I'm excited to share with you my recipe for one of my favourite Korean dishes! Tteokbokki (떡볶이), also known as ddukbokki, is Korean spicy rice cakes. Tender and slightly chewy (in the best possible way) rice cakes are stir-fried in a delicious savoury and spicy red pepper sauce. This dish is commonly served as a side at Korean dinners. However, I'm not alone in being more than happy to dig into just a big plate of these. This dish is incredibly popular for a reason - it's fantastic.
Tteokbokki originated in Korea. The first mention of Korean stir-fried rice cakes was found in a 19th century cookbook. However, the modern, spicy version that is known and loved today was accidentally invented in the 1950s. A Korean chef, Ma Bok Lim, accidentally dropped some rice cakes in hot sauce while involved with opening a Chinese restaurant. Finding it to be a delicious combo, she began selling this dish.
How to make Korean spicy rice cakes (tteokbokki)
You can buy Korean rice cakes refrigerated and fresh, frozen, or dried. You will need to soak frozen ones in cold water for an hour before cooking. Soak the dried ones for at least three hours to overnight. To soak, simply place them in a bowl of cold water and check in about thirty minutes to make sure that they are not sticking together.
Cut the Korean pre-fried fish cake sheets into triangles.
In a small bowl, mix together the gochujang, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and gochugaru. This is your tteokbokki sauce. Set it aside for now.
Boil the Korean anchovy soup stock in a large, deep pan or a pot over medium-high heat.
Add the tteokbokki sauce into the boiling soup stock. Give it a stir to mix it in.
Drain the rice cakes and add them along with the sliced fish cakes to the pan. Cook for about four to five minutes until the rice cakes are cooked. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for another two to four minutes. This will reduce and thicken the sauce.
Add the sesame oil and half of the sesame seeds and quickly stir. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onion. Serve them hot and fresh for the most tender and delicious rice cakes.
f.a.q.
Tteokbokki is made up of rice cakes stir fried in a sauce. The rice cakes are soft and have a delightful, slightly chewy texture. The red pepper sauce that they are cooked in is spicy, savoury, salty, and a tiny bit sweet.
Tteokbokki is best eaten fresh. The rice cakes quickly dry out and harden. If you do want to store some leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two to three days. Tteokbokki does not freeze well and I do not recommend it.
Put the tteokbokki in a pan and try to separate the pieces. The rice cakes will be tough and dry. To reheat them you need to rehydrate them. Add enough broth or water to the pan to just cover the bottom and heat while stirring. The rice cakes should re-tenderize enough to eat, but they won't be quite the same or enjoyable as freshly made tteokbokki.
Tteokbokki is not vegan as it contains anchovy fish stock and Korean fish cakes. However, you could make a vegan variation by swapping the stock for vegetable broth and excluding the fish cakes from the recipe.
For other recipes that use these tasty rice cakes, try my Shanghai savoury stir-fried rice cakes or Korean rice cake soup.
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Korean Spicy Rice Cakes {Tteokbokki}
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side dishes
- Cuisine: Korean
Description
Tender, Korean rice cakes cooked in a delicious savoury and spicy sauce. There's a reason this dish called tteokbokki is crazy popular - it's so good!
Ingredients
1 pounds Korean rice cakes
2 sheets Korean pre-fried fish cake sheets
3 ½ cups Korean anchovy soup stock
3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder)
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoons sesame oil
1-2 stalks green onion, green part only, thinly sliced
Instructions
Soak the rice cakes according to the instructions in the notes below. *
Cut the Korean pre-fried fish cake sheets into triangles.
In a small bowl, mix together the gochujang, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and gochugaru. This is your tteokbokki sauce. Set it aside for now.
Boil the Korean anchovy soup stock in a large, deep pan or a pot over medium-high heat.
Stir the tteokbokki sauce into the boiling soup stock.
Drain the rice cakes and add them along with the sliced fish cakes to the pan. Cook for about four to five minutes, until the rice cakes are cooked. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for another two to four minutes. This will reduce and thicken the sauce.
Add the sesame oil and half of the sesame seeds and quickly stir. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onion. These are best served hot and fresh for the most tender and delicious rice cakes.
Notes
This recipe makes two large or four small servings.
* Korean rice cakes can be bought refrigerated and fresh, frozen, or dried. The frozen ones need to be soaked in cold water for an hour before cooking. The dried ones should soak for at least three hours to overnight. To soak, simply place them in a bowl of cold water and check in about thirty minutes to make sure that they are not sticking together.
Tteokbokki is best eaten fresh. The rice cakes quickly dry out and harden. If you do want to store some leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two to three days. Tteokbokki does not freeze well and I do not recommend that you do it.
To reheat, put the tteokbokki in a pan and try to separate the pieces. You will need to rehydrate the rice cakes. Add enough broth or water to the pan to just cover the bottom and heat while stirring. The rice cakes should re-tenderize enough to eat, but they won't be quite the same or enjoyable as freshly made tteokbokki.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 97
- Sugar: 7.6 g
- Sodium: 738.4 mg
- Fat: 6.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 69.1 g
- Protein: 15.6 g
- Cholesterol: 7 mg
Keywords: Korean spicy rice cakes, tteokbokki, ddeokbokki
Nick B says
This is a keeper for me. I was amazed that something so quick and simple to make could be so delicious and satisfying. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Asha says
Thanks so much, Nick! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂