Tteokbokki (떡볶이)- Korean Spicy Rice Cakes
Tteokbokki is a very popular Korean street food made from chewy rice cakes cooked in a spicy, sweet, and savory red pepper sauce.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 lb rice cakes
- 5 oz fish cake (2 sheets)
- 2 hardboiled eggs optional
- 1/4 tsp msg optional
Anchovy broth
- 4 cups water
- 6 anchovies head & innards removed
- 1 4x4 sheet of dried kelp
Sauce
- 1/3 cup extra spicy gochujang or regular
- 2 tbsp coarse gochugaru
- 2 tbsp fine gochugaru
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp oligosaccharide
Veggies
- 1 large green onion or 3 regular green onions
- 5 oz Korean radish (mu)
- 3 oz cabbage
Instructions
- Prepare the veggies- chop the large green onion and cabbage any way you want, then cut the Korean radish into thin strips.
- Prepare the dashi pack- remove the heads and innards from the dried anchovies and put it inside a dashi bag with the dried kelp. You can purchase dashi packs at a Korean supermarket or on Amazon!Note: you don't NEED the dashi bags. Instead you can just boil directly in the water and strain it out after.
- Simmer in water for 15-20 minutes uncovered, then discard the pack.
- Set aside most of the broth, leaving just enough broth in the pot to cover the surface area. You should have 2 1/2 to 3 cups of broth reserved.
- On low heat. add the Korean radish and the sauce ingredients. Stir fry until the radish softens, and stir frequently to make sure the sauce does not burn.
- Add the anchovy broth, cabbage, & large green onion.
- Bring to a gentle boil. Optional: add a little msg. Most tteokbokki places make it with msg!
- Add the rice cakes and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened from the starch. This will take roughly 10 minutes depending on the rice cakes you are using.Note: if using packaged refrigerated rice cakes, rinse under cold water first. If using frozen rice cakes, soak in warm water for about 10 minutes before adding.
- Rinse the fish cakes under cold water to remove any excess oil, then add them when the sauce has thickened.
- Cook for another 2-3 minutes then add the hardboiled eggs.
- Toss to coat everything evenly. It is ready when the rice cakes are nice and soft, and are able to hold a lot of sauce.
- Optional: top with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Notes
To reheat, cover and cook over low heat for a few minutes. Do not microwave, it will not be good!
