Tteokbokki (Spicy Korean Rice Cakes)
Chewy rice cakes in a sweet, spicy, glossy sauce — the red street snack sold from tents and stalls all over Korea.
AI illustrationHow to make it
- PrepareIf the rice cakes are hard or frozen, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes. Cut the fish cakes into triangles.
- Make the sauceBring the water to a boil in a wide pan and stir in all the sauce ingredients.
- Simmer the rice cakesAdd the rice cakes and simmer for 8–10 minutes, stirring often so they do not stick, until the sauce is thick and glossy.
- FinishAdd the fish cakes, eggs and green onion and cook 2 more minutes. Serve hot.
Too thick or too hot?
Add a splash of water if the sauce gets too thick. Too spicy? Add a little more sugar or melt a slice of cheese on top.
Eat it fresh
Rice cakes harden in the fridge. Reheat leftovers in a pan with a little water until soft again.
Red, then and now
The red, chili tteokbokki became street food in Seoul in the 1950s. An older palace version, gungjung tteokbokki, is stir-fried with soy sauce and beef instead of chili.
Pairs well with
AI illustrationLate-night Pot Ramyeon
The pot, the egg, the lid used as a plate — the midnight bowl you have seen in a hundred Korean dramas, made the way Koreans actually make it.
AI illustrationGimbap
Rice and colorful fillings rolled in seaweed and sliced into rounds — the food Koreans pack for school trips, hikes and road trips.
AI illustrationEomuk-bokkeum
Sweet, salty and a little glossy — the side dish in countless Korean lunchboxes. Fifteen minutes, one pan, and it keeps for days.