Tteokbokki - Authentic! (VIDEO)

Tteokbokki in a pan with mozarella cheese.

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Tteokbokki - Authentic! (VIDEO)

Tteokbokki should be balanced - the soft and chewy rice cakes are coated in a glossy sauce that is spicy, sweet, and not runny nor thick. This is my easy, authentic version for the home cook!

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Nonstick Pan

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups dashi stock or 1 tbsp hondashi powder + 2 1/2 cups hot water
1 pound tteok cylindrical rice cakes
1/2 lb fish cakes cut into triangles (or fish balls, or a mixture of both)
1/3 cup gochujang
1 tbsp gochugaru
2 tbsp Korean soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar or honey
¼ tsp msg
2 scallions whites and greens separated
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Instructions

To a large wide oven safe pan over high heat, add the rice cakes along with 2 cups of the dashi stock. Bring the broth to a simmer, reducing the heat as necessary, and cook the tteok for 5-6 mintues or until tender.
In a small bowl, add the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, and msg. Add the remaining ½ cup of hot stock to the sauce and mix together until the ingredients are combined and the paste has dissolved. Add the mixture directly to the tteokbokki and mix to combine.
Add the scallion whites and fish cakes to the tteokbokki. Simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is thickened and glossy.
Evenly add the cheese on top of the tteokbokki and place in the broiler for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Top with the scallion greens and enjoy!

Notes

Tteokbokki is traditionally made with anchovy and kelp stock - however, I found that dashi works just as well and is much easier to work with (as you can purchase it in powder form). I tested this recipe both ways and did not notice a huge difference in the final dish when using dashi. I prefer using dashi powder to make dashi but you can also find liquid versions at most Asian grocery stores.

If you want to make it with anchovy and kelp stock, here are the instructions: Saute 8 large dried anchovies (head and insides removed) for 2 minutes in a pot over medium high heat - you can easily find dried anchovies at any Korean grocery story. Add 4 cups of water and 1 large piece of konbu. Boil for 30 minutes until the stock has reduced to 2.5 cups (if you are scaling this recipe, reduce until there is about 2/3 of liquid left)

I used Korean soy sauce, which I got from my local Korean grocery (H Mart); it's different from Japanese soy sauce in that it's lighter in color, thinner, saltier, and less sweet. If you don't have it on hand, you can just use your all-purpose soy sauce and add salt to taste. You may not notice the difference.

For the fish cakes, I purchase sheets of rectangular fish cakes from the Korean market and slice them into triangles. You can also use fish balls.

Customize your tteokbokki at home by adding in your favorite ingredients - protein like hard boiled eggs, mini sausages, sliced spam, pork belly, or frozen shrimp. Add in ramen to make it "rabokki" - this is a very popular Korean bar dish! I personally love frozen dumplings into my tteokbokki - the dumplings cook right in the broth and are so delicious with the sauce. Sliced cabbage and corn are two popular vegetable add-ins.

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