder (optional)
- 1 lb (450g) cylindrical rice cakes (garaetteok)
- 4–5 oz (120–150g) Korean fish cakes (eomuk) (optional)
- 3 spring onions
- 1 cup (90g) green cabbage, roughly chopped (optional)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs (optional)
- 1 cup (115g) shredded mozzarella (optional)
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Sliced spring onion greens
Instructions
- Soak the rice cakes. If using refrigerated or frozen rice cakes, separate any that are stuck together and soak in warm water for 20–30 minutes until pliable. If fresh, no soaking is needed. Drain well before using.
- Make the anchovy broth. Add dried anchovies, kelp, and water to a wide pan. Boil for 10 minutes and remove anchovies and kelp. Reserve the broth.
- Make the sauce. Combine gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, and onion powder in a bowl. Mix until smooth.
- Build the tteokbokki. Bring the broth back to a boil, add sauce, and stir. Add soaked rice cakes and white parts of spring onion, and cabbage if using. Stir to coat.
- Simmer and reduce. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring frequently, until rice cakes are tender and sauce thickens. Add fish cakes and hard-boiled eggs in the last 4–5 minutes.
- Finish with cheese (optional). Remove from heat, scatter mozzarella on top, and broil for 3–4 minutes until melted and slightly charred.
- Serve immediately. Scatter sesame seeds and spring onion greens over the top.
Notes
The anchovy broth is essential for authentic flavor. Adjust the thickness of the sauce as needed while cooking.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stir-frying
- Cuisine: Korean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 70mg