I LOVE Tteokbokki so much and our tteokbokki recipe couldn’t be easier to make. The rice cakes are simmered in a rich, spicy sauce that they soak up as they soften. Not only are the flavors and texture incredible, but it will leave you totally satisfied.
I love enjoying this comforting Korean bar food with an iced cold beer. I also love mixing it up by adding ramen noodles to a batch, some shredded mozzarella cheese to the top and even a hard boiled egg. If you’ve never had tteokbokki before, you’re in for a huge treat!
What is Tteokbokki
Tteokbokki, literally translated to “stir-fried rice cake” is a delicious Korean dish with a long, rich history! Although this spicy version is the most popular version eaten today, the original version of tteokbokki was not spicy at all!
Tteokbokki was created the Joseon dynasty, and was a soy sauce based rice cake dish that was strictly reserved for royalty. Today tteokbokki is a common Korean dish that can be found at many casual (bar food oriented) restaurants and street food vendors.
How to Make Tteokbokki
Ingredients
Process
ANCHOVY STOCK
- In a pot combine water, anchovies, dashima, garlic clove, and radish. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain anchovies, dashima, garlic, and radish from the pan.
TTEOKBOKKI
- Soak rice cakes in water for 30 minutes (unless using fresh).
- Add pepper paste, pepper flakes, sugar, and garlic to broth and stir together.
- Drain rice cakes and add to spicy broth.Stir everything together and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue to simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until liquid has thickened and rice cakes are soft.
- Stir in green onions and fish cake. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and top with sesame seeds. Serve.
Reheating Instructions
Tteokbokki is truly the best eaten freshly made, but if you happen to have any leftovers you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a day.
When you’re ready to reheat them, transfer the tteokbokki to a skillet, cover and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally (so the sauce doesn’t burn). Once the rice cakes have softened through, remove them from the heat and enjoy.
Tips and Tricks for Success
- Unless you’re using fresh rice cakes, it’s important to soak them in water so they soften and really absorb some of the spicy sauce as they simmer.
- If your rice cakes aren’t soft enough, you can stir in a small amount of water or more stock and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.
- Make and use anchovy stock for best results. It adds the subtle umami flavor to the dish that I think is the very best!
Tteokbokki Variations
- Stir some cooked ramen noodles to the mixture before serving.
- Add some shredded mozzarella cheese to the top of the dish, in the last two minutes of simmering.
- Add a couple peeled, boiled eggs to the dish in the last couple minutes of simmering.
- Swap the fish cakes out for mini sausages, sliced spam, or cut up hot dogs.
- Although I highly recommend making and using anchovy stock, if you don’t want to make your own you can use store-bought (or homemade) chicken, beef or vegetable stock.
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Tteokbokki Recipe
INGREDIENTS
anchovy stock
- 4 cups water
- 8 large dried anchovies, cleaned
- 1 6"x 6" dashima (or kelp)
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 ounces sliced Korean radish (or daikon)
tteokbokki
- 1 pound cylinder rice cakes
- 1/3 cup gochujang (korean hot pepper paste)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons gochugaru (Korean hot pepper flakes)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 pound pre-fried, flat fish cakes cut into small triangles or strips
- 2 green onions cut into 2" pieces
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
anchovy stock
- In a pot combine water, anchovies, dashima, garlic clove, and radish. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain anchovies, dashima, garlic, and radish from the pan.
tteokbokki
- Soak rice cakes in water for 30 minutes (unless using fresh).
- Add pepper paste, pepper flakes, sugar, and garlic to broth and stir together.
- Drain rice cakes and add to spicy broth.
- Stir everything together and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Continue to simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until liquid has thickened and rice cakes are soft.
- Stir in green onions and fish cake. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and top with sesame seeds. Serve.
NOTES
- Unless you’re using fresh rice cakes, it’s important to soak them in water so they soften and really absorb some of the spicy sauce as they simmer.
- If your rice cakes aren’t soft enough, you can stir in a small amount of water or more stock and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.
- Make and use anchovy stock for best results. It adds the subtle umami flavor to the dish that I think is the very best!
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