Korean · Free recipe
Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)
Chewy cylindrical rice cakes simmered in a glossy sweet-and-spicy gochujang sauce until soft and saucy. This beloved street snack is chewy, fiery, and impossible to stop eating.
Step 1
If your rice cakes are hard or refrigerated, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes so they soften and cook evenly.
Step 2
Pour the water or anchovy stock into a wide skillet or shallow pot and bring it to a boil over high heat.
Step 3
Add the gochujang, gochugaru, sugar, and soy sauce, and whisk until the pastes fully dissolve into a smooth red sauce.
Step 4
Drain the rice cakes and add them to the bubbling sauce, stirring so they do not stick to the bottom.
Step 5
Add the sliced onion and lower the heat to a steady simmer where the sauce bubbles all over.
Step 6
Simmer for 8 minutes, stirring often, so the rice cakes soften and swell.
Step 7
Add the fish cake triangles and continue simmering for 5 more minutes.
Step 8
As the sauce reduces it will thicken and turn glossy; keep stirring so nothing scorches on the bottom.
Step 9
The dish is ready when the rice cakes are soft and chewy all the way through and the sauce coats them thickly, about 15 to 18 minutes total.
Step 10
Add the green onions and halved hard-boiled eggs if using, and stir gently for 1 final minute.
Step 11
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve hot straight from the pan.
Tips from the test kitchen
- Keep stirring near the end, since the thickening sauce sticks and burns quickly.
- If the sauce gets too thick, loosen it with a splash of water.
