In Korean: 떡볶이
What is Tteokkbokki?
Tteokkbokki is a popular South Korean street food. It’s ubiquitous due to its popularity. It typically consists of rice cakes and fish cakes smothered in flavorful gochujang sauce. It’s served hot and many times comes with a cup of fish cake broth on the side.
History
Back in the day, Tteokkbokki was considered a royal dish only eaten by the nobles. However, this took a turn during the Korean war in the 1950’s. It went from being very expensive to now one of the most affordable dishes available to everyone. The original flavor was also different from today’s version. It went from being prepared mildly with meat to now being spicy with fish cakes.
What is the flavor profile of this dish?
The flavor profile of this popular dish is spicy, sweet, and has a bit of umami. It’s savory, flavorful, chewy, hearty, and filling. Combined with the texture, the sauce is what brings this dish to life. The sauce’ main ingredients usually include Gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, and broth made from anchovies and kelp. I tend to like my dishes less sweet so, this recipe is more spicy than sweet but feel free to adjust according to your taste preference! 🙂
How do you pronounce this dish?
Phonetically, it is Dduck-Bbook-Yee. Now, say it really fast three times and see if you can get it.
What dishes does this pair well with?
Tteokkbokki pairs really well with Kimbap, Soondae (Pork Blood Sausage), and most often eaten with a cup of Eomuk broth on the side. Also, some like to add ramen noodles to this dish and/or eat it with melted mozzarella cheese.
I hope you enjoy making and eating this dish as much as I did!
Tteokkbokki (Spicy Rice Cake)
떡볶이
2
servings35
minutesThis is popular South Korean street food. The flavor profile of this dish is spicy, sweet, and has a bit of umami.
Ingredients
- Main
1 Ib cylinder rice cakes (fully thawed, packaged)
10 oz fish cake (I used a variety round fish cakes)
2 hard boiled eggs
- Broth
4 cups of water
6 anchovies (headless and guts removed)
½ sheet of kelp
- Vegetables
½ small onion (sliced)
3 green scallions
½ Korean green chili pepper
- Sauce
⅓ cup spicy gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 pcs of garlic (minced)
.5-1 tbsp brown sugar (to taste; I used .5 tbsp for this recipe to make it less sweet. Use Swerve brown sugar for sweet substitutes.)
- Garnish
chopped scallions
sesame seeds
Directions
- Rinse thawed rice cakes and fish cakes and set it aside. To make the broth, in a medium pot, add 4 cups of water. Then, add the anchovies (headless and guts removed) and ½ sheet of kelp. Place on medium high heat for about 15-20 minutes.
- Cut up all the vegetables - small onions, green scallions, and Korean green chili pepper and place it on the side.
- To make the sauce, in a small bowl, mix gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, brown sugar, and chopped garlic then, place it on the side.
- Once the pot of broth boils, take out the anchovies and the ½ sheet of kelp. Then, add the sauce. Once it’s mixed into the broth, add the thawed fish cakes, thawed rice cakes, vegetables (onions, Korean green chili peppers), boiled eggs, and scallions. Boil on medium high for 10 minutes (or until the tteok is cooked to your liking). Garnish and that’s it! Enjoy!
Recipe Video
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Tag @crabcakesandkimchi on Instagram and hashtag it #crabcakesandkimchi
