Sweet and Spicy Street Tteokbokki (Simmered Rice Cakes)
A 20-minute street-style tteokbokki simmered in savory fish cake broth with gochujang and fine gochugaru.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This street-stall style tteokbokki gets its deep savory flavor from a broth made with dried kelp and fish cake. Relying solely on gochujang can make the dish overly salty, so adding fine gochugaru is key to achieving a clean red color and balanced sweet-spicy taste. It makes a great snack or late-night bite, and any leftover sauce is perfect for fried rice.
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Cook time
- 20 minprep not included
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Tteokbokki rice cakes20
- Square fish cake (eomuk)2 sheets
- Cabbage2 leaves
- Large green onion (daepa)1/2 stalks
Seasoning
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)1.5–2 tbsp
- Fine gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)1 tbsp
- Sugar1 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tsp
- Fish cake (eomuk) broth2 cups
- Onion, carrot, or napa cabbage can also be used.
- You can use rich anchovy broth instead of fish cake broth.
- If you do not have fine gochugaru, finely grind regular gochugaru in a grinder.
Steps
1. Tteokbokki tastes best when made with fish cake broth.
Add 1 piece of 5 cm square dried kelp and 1/2 sheet of fish cake to 3 cups of water, then boil for about 5 minutes to infuse the broth.
Back when I was in school, I remembered the lady at a famous tteokbokki stall pouring in the broth from the fish cakes she sold alongside the tteokbokki, and to this day I make a little fish cake broth at home whenever I cook it.
Making it with fish cake broth completely changes the flavor compared to plain water. You can also use rich anchovy broth.
2. Prepare the rice cakes and cut the secondary ingredients into bite-sized pieces. The fish cake here is not the piece used earlier for the broth.
Onion, carrot, or napa cabbage can also be used.
3. Add all seasoning ingredients, and once it comes to a rolling boil...
Since saltiness varies by gochujang brand, adjust between 1.5 to 2 tbsp,
and I made mine sweet, but feel free to adjust the sweetness with corn syrup and sugar as well.
Using only gochujang for color will make the tteokbokki too salty, so add fine gochugaru to balance the spice level and color.
If you do not have fine gochugaru, finely grind regular gochugaru in a grinder.
4. Add the rice cakes and simmer until soft.
My rice cakes were hard so I simmered them first, but if your rice cakes are already soft, you can add them along with the other ingredients all at once.
5. Add the remaining ingredients—fish cake, cabbage, and large green onion—and simmer.
Add boiled eggs, sweet potato glass noodles, or ramyeon noodles at this point, adding about 1 cup more broth to cook.
6. Simmer until the sauce thickens and reduces.
Ppunwife's tips
- Using fish cake broth completely changes the flavor of tteokbokki compared to using plain water.
- Relying only on gochujang for color will make the tteokbokki too salty, so add fine gochugaru to balance both the spiciness and the color.
- It is also delicious to stir-fry a bowl of rice, finely chopped scallions, and plenty of pizza cheese into the leftover tteokbokki sauce.
FAQ
What can I substitute for fish cake broth?
You can use a richly brewed anchovy broth instead of fish cake broth.
What should I do if I do not have fine gochugaru?
You can finely grind regular gochugaru in a grinder before using it.
How do I add ramyeon noodles or glass noodles?
Add them at the step when you add the fish cake and vegetables, and pour in about 1 cup more broth to cook.
How can I use leftover tteokbokki sauce?
You can make delicious fried rice by adding cooked rice, finely sliced scallions, and plenty of pizza cheese to the leftover sauce.
