Tteokbokki, a spicy stir-fried rice cake dish, is a highly popular Korean street food and a delicious comfort food you can easily make at home. The spicy, slightly sweet, and chewy rice cakes are simply addictive!
1poundtteokbokki tteok 떡볶이 떡 (about 24 3-inch long rice cake pieces) See Note 1
1-2eomuk 어묵 (fish cake) sheets
4ouncesgreen cabbage (yangbaechu, 양배추)
1-2or scallions
1tablespoon minced garlic
Anchovy broth if using
8-10 medium to large dried anchovies (마른멸치), about 0.5 ounces (15 grams)Or simply use a broth packet.
1piece dasima (dried kelp), about 3-inch square
1/4medium onion, roughly sliced
Tteokbokki Sauce
3cupsanchovy brothor water (use 4 cups for more sauce)
3tablespoonsgochujang, 고추장See Note 2
1-3teaspoonsgochugaru, 고추가루 See Note 3
1tablespoonsoy sauce
2tablespoonssugar (use 1 tablespoon for less sweet tteokbokki)
1tablespooncorn syrup (or oligo syrup) - use more sugar if not using
Optional
2boiled eggs
Instructions
Soak the rice cakes for about 20 minutes (can be longer for refrigerated rice cakes).
Cut the fish cake, cabbage, and scallions into about 2-inch long pieces.
To a large pan, add the dried anchovies, dried kelp, and onion along with 5 cups of water. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat, and continue to boil for 10 minutes. Reduce it close to medium if your heat is very high. Remove the anchovies, dasima and onion from the broth.
Add the sauce ingredients to the pan, stirring to dissolve the red chili pepper paste (gochujang).
Add the rice cakes. Boil until the rice cakes become very soft and the sauce is thickened, about 8 - 10 minutes. This can take longer, depending on your rice cakes. Stir frequently so the rice cakes don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Drop the vegetables, garlic, and fish cakes in. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, for an additional 4 - 6 minutes. Depending on rice cakes, you may need more time to reach a desired level of softness. Add more broth or water as necessary. Drop in the scallions and boiled eggs with 2 to 3 minutes remaining. Taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve hot.
Notes
1. You can find tteokbokki rice cakes fresh, refrigerated, or frozen at Korean markets. Use locally made fresh rice cakes if available. Otherwise, use refrigerated or frozen ones, in the order of preference. 2. Another combination you can try: 2 tablespoons gochujang, 2 tablespoons finely ground gochugaru, and 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce. Everything else stays the same. This gives a cleaner-tasting sauce with extra spiciness. 3. Finely ground gochugaru works better with this recipe. You can grind your regular gochugaru in a spice grinder or run it through a sieve to obtain fine gochugaru. 4. Tteokbokki doesn't reheat well in the microwave. Reheat any leftovers, along with a little bit of broth or water, in a small pan over low heat.