This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. Here you will learn how to make Delicious Korean Spicy Rice Cakes AKA Tteokbokki!
Koreans LOVE tteokbokki! And you will love it too! Here you will see how easy it is to make this most delicious and irresistible dish!
What is Tteokbokki?
Tteokbokki is a Korean dish of simmered rice cakes. The rice cakes used are typically long and cylindrical. Also spelled topokki, this is a very popular dish in Korea. There are many variations on this dish (check out this Wikipedia article!), and here I will share with you the hot and spicy version which features gochujang and gochugaru.
What Ingredients Will I Need To Make Tteokbokki?
Here’s what you will need to make this Korean Spicy Rice Cake dish!
- Dried kelp (for the Korean dashi broth)
- Large dried anchovies (for the Korean dashi broth)
- Rice cake (long cylindrical type)
- Gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
- Gochugaru (Korean hot pepper powder)
- Garlic
- Sugar
- Soy sauce
- Green onions
- Fish cakes (Korean style)
- Sesame oil
- Hard boiled eggs (optional but so good!)
You should be able to find all of these ingredients at your local Korean store or Asian market. I have linked to Amazon for convenience sake for some of these ingredients.
The fish cakes I use in this dish are flat sheets of fish cake as pictured below. I cut these into small bite sized pieces to use in this tteokbokki.
Let’s Make Some Korean Spicy Rice Cakes!
Korean dashi style broth is critical to taking the flavors of this dish above and beyond! It’s SUPER SIMPLE to make, and once you get the hang of this you will want to keep some on hand for all your Korean soups and stews!
So, we start by making the broth. Soak a piece of dried kelp/seaweed in water for around an hour. While this is soaking, prepare your anchovies by taking off the heads and removing the guts.
Anchovies which have been prepared by removing heads and guts 
Anchovies in an anchovy strainer
Now it’s time to add the anchovies to the kelp and water. Bring this to the boiI and then simmer for around 15 minutes. I use an anchovy strainer pictured above to make it easy to remove the anchovies once the broth is ready. You should be able to get this at your local Korean store. Cheesecloths are also suitable. You can also add the anchovies into the water, but will have to strain them out.
Once the broth is ready, add rice cakes (which have been soaked in water then drained) and the simmering sauce. The simmering sauce consists of gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, sugar, and soy sauce. Cook this on a medium heat for around 10 minutes or so or until the rice cakes are tender. If the mixture looks too dry you can add a little water.
Please note: I like things on the spicier side. Feel free to adjust the amount of gochujang and gochugaru to your taste buds!
Then add fish cakes, green onions, and hard boiled eggs (if using). Stir and heat until warmed through. The finishing touch will be some sesame oil!
Your tteokbokki is now ready to enjoy with your favorite pair of chopsticks!
Mashikeh – Mogoseyo!
Mashikeh – mogoseyo means “enjoy your meal” in Korean! You will absolutely LOVE this spicy rice cake dish! Sweet, salty, spicy and bursting with umami flavors and super simple to make!
Garnish with some additional green onions and feast on this dish that will be sure to become a favorite!
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy
How To Make Korean Soft Tofu Stew!
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Cheers!
Grace
Delicious Korean Spicy Rice Cakes aka Tteokbokki
Equipment
- Large covered pan
Ingredients
Korean Dashi Broth
- .5 oz dried kelp
- 10 large dried anchovies remove the heads and guts before using
For the tteokbokki
- 1 lb rice cakes use the long cylindrical rice cakes specially used for tteokbokki! Soak the rice cakes in water for 10 minutes to help soften them before cooking. Drain before adding them to the broth.
Simmering Sauce
- 1/3 cup gochujang Korean hot pepper paste – if you prefer a less spicy version you can reduce the amount of gochujang for your tastes
- 3 tbsp gochugaru Korean hot pepper powder – if you prefer a less spicy version you can reduce the amount of gochugaru for your tastes
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Ingredients To Add At The End Of Cooking Time
- 4-6 green onions cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1/2 lb fish cakes I used the fish cakes that come in sheets and cut them into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 3-4 hard boiled eggs remove the shell and cut them in half
Instructions
Korean Dashi Broth
- Soak a piece of dried kelp/seaweed in water for around an hour. While this is soaking, prepare your anchovies by taking off the heads and removing the guts.
- Add the anchovies to the kelp and water. Bring this to the boiI and then simmer for around 15 minutes. I use an anchovy strainer to make it easy to remove the anchovies once the broth is ready. You could also use cheesecloths. If you add the anchovies directly to the water, be sure to strain them out best you can once the broth is ready.
Rice Cakes and Simmering Sauce
- Once the broth is ready, add rice cakes (which have been soaked in water then drained) and the simmering sauce. The simmering sauce consists of gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, sugar, and soy sauce. Cook this on a medium heat for around 10 minutes or so or until the rice cakes are tender. If the mixture looks too dry you can add a little water.
Ingredients To Add At The End Of Cooking Time
- Then add fish cakes, green onions, and hard boiled eggs (if using). Stir and heat until warmed through. Stir in the sesame oil as the finishing touch!
- Your tteokbokki is now ready to enjoy!
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