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Korean Spicy Rice Cakes -Tteokbokki (떡볶이)

Tteokbokki is a popular Korean traditional food which rice cake is the main ingredient. “Tteok” is the Korean word for rice cake and ‘bokki’ is the Korean word for fried. It’s more commonly known as a street food sold by vendors throughout Korea. The taste of the rice cakes is chewy, or gummy and at the same time very addictive. When you mix it with sauce, spicy meet sweet and then creates an amazing flavor throughout.
Course Appetizer
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 2
Author Sandra | Sandra's Easy Cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 Lb Rice Cakes store-bought or homemade-I will add the link for homemade in the notes
  • 4 Green Onions cut lengthwise and about 2-3 inches long save some green part for the garnish.
  • Fish Cakes optional
  • Boiled Eggs peeled, optional

Stock:

  • 4 Cups Water
  • 5 Dry Shiitake Mushrooms
  • 5 Dry Anchovies if they are smaller, then add few more
  • 5 Dry Shrimps
  • Garlic Cloves

Sauce:

  • 3 Tbs. Gochujang more or less depending on your heat preferences
  • 1/2 Tbs. Mild Red Pepper Flakes/powder gochugaru
  • 1/2 Tbs. Sugar
  • Soy Sauce lightly to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. Sesame seed Oil

Instructions

  1. First, start to boil ingredients for the stock. Boil for 10 minutes, take it off the burner, cover and let the ingredients release their flavors for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the water by placing it in the other or same pot and boil the stock again. You DO NOT NEED 4 cups of Stock, just 1 and a half TO 2 cups. Place the rest in the fridge after cooling for other dishes.
  2. Add 1-2 cup/s of stock to boil in a saute pan, add rice cakes and boil on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, mix ingredients for the sauce; pour it into another saucepan, let it heat up then add (boiled) rice cakes and ladle/spoon in the sauce a little bit at the time of stock/broth; use a wooden spoon to mix the thick paste/sauce with stock. Continuously, but gently stir, so the rice cakes don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook for 5 more minutes. It's up to you how much stock/broth you will use, some like a thick sauce, and some prefer more sauce.
  4. Add green onions, and this is a good time to add fish cakes and boiled(peeled) eggs if you desire.
  5. Continue to stir and cook for 6 more minutes or until the sauce becomes thick and glossy and rice cakes soft.
  6. Garnish it with Green onions and toasted Sesame seeds/sesame seed oil (optional)

Recipe Notes

You could use Vegetable stock if you are vegetarian and ditch the eggs and fish cakes if you are vegan. Also, beef or chicken broth could be used instead of the homemade stock. You can find Ingredients in Korean, Asian or International Markets or some could be purchased online.