Tteokbokki

Korean spicy rice cakes in gochujang sauce: the beloved street food that changed Korean cooking

Origin: Korea

From the journey of Chilli Pepper.

Tteokbokki (떡볶이, 'stir-fried rice cakes') is the most popular street food in Korea and one of the most iconic modern expressions of what the chilli pepper became after arriving on the Korean peninsula. The chilli reached Korea around 1600–1614, most likely carried by Japanese forces during the Imjin War (1592–1598), Japan had received the chilli from Portuguese traders at Nagasaki in 1542–1543. The transformation the chilli worked on Korean cuisine was arguably more total than anywhere else on earth: it became gochugaru (Korean chilli powder), the primary seasoning in kimchi; gochujang (fermented chilli paste), the defining condiment of Korean cooking; and countless other preparations. Before the chilli, Korea's dominant heat source was black pepper and mountain vegetables. After the chilli, Korean cooking was redefined around the particular flavour profile of the Korean pepper variety: fruity, medium-hot, with a characteristic sweetness and the depth of fermentation in gochujang. Tteokbokki was originally a royal court dish of stir-fried rice cakes in soy sauce and sesame oil; the red, gochujang version that everyone knows today was developed in the 1950s and became the street food phenomenon that now defines Korean snacking. The dish is the chilli's most beloved Korean transformation.

Ingredients

Rice cakes

  • 400 g cylindrical tteok (Korean rice cakes), soaked in water for 20 min if dried

Chilli

  • 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean fermented chilli paste)
  • 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli powder/flakes): for extra heat and colour

Sauce

  • 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sugar (or honey)

Finish

  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, to finish

Liquid

  • 500 ml anchovy stock (simmer 5 dried anchovies in 600ml water for 10 min) or water

Optional

  • 2 sheets of eomuk (Korean fish cake), cut into squares: optional but traditional

Aromatics

  • 2 spring onions, cut into 5cm pieces

Method

  1. Make the anchovy stock if using: simmer dried anchovies (dashima/kombu kelp is optional but adds depth) in water for 10 minutes. Strain and set aside.
  2. In a wide pan, combine the stock, gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, and sugar. Whisk together over medium heat until the sauce is smooth and simmering.
  3. Add the rice cakes. Stir to coat. Simmer over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice cakes are fully soft (they should have no hard centre) and the sauce has reduced and thickened to coat them.
  4. Add the fish cake (if using) and spring onions in the last 3 minutes of cooking.
  5. Taste the sauce: it should be sweet, hot, and deeply savoury. Adjust with more gochujang for heat, sugar for sweetness, or soy for saltiness.
  6. Finish with sesame oil. Serve in the pan or in a bowl, scattered with sesame seeds. Eat immediately: tteokbokki hardens as it cools.

Notes

Tteok (Korean rice cakes) are available from Korean and many East Asian grocery stores, fresh or frozen. If using frozen tteok, thaw fully before cooking. The sauce stiffens dramatically as it cools: serve and eat immediately. For a richer version (rabokki), add instant ramen noodles in the last 3 minutes of cooking: the noodles absorb the spicy sauce and the combination is extremely popular in Korean street food. A soft-boiled egg served alongside is traditional.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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