Spicy Rice Cake (Tteokbokki) with Vegetables and Fish Cake
This recipe is based on a jeuksuk (instant) tteokbokki version served hot pot style at restaurants. You can try that with an electric hot pot for some great fun with the whole family.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 16 oz rice cake for tteokbokki
- 2 sheets Korean rectangular fish cake ((Sahgahk Oden, cut into squares))
- 2 cups cabbage ((cut into strips or 1 in squares))
- 1 carrot ((sliced))
- 1/2 onion ((sliced))
- 1 Tbsp chopped garlic ((or 1 tsp garlic powder))
- 3 cups water ((or anchovy stock is even better))
- 2 Tbsp gochujang ((spicy red bean paste))
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Dash of black pepper
- 1 tsp ketchup ((optional))
- 1 tsp guk kanjang ((Korean soy sauce for soups – optional))
- 1-2 green onions ((cut into 2 in long pieces))
- 2-3 perilla leaves ((cut into thin strips))
Instructions
- 1
If the rice cakes are frozen, defrost in cold water while you prepare other ingredients. The type of rice cakes used for tteokbokki are shaped like little logs but you can also use the thin ovalettes used for Tteok Guk. They are all the same rice cakes but just cut differently.
- 2
Cut cabbage, carrots and onions and any other vegetables. Korean fish cake (Uhmook also called oden which comes from Japanese) comes in various shapes but the ones normally used here is one that comes in thin rectanglular sheets (Sahgahk Oden). They can be found in the freezer aisle in most Korean markets.
- 3
Get a saute pan deep enough to hold all the ingredients. Non stick is easier since the dduk tends to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add water or anchovy stock, carrots, cabbage and onions to the pan and bring to a boil.
- 4
Add gochujang, garlic, soy sauce, salt and sugar to this mixture while you wait for it to boil.
- 5
Once it starts to boil, add tteok, fish cake and stir. Simmer for 20 min. stirring occasionally to make sure rice cakes don't burn at the bottom. Taste when it’s close to 20 min and adjust your seasonings. Don’t taste it in the beginning because the seasoning will not have fully penetrated into the tteok yet and it will taste very bland. Add ketchup to add that little extra something at the end. Sprinkle some black pepper.
- 6
And if you are going to add green onions or perilla leaves, add it at the end, right before turning your heat off.