Tteokbokki is the street food dish you will find at every stall in Korea.

Easy to make, easy to eat, bright red and full of that Korean fieriness, Tteokbokki will seduce you, as long as you can handle a bit of spice and appreciate some chewiness. The key to that true Korean taste is in the classic Korean broth, with kelp and anchovies ; it is the same as for Kimchi Jigae. If you don’t eat fish though, you can replace it with a vegetarian dashi, or a vegetable bouillon, but a quality one.

The whole dish is a breeze ! It’s not the quickest one (45mn if you have some broth already on hand, else closer to 1h), but it is a very simple recipe to follow. There are other quicker recipes for Tteokbokki out there, but you won’t regret putting in a little more effort. The umami from the broth and sauce is so rewarding, and the many flavours and textures (a bit of cabbage for the crunch, the chewy rice cakes, the spongy fish cakes, the smooth, glistening red sauce) bring a lot of interest to this humble Korean street food dish.

Classic Tteokbokki – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

• You will need to visit an Asian store, possibly a specialized Korean store, to find Tteok (rice cakes), Eomuk (fish cakes), Daikon and dried anchovies. Those items can be tricky to find. If all else fails, don’t forget to try online !
• For the other Asian items, you should have less trouble finding them.
• Tteokbokki reheats well ; don’t hesitate to double the amount and enjoy delicious leftovers (I know I did !) Just add a little water when you do.
• If you make anchovy stock, I highly recommend you to make a large amount, then freeze it.

Let’s dig into it !

If you’re into spicy Korean food, check out my GOAT Kimchi Jigae, too !

Print Recipe

Classic Tteokbokki

Author: Multicarbs Cooking Method: Simmering Cuisine: Asian cuisines, Korean cuisine Courses: Main dish Recipe Keys: Sans maïs

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 25 min Cook Time 20 min Total Time 45 mins

Servings: 4

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Description

Sweet and savoury rice cakes in a bold spicy sauce. But the rice cakes are not the only star of the show ; fish cakes, cabbage, and eggs all add interest to this umami dish. 

Ingredients

Servings

For the Anchovy stock (around 9 cups, save some for later use)

• 25 tiny frozen anchovies (10 if medium-sized)
• 250 grams daikon (thinly sliced)
• 15 grams dried kelp
• 2 whole green onions
• 3 liters water (1L = 4 cups)

For the sauce

• 3 tablespoons gochujang (heaped tbsp)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon gochugaru (hot pepper flakes)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup (replace with sugar)
• 1 large garlic clove (minced)

Ingredients to assemble

• 600 grams tteok (cylinder shaped rice cakes)
• 200 grams fish cakes
• 2,5 cups anchovy stock (up to 3 as needed)
• 3 green onions
• 120 grams green cabbage (or another green/white kind of cabbage)
• 4 hard boiled eggs

Instructions

1. Prepare your broth !

   Start by slicing some daikon ang green onions for your stock.

   Add your stock ingredients to a pot. 

   Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, then let it simmer 20 minutes.

   Stir, then lower the heat again. Cover and let it simmer 10 more minutes.

2. Prepare your ingredients and sauce while the broth cooks

   Soak your tteokbokki in warm water for around 20mn. Hard boil the eggs.

   Meanwhile, cut your fish cakes if needed. Slice your cabbage in bite-sized pieces. Slice your scallions 3 or 4 times. 

   Combine gochujang (hot pepper paste), gochugaru (hot pepper flakes), soy sauce, corn syrup, sugar and garlic in a small bowl.

3. Let's cook !

   Put your broth in a nonstick pan, in a dolsot or a pot. Cover and bring to a boil.

   Add your sauce mixture and mix until it fully dissolves. Add the rice cakes, fish cakes and the cabbage.

   When it starts to boil, bring to a simmer and keep stirring for about 15 minutes. 5 mn before the end, drop the green onion and eggs.

   By the end of the cooking time, your sauce should look glossy ; try the rice cakes too, they should be soft (chewy, but soft).

   Serve immediately. 

   Et voilà !! You're done ! 

Keywords: home made, tteok, spicy, tteokbokki, street food, eggs, cabbage, comforting