How to make tteokbokki at home: classic, rosé and soupy versions

TUREFF• •0

Tteokbokki, chewy rice cakes in a sweet, spicy red sauce, is Korea's favourite street snack, and it is easy to make at home with a few ingredients from an Asian grocery. This guide gives you a classic version plus the popular variations.

The ingredients

Rice cakes (tteok): the long cylindrical kind for tteokbokki (garaetteok cut short). Wheat rice cakes (mil-tteok) are softer and chewier and used by many street stalls; rice versions are firmer. Fresh ones are best; if yours are frozen or hard from the fridge, soak them in warm water for 10 to 20 minutes first.
Fish cakes (eomuk): flat sheets, cut into triangles or strips. They add flavour to the sauce.
Gochujang: Korean red pepper paste, the base of the sauce.
Gochugaru: Korean red pepper flakes, which add heat and a brighter red colour.
Soy sauce, sugar (or corn syrup, as many Korean cooks use) and garlic.
Spring onions and, optionally, cabbage, onion and boiled eggs.

The stock

Street vendors cook tteokbokki in anchovy stock (myeolchi yuksu), which gives the sauce depth. Simmer a handful of large dried anchovies (gutted) and a square of dried kelp (dasima) in water for about 10 to 15 minutes, then strain. Take the kelp out early if you want to avoid a slimy texture. Water works in a pinch, and some people use a stock tablet or plain water with extra fish cakes.

Classic tteokbokki (serves 2)

Prepare about 2 cups of anchovy stock in a wide, shallow pan.
Stir in roughly 2 tablespoons of gochujang, 1 tablespoon of gochugaru, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of minced garlic. Bring to the boil.
Add the rice cakes and fish cakes. Simmer, stirring often so nothing sticks, for about 10 minutes until the rice cakes are soft and the sauce thickens and coats them.
Add chopped spring onion and halved boiled eggs in the last couple of minutes.
Taste and adjust: more sugar for sweeter, more gochugaru for hotter, a splash of water if the sauce gets too thick.

Treat these measurements as a starting point; every family and stall does it differently. Thickening comes from the starch of the rice cakes, so the sauce will keep thickening as it stands.

Variations

Rosé tteokbokki: the trend that took over Korean menus in recent years. Make the sauce as above with less stock, then stir in cream or milk (and a little butter) near the end for a creamy, pink, milder sauce. Many people add sausage and bacon.
Gungmul tteokbokki (soupy tteokbokki): use more stock and less gochujang so it is closer to a soup than a sauce. This is the style many stalls serve, eaten with a spoon, and the broth is good for dipping fried snacks.
Gireum tteokbokki (oil tteokbokki): stir-fried in oil with gochugaru and soy sauce, without the sauce. Famous at Tongin Market in Seoul.
Jjajang tteokbokki: made with black bean paste instead of gochujang, for a mild, savoury version.
Rabokki: add a packet of instant ramyeon noodles in the last few minutes (and a little extra liquid). A classic.

Cheese

Melted mozzarella on top is a modern favourite, especially for those who find tteokbokki too spicy. Scatter it over at the end, cover the pan for a minute until it melts, and serve straight away. A slice of processed cheese stirred in makes the sauce creamier.

What to serve with it

Twigim (fried snacks): fried dumplings, seaweed rolls (gimmari) and vegetables, dipped in the sauce.
Sundae: Korean blood sausage, a classic pairing at street stalls.
Gimbap: plain rolls to balance the heat.
Leftover sauce can be fried with rice and seaweed flakes at the end.

Storage

Tteokbokki is best eaten freshly made, as the rice cakes harden as they cool. Reheat leftovers gently with a splash of water. How do you make your tteokbokki, and which variation is your favourite? Share your recipe tweaks in the comments.