Tteokbokki - Korea's most popular street food

Tteokbokki can be found everywhere in Seoul! It is Korea's most popular type of street food.

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Tteokbokki is best described as Korean rice cakes that are stir-fried and reduced in a spicy gochujang paste. Typically, street vendors sell it alongside a basket of fried tempura and sundae (Korean blood sausage).

I don't really crave Tteokbokki frequently - but all of the women in my life do. My mother, sister or Katie will often ask me to order and bring some home. For those who love Tteokbokki, here is a simple recipe that you can make at home. One bite and it will bring you back to late-night eating in Hongdae!

Key Taste Variable: Gochujang Sauce. Tteokbokki is all about the gochujang sauce. I personally do not like it too spicy. And the sauce in our recipe is not too spicy (similar to Korean Shin Ramyun). If you want to make it spicier, add a tablespoon of Korean red chili flakes.

Note: I have added a few minor adjustments to this recipe - since I recorded the video. (1) Reduced the # of dried anchovies from 15 to 10 (2) Added a step to roast the anchovies. This two modifications will make the broth taste lighter.

Tteokbokki - Korea's #1 street food

Nothing better than a plate of Tteokbokki and a cup of warm broth in your hands. If you've spent time in Korea before, you know what I'm talking about 🙂

4.84 from 12 votes

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Course: Medium

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

• Korean rice cakes - 200 grams use the long-tube kind
• Fish cake sheets - 2 sheets
• Spring onion - 1 stalk
• Cabbage - 1 cup
• Eggs - 2

Soup Stock

• Dried anchovies - 10 medium-sized
• Dashima - 2x2 inch piece
• Water - 5 cups

Gochujang Sauce

• Gochujang - 3 Tablespoons
• Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
• Soy sauce - 1 teaspoon
• Corn syrup - 1 Tablespoon Honey ok as well
• Black pepper - few shakes

Instructions

Make Soup Stock

• Clean 10 dried anchovies: Open them up and remove the black inner parts. Remove head as well.
• Put frying pan on medium-high heat. Once it is hot, place dried anchovies in and stir around for 30 seconds (note: do not put any oil into the pan). Roasting the anchovies like this will help get reduce any fish smell from the broth.
• Then pour in 5 cups of water. Put-in dashima pieces. Bring pot up to a boil. After 5 minutes of boiling, take out the dashima pieces. Then let the broth cook and simmer for 10 more minutes. Finally, take out anchovies. Place broth aside.

Prep Ingredients

• Cut fish cake sheets into small triangles and/or rectangles.
• Dice cabbage also into small rectangles strips. Cut spring onions into small circles. Then set these aside.
• For the gochujang sauce, mix all of the listed ingredients in a bowl.
• Then place the rice cakes in and toss in the gochujang sauce.
• Hard-boil two eggs and set that aside.

Cook rice cakes

• Place broth in a large pot. Place pot on high heat and bring up to boil. Then put in the coated rice cakes. (Pour some broth into the mixing bowl and get all of the leftover gochujang sauce into the broth.)
• Let the rice cakes cook in the broth for 3 minutes. Then add-in the fish cakes and cabbage. Reduce the heat to a medium - a gentle simmer. Let it reduce for another 5-8 minutes.
• Turn heat off and add the hardboiled eggs. (Note: If the sauce hasn't reduced enough, let it cook for longer. If it has reduced too much, simply add some water).
• Garnish with chopped spring onion and a dash of sesame seeds.

Notes

• If you accidentally reduce the sauce for too long, simply add a bit more water and gochujang paste.
• See video below for more details

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