Making sweet and spicy tteokbokki, a representative Korean snack food

Tteokbokki, the symbol of Korean snack food

Tteokbokki is one of the most loved snack foods in Korea. The chewy rice cake is soaked in sweet and spicy red pepper paste seasoning, and when fish cakes and green onions are added, the familiar taste of eating at street food stalls or snack bars is completed. Even for foreigners who are experiencing Korean food for the first time, Tteokbokki is an easy menu item to remember. The color is strong, but the sweetness and savory flavor of the seasoning combine to make it perfect as a snack, late-night snack, or meal.

Tteokbokki ingredients

For 2-3 servings, prepare 400g of tteokbokki rice cake, 2-3 pieces of fish cake, 1 green onion, and 500ml of water. The basic seasoning is 2 tablespoons of red pepper paste, 1 tablespoon of red pepper powder, 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. If you want a deeper flavor, use anchovy broth or kelp broth, but if you want to make it simply, just water is enough. If the rice cake is hard, soaking it in lukewarm water for a while will shorten the cooking time and allow the seasoning to spread more evenly.

Cooking order

1. Dissolve the seasoning sauce and boil it.

Pour water into a pot or wide pan, add red pepper paste, red pepper powder, soy sauce, sugar, and minced garlic and mix well. Rather than boiling it over high heat for a long time from the beginning, you can reduce sticking to the bottom by boiling it first until the seasoning dissolves and then adding the rice cake. Each red pepper paste has different saltiness and sweetness, so be sure to taste and adjust the final seasoning.

2. Add rice cake and fish cake and boil.

When the seasoning starts to boil, add rice cake and fish cake. Stir and simmer over medium heat until the rice cake becomes soft and the sauce thickens. If left for too long, the rice cake may stick to the bottom of the pan, so stir occasionally. If you want a soupy style, leave a little more water. If you want a thick snack style, simmer until the sauce sticks to the rice cake.

3. Add green onions and finish

When the rice cake becomes soft, add the green onions and boil for 1 to 2 more minutes. If green onions are boiled for a long time, their flavor will weaken, so it is best to add them at the end. After completion, sprinkle a little sesame seeds to bring out the nutty aroma, and add boiled egg, ramen noodles, or cheese to make it a more filling dish.

Tips for making it delicious

The taste of tteokbokki depends on the balance of seasoning rather than spiciness. If you make it too spicy, you may get sick of it quickly, so try adjusting the ratio of red pepper paste, sugar, and soy sauce to bring out the spiciness and sweetness together. Since fish cake adds umami to the soup, there is a low chance of failure if you add it to basic tteokbokki. It's delicious when you add seaweed powder and rice to the remaining sauce and eat it like fried rice.

How to find tteokbokki while traveling in Korea

Tteokbokki can be easily found in markets, snack bars near subway stations, and night markets. Depending on the region or store, there are different styles such as soupy tteokbokki, spicy tteokbokki, and instant tteokbokki. If you make it at home, you can adjust the spiciness and sweetness to your taste, allowing you to experience Korean snack culture more comfortably. Start with the basic red pepper paste tteokbokki today, and next time try your own version by adding cheese or ramen noodles.

Storage and application tips

Tteokbokki becomes thicker over time as the rice cake absorbs the sauce. When reheating leftover tteokbokki, add a little water and slowly dissolve over low heat to enjoy it as gently as the first time. If the spicy taste is too much for you, you can reduce the sugar a little and add onions or cabbage to add natural sweetness.