Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)
λ‘λ³Άμ΄tteok-bok-ki
Chewy rice cakes and fish cakes in a sweet, spicy gochujang sauce
Tteokbokki is Koreaβs favorite street food: chewy cylinder rice cakes and fish cakes simmered in a thick, sweet and spicy gochujang sauce until glossy. It takes about 20 minutes and only a handful of ingredients.
Looking for a twist? See 5 tteokbokki variations β
π₯ Ingredients for classic tteokbokki
Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Main
Broth
Sauce
π§Ί Korean ingredients in this dish
- Rice Cakes (Tteok)Chewy rice cakes for tteokbokki, soups and sweetsπ Shop on Amazon
- Korean Green Onions (Pa)Thick daepa, slender jjokpa and the green onions in almost every dish
- Dried Kelp (Dasima)Kelp for clean, savory brothπ Shop on Amazon
- Dried Anchovies (Myeolchi)From broth anchovies to sweet-salty side dishes
- GochujangKorea's sweet, spicy fermented chili pasteπ Shop on Amazon
- GochugaruSun-dried Korean chili flakesπ Shop on Amazon
- Rice Syrup & Oligosaccharide SyrupLiquid sweeteners for glossy glazes and braisesπ Shop on Amazon
- Korean Soy Sauce (Ganjang)Guk-ganjang, jin-ganjang and when to use eachπ Shop on Amazon
- Garlic in Korean CookingMinced, sliced, pickled and black β the backbone of Korean flavor
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π How to make tteokbokki
If the rice cakes are hard, soak them in warm water for 10β20 minutes and separate them.
Cut the fish cakes into triangles and the green onions into 5 cm lengths.
Bring the broth to a boil and stir in the sauce ingredients until dissolved.
Add the rice cakes (and cabbage) and simmer over medium heat for 8β10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and the sauce thickens.
Add the fish cakes, eggs and green onions and cook for 2β3 minutes more, until glossy.
Serve hot.
π‘ Tips for the best tteokbokki
- The sauce thickens as it cools; add a splash of water when reheating.
- Add a block of instant ramen noodles for rabokki, or melt cheese on top.
- For milder tteokbokki, leave out the gochugaru and add a little more sugar.
Two kinds of tteokbokki
The original tteokbokki was a royal-court dish of rice cakes stir-fried with beef and vegetables in soy sauce (gungjung tteokbokki). The spicy gochujang version became popular in the 1950s and is famously associated with Sindang-dong in Seoul.
Today it is the star of bunsik (snack) shops, eaten with fried snacks (twigim), sundae and kimbap β and modern versions include rosΓ© (cream) and carbonara tteokbokki.
