I will happily wonder the streets of Seoul until I find a food stall serving chewy, sweet and spicy tteokbokki! This popular Korean dish is one of my favorites to devour after a fun evening out with friends. And it’s very easy to make it at home! My tteokbokki recipe will make your tastebuds dance with its fiery gochujang and gochugaru based sauce.
Tteokbokki is a dish made of Korean rice cakes and fish cakes served in a bright red sweet, peppery, nutty, and spicy sauce. It’s one of those dishes I never tire of because I’m a huge fan of chewy rice cakes. It’s a dish that’s very filling, a popular street food in Korea, and one that’s becoming increasingly popular here in the West as well.
I kept the flavors of this tteokbokki very basic, not wanting to veer off too much from the original taste, since it’s already so perfect to begin with. It takes about 35 minutes to make from start to finish.
Why This Recipe Works
- The perfect bite. The rice cakes themselves are dense, chewy and springy all at once. Very satisfying in a similar way to Japanese mochi.
- Flavor for days. It’s one of the most famous Korean street-foods for a reason. Tteokbokki is fiery, savory and sweet perfection.
- It’s versatile. You can make it as simple or complex as you’d like. Common additional toppings include eggs, shredded cabbage, daikon, cheese, carrots, hot dogs and even ramen noodles.
Table of contents
Ingredients
- Tteokbokki Rice Cakes: These Korean rice cakes are made from short grain rice flour and salt. Once cooked, Korean rice cakes have a texture that is both dense and springy. They can be purchased at Korean supermarkets, sometimes at Walmart (in the frozen section) or here on Amazon.
- Tteokbokki Sauce: This is a mixture of anchovy stock, dried kelp, gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, and sugar. Bold, savory, spicy and sweet.
- Korean Fish Cakes: These are lightly fried until golden brown on the outside, and have a savory flavor and an almost bouncy texture. I prefer the thin, flat Korean fish cakes for this dish. Grab them at Asian grocery stores, next to the imitation crab sticks.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: Toasted sesame oil is added at the very end of the cooking process to preserve the delicate toasted nutty flavor. Since this oil has a low smoke point – unlike regular sesame oil which has a high smoke point – it tends to taste rancid if it cooks for too long.
- Scallions: Chopped green onions add a nice crunch to the dish and a sharp, clean bite.
- Sesame seeds: Optional but recommended to boost the nutty taste.
Variations
- Rabokki: This fun mash-up is everything you love about tteokbokki – with the addition of ramen noodles. Click here for the rabokki recipe.
- Rose Tteokbokki: A creamier, milder version of the fiery original. Rosé tteokbokki doubles down on dairy in the sauce with not only heavy cream, but cheese as well. Get decadent with my rose tteokbokki recipe.
How to Make It
- Make the stock: Pour the anchovy stock in a medium size pot along with a 6×6-inch piece of dried kelp, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, simmer for 10 minutes and remove the kelp.
- Add the seasonings: Turn the heat back up and stir in the gochujang (Korean red chili paste), gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), soy sauce and sugar.
- Cook the rice cakes: Once the sauce is boiling, add the rice cakes and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are soft. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent the rice cakes from sticking together, or to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the fish cakes: Chop the fish cakes into bite size strips and add them to the pot. Cook for 4 minutes.
- Finish with sesame oil and scallions: Turn the heat off and add the sesame oil and chopped green onion. Stir and serve tteokbokki in a bowl with sesame seeds on top (optional).
Expert Tips
- If your rice cakes come out of the package on the hard side, it’s a good idea to soak them in water for 10-15 minutes. If they’re already soft, you should be good to go.
- You can control the amount of heat that goes into your sauce by adding more or less gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flakes).
Storage
Refrigerate leftover tteokbokki in an airtight food storage container for 2-3 days.
- Refrigerated rice cakes get hard rather quickly. Reheat leftovers in the microwave until piping hot and soft.
- While you may be able to freeze tteokbokki, I don’t recommend it. Even if you bought the ingredients frozen before making this dish. That’s because the texture of the fish cakes and rice cakes will not be very pleasant once they are thawed a second time.
What To Serve With It
These spicy Korean rice cakes are quite filling so I don’t recommend serving them with other heavy dishes, unless you are starving. When I make this dish I like to serve it with small Korean banchan sides or other light dishes that won’t overpower the strong flavor of tteokbokki. Some of my favorites are:
- Korean Bean Sprout Salad (Sookju Namul)
- Edamame with Soy and Sesame Sauce
- Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
- Chive Pancake (Buchujeon)
- Miso Soup
- Basic Fried Rice
Frequently Asked Questions
You can find frozen tteokbokki rice cakes in any Korean supermarket – and in many Asian grocery stores. While I prefer the fresh frozen cakes, there are also dry versions sold online. Same goes for the fish cakes and sauce ingredients. If you don’t live near a Korean market, here are Amazon links to buy some of the base sauce ingredients: gochujang, gochugaru, anchovy soup stock, dried kelp, sesame oil.
Yes! But you’ll need to tweak your ingredients list. Use vegan dashi powder (made with shiitake mushrooms and kombu) instead of the anchovy stock. Or just use plain water. And use sliced Japanese aburaage (fried tofu pockets) instead of the fish cakes.
No, this recipe is not gluten-free since it contains soy sauce and Korean fish cakes. If you would like to make it gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari sauce, and tofu skin instead of fish cakes.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Tteokbokki (Dukbokki)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Korean
Description
A deliciously sweet and fiery Korean rice cakes recipe ready in 35 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes)
- 3 1/2 cups anchovy stock or water
- 6 x 6 inch piece dried kelp
- 3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flakes)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 ounces Korean fish cakes, rinsed, patted dry and sliced into bite sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Make the broth: In a medium size pot over high heat, add the anchovy stock and dried kelp and bring to a boil. Remove the kelp, lower the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered.
- Season the broth: Stir in gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce and sugar – and bring back to a boil.
- Cook the rice cakes: Add the tteokbokki cakes and cook for 8-10 minute, stirring frequently until they are soft.
- Add the fish cakes: Add them and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Serve. Turn off the heat and add the sesame oil and scallions. Stir and transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and serve.
Notes
Tteokbokki is best served immediately after cooking. While the spicy Korean rice cakes can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days, they will naturally get hard when they cool down. Definitely better fresh!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 365
- Sugar: 8.1g
- Sodium: 794mg
- Fat: 2.6g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 75.4g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 6.8g
- Cholesterol: 4.1mg
Questions and Reviews
Do the rice cakes have a texture more similar to tofu or pasta? or something else you think is similar texture wise?
Hi Amy! It’s very similar to mochi rice cakes 🙂
Made this and loved it! Defo making again and again and again!
Thank you so much Sylvia! 🙂
My came out like soup, it was too loose. Can I perhaps add some cornstarch to thicken it up?
Hi Chas! Yes, you can add cornstarch but make sure to mix it with cold water before adding it to the sauce. Start with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and mix with 2 teaspoons cold water and test the consistency. 🙂
Wow, this TTEOKBOKKI – SPICY KOREAN RICE CAKES is looked amazing!
I never have this recipe.
My family members are loving this recipe. Now I can make it at home.
Now I can share your blog with my friend circle.
I am so glad after seeing your recipe, Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Food is one of the biggest topics of conversation online and offline. Keep it up, I am waiting for your next recipe. Your blog is very useful and helpful for me.
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This is yummy!!! I love adding mozzarella cheese on top and letting it melt down maybe not traditional but sooo good!
Adding mozzarella cheese sounds really good Leah! I might have to try it next time I make it 🙂
Delicious! I lived in Korea for a year and miss the food so bad.
I had to boil the rice cakes for a bit longer to thickened the sauce, but it turned out beautifully.
Thank you for the great recipe.
Thank you so much Angie! 🙂
Replaced sugar with corn syrup to taste – it was delicious! Thank you!
Thank you LT! 🙂
I often buy instant tteokbokki in Asian grocery stores or Korean supermarkets. I love this dish because of its taste. I can enjoy it in my breakfast, lunch or even dinner. I want to do this dish by myself but it seems to be hard to find the right recipe. I can’t speak Korea language so it’s not easy to hook a recipe in English. Luckily, I found this article and it’s amazing to follow the instructions. Thanks a lot!
Hello, I’m trying to make this recipe, maybe, I’m dumb or maybe blind, but how many tablespoons of the anchovy powder should I use? Boiled in how many cups of water?
Hi Jonina! I would use a little less a teaspoon per cut of water. You can always sprinkle a little more if you think it needs it after 🙂
This tteokbokki recipe (spicy Korean rice cakes) is chewy, sweet and spicy
OMG this was good!
Korean here. Try adding half a brick of ramen, too, like they do in some of the brick and mortar places in Seoul.
That sounds delicious Diya! Thank you for sharing 🙂
This tastes absolutely amazing! Every week during my Korean class the director serves traditional Korean snacks and my favorite is tteokboki This tteokboki tastes very similar to my directors! and now I am happy that I can make it whenever I am craving her tteokboki. Thank You!
So yummy! I try it a time in Korea. Thanks for sharing, I will try it by myself
Lovely recipe! I always love to read other people make ddukbokki because there is always something different to others especially yours. I hope you can have a look and comment mine too here: http://nyamwithny.com/nyam-recipes-ddukbokki/ I always find it good to add sesame oil and sesame seeds.
What would you say is the first thing your fork or spoon goes for when you go for ddukbokki? Mine is the fishcake!
Oh nice it’s my favorite it’s really yummy
Wow. this is looking so delicious and yummy
Wow! This looks so delicious, I’ll definitely try out this recipe and will share it with my friends & family.
Do you find the need to add a cornstarch slurry to get to the right coating consistency? My sauce was loose so I thickened it up nicely. I also did not have kombu so perhaps that affected the outcome.. Thoughts?
Hi Jodi! I didn’t have any problem with the consistency, the sauce is supposed to be loose for tteokbokki, thick-ish but not gooey 🙂
Oh nice it’s my favorite it’s really yummy. Wow! This looks so delicious, I’ll definitely try out this recipe and will share it with my friends & family.
OMG this was good! I didn’t have anchovy stock so I used dashi instead and it came out so yummy! Thank you for the recipe, I’ll be making this again and again!