An Easy Guide to Making Tteokbokki (Spicy Korean Rice Cakes) at Home
I was making my 10 Reasons Why Filipinos Love Korean Dramas, and one of the strong things that drew me in is how they manage to show their culture thru food.
Thru Korean Dramas, I managed to have an appetite for Kimchi, Spicy Hot Ramen, Bibimbap, Samgyupsal, Korean Side Dishes, Korean Fried Chicken , Korean Beef Steak, and my latest addiction, Tteokbokki or Ddeokbokki or Hot and Spicy Rice Cakes.
Good old Maangchi (who doesn’t love her?) is here to help this Korean Cook Wannabe with how to make tteokbokki- Korea’s iconic spicy rice cakes in sauce. Pronounced “duck-buck-kee”, this shareable Korean street food is the ultimate blend of noodles, rice cakes and gut-busting gochujang (red pepper paste) flavor. While it may seem intimidating, I’m here to tell you that making tteokbokki at home is easier than tying your shoes. Keep scrolling for my step-by-step guide to Korean culinary bliss.
How to prepare your tteokbokki
First stop, the grocery. Buy yourself some frozen Rice Cakes. They come pre-made in Korean Shops. There’s Korean Specialty Stores sprouting all over. There’s Haneul Mart and Korean Mart in Ortigas alone. I just happened to get my stock at Clark Pampanga. I saw them accidentally and decided to make them. For those not in the Philippines, rice cakes can be found in the ethnic aisle of most grocery stores or an Asian market. Make sure to buy the small, cylindrical ones instead of the flatter patties. Gochujang is what really makes tteokbokki pop so seek that out too.
This is really very easy. It’s all about how to make tteokbokki sauce which makes up for the entire flavor.
How to make tteokbokki (Hot and Spicy Rice Cakes)
Ingredients:
1 pack (500 grams) rice cake
3 cups of water
⅓ cup hot pepper paste (gochujang)
1 tablespoon hot pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
3 green spring onions, cut into 3 inch long pieces
2 hard boiled eggs, shelled (optional)
½ pound fish cakes (optional)
Instructions:
- Soak rice cake in water for 15 minutes.
- Make your broth. Maangchi recommends using anchovies but I dont have that so I used pork cubes and some leftover nori. I figured it needs to have some dried fish flavor. Maybe next time Ill try any of our small dried fish and see how that is different.
- Boil the water to make the broth. Add the egg to boil too. Once water is boiling, time to 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the gochujang, pepper flakes, and sugar.
- Remove egg at 8 minutes and add the pepper mix, spring onion, the rice cake, and sugar in the water/ broth.
- Add the fish cakes if you have them.
- Stir continuously so it will not stick at the bottom.
- Keep stirring until the rice cake is cooked and the sauce is thick.
- Serve hot!
Want to save this recipe? Pin the picture below!
As for protein sides that they sometimes come with, I like using spam but you could sub in sausages, potato starch cakes, seafood or even tofu. The possibilities are endless, folks!
Did everyone survive the spice? I hope you all enjoyed this unique Korean street food experience right from your own kitchen. Be sure to snap a pic of your gorgeous, gooey creation and share on social media with the hashtag #relaxlangmom. Let me know if you have any other questions! Now get cooking – I’m off to slurp up seconds. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter below for more global recipes and cooking hacks delivered straight to your inbox.
Cheers!
April
RelaxLangMom.com
On another news. Congrats Song-Song couple for the wedding of the year! May your life be as magical as your love story! Updated -30/04/2024 -They divorced. :/
