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Tteokbokki Recipe – Spicy Korean Rice Cakes

You can easily find tteokbokki or spicy rice cakes at almost all food streets or markets in South Korea. It’s a very popular street food snack that really ticks all the right boxes – not just with tourists but locals too. It’s not hard to always spot K-actors buying/eating/cooking tteokbokki in almost every K-drama. 😀

I’ve seen tteokbokki being sold at some Korean food kiosks and eateries in Singapore but the portions look quite miserable for the ‘slightly on the high’ price. Good thing is, we can easily make tteokbokki at home to feed a bigger group (5-6) as a meal on its own or even more people (7-10) if eaten as a small snack – based on this recipe portion.

Tteokbokki Recipe - Spicy Korean Rice Cakes

I got two packets of this rice cake from the chilled section of FairPrice Xtra which cost about $3.20 each. They come in tubular and sliced versions. Prefer the former as they have a thicker and chewier bite compared to the sliced ones.

Tteokbokki Recipe - Spicy Korean Rice Cakes

And I got this packet of Korean fish cake slices from the frozen section. The slices are huge so you’ll need to slice them into bite-sized pieces.

Preparing The Stock

I made the stock from scratch with dried kelp and bonito flakes that I bought from the Japanese supermarket. You can also use any home-made or store-bought vegetable/meat stock. Another easiest way would be to dissolve seasoning powder/cube in hot water. Whatever you are using, try to opt for reduced sodium stock so you can tweak the seasoning later on to your own preference.

This is the colour of the kelp/bonito stock that I made.

Tteokbokki Recipe - Spicy Korean Rice Cakes

Ta-daa! My home-made tteokbokki that is full of ingredients. 😀 And with a good balance of flavours.

Tteokbokki Recipe - Spicy Korean Rice Cakes

The amount of gochujang and/or honey to be used can be adjusted according to what you like – whether you like it more spicy or sweet, etc.

Eat Korean Rice Cakes In Moderation

On the same note, you may want to know that Korean rice cakes are very high in glycemic index (GI) which means if you eat this on an empty stomach, you’ll run the risk of having your blood sugar level spiking up high. For those watching your diet or sugar intake, do eat this in moderation.
Tteokbokki Recipe
5-6
  • 1kg rice cakes
  • 200g fish cakes, sliced into bite-sized triangles
  • 250g cocktail sausages
  • 3 stalks leek, sliced diagonally into 1″ sections (separate leaves from stalks)
  • 5 sprigs spring onions, cut into 1″ sections
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled & sliced
  • 1500ml water
  • 27g dried kelp or konbu, rinsed
  • 10g bonito flakes
  • 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
  • 5-6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
Add kelp and bonito flakes into water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
Sieve the stock and discard the kelp and bonito flakes.
Pour the stock into a pan and bring to a boil again.
Stir in the gochujang, honey, sesame oil and light soy sauce.
Add the rice cakes, onions and leek stalks. Cook for 5 minutes till rice cakes are tender.
Add the fish cakes, cocktail sausages, eggs, leek leaves and spring onions. Cook for another 3-4 minutes till the sauce thickens up.
Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and serve.

Thought For The Day

Just as I am writing this blog post at Starbucks, I’m looking at this very cheerful family right in front of me enjoying their food, coffee, conversations and of course, good company. When the son has to leave, he kisses his parents on their cheeks. It’s the first time I see a guy in his 20s showing such affection in public for his elderly parents (in Singapore). Really, really sweet and heartwarming. Can’t help it but I feel somewhat envious of this family. Feel very happy for them at the same time too. 🙂

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