Authentic Korean Spicy Rice Cakes (Tteokbokki)
Korea's indisputable street food icon: chewy cylinder-shaped rice cakes (garae-tteok) and savory sliced fish cakes simmered in a luscious, fiery, sweet, and umami-packed gochujang broth with fresh scallions and hard-boiled eggs.
Ingredients
Rice Cakes & Fish Cakes
- 500g (1.1 lbs) cylinder rice cakes (garae-tteok / tteokbokki tteok), soaked in warm water if refrigerated
- 4 sheets Korean square fish cakes (eomuk), cut into triangles or bite-sized rectangles
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
- 3 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/4 small green cabbage, roughly chopped
Dashi / Kelp Broth
- 3.5 cups water
- 5 large dried anchovies (guts removed) and 1 piece dried kelp/dashima (or 3.5 cups dashi broth / water)
Spicy Gochujang Sauce
- 3 tbsp Korean red pepper paste (gochujang)
- 1.5 tbsp Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 2 tbsp sugar or corn syrup
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
Garnish
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- Thinly sliced scallions
- Optional: shredded mozzarella cheese for Cheese Tteokbokki
Instructions
Brew the Savory Anchovy-Kelp Stock
In a shallow wide pan or wok, add 3.5 cups water, dried anchovies, and kelp. Bring to a boil over medium heat for 10 minutes. Strain out the solids, keeping the clear savory broth in the pan.
Dissolve the Gochujang Sauce
Whisk the gochujang chili paste, gochugaru chili flakes, sugar, soy sauce, and minced garlic into the bubbling broth until fully dissolved.
Add Rice Cakes & Vegetables
Add the soaked rice cakes, sliced fish cake triangles, and chopped cabbage into the sauce. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly so the rice cakes don't stick to the pan bottom.
Simmer to a Rich Glaze
Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes. As the starch from the rice cakes releases, the sauce will reduce into a thick, glossy, fiery-red glaze coating every piece.
Add Eggs & Scallions
Drop in the hard-boiled eggs and green scallion batons during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Spoon sauce over the eggs.
Garnish & Enjoy
Transfer into a wide serving dish, scatter with toasted sesame seeds and fresh scallions. Serve piping hot with metal chopsticks.
Nutrition Facts
* Based on a 2,000 calorie diet.