Tteokbokki (Korean spicy rice cakes)
Chewy rice cakes in a glossy, spicy-sweet gochujang sauce with fish cake and boiled egg — a Korean street-food favourite.
Tteokbokki is the ultimate Korean comfort — chewy rice cakes bathed in a spicy-sweet gochujang sauce. It’s the sort of street food that makes your mouth sing and your jacket taste of chilli for the rest of the evening.
This recipe keeps things honest: a homemade anchovy–kelp stock, a balanced gochujang sauce, fish cake for bite and boiled egg for richness. Make it when you want something speedy, shareable and utterly moreish.
Ingredients
- 500 g tteok rice cakes — If frozen, thaw or soak as directed in the method.
- 15 g dried anchovies — small dried anchovies for stock
- 10 g dried kelp — one piece, about 10 cm
- 800 ml water
- 60 g gochujang
- 10 g gochugaru — 1 tbsp
- 30 ml light soy sauce — about 2 tbsp
- 30 g caster sugar — about 2 tbsp
- 2 garlic cloves — finely minced
- 150 g fish cakes — sliced into strips
- 1 brown onion — medium, sliced
- 2 spring onions — sliced on the diagonal
- 15 ml vegetable oil — neutral oil for frying
- 5 ml sesame oil — for finishing
- 10 g toasted sesame seeds
- 2 large eggs — hard-boiled and halved
Instructions
Make a simple anchovy–kelp stock: put the water, dried anchovies and dried kelp in a saucepan, bring to a gentle simmer, then simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and discard the solids, return the clear stock to the pan.
If your tteok are frozen or very firm, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes to soften while you prepare the rest.
While the tteok soaks, boil the eggs: place eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil then simmer for 8 minutes for hard yolks. Remove, plunge into cold water and leave to cool for 5 minutes, then peel and halve.
Prepare the other ingredients: slice fish cakes into strips, thinly slice the brown onion, mince the garlic and slice the spring onions on the diagonal.
Make the sauce: pour the strained stock into a wide frying pan, add gochujang, gochugaru, light soy sauce and caster sugar. Whisk over a medium heat until the paste dissolves and the sauce comes to a gentle simmer, about 5 minutes.
Drain the soaked tteok and add them to the simmering sauce with the sliced brown onion. Increase to a lively simmer and cook, stirring every 1–2 minutes, until the tteok are glossy and soft and the sauce has thickened, about 9 minutes.
Push the tteok to one side, add the vegetable oil to the empty space, then add the sliced fish cakes and minced garlic. Fry briefly, 3 minutes, to warm and absorb sauce, then fold everything together.
Turn off the heat, stir in the sesame oil, then arrange the halved eggs on top and scatter with spring onions and toasted sesame seeds. Give a quick toss to coat and serve immediately.
Tips
- If your tteok are factory-chilled (often sold refrigerated) they usually need just 10–15 minutes in warm water; frozen ones take around 30 minutes.
- Make the anchovy–kelp stock ahead and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days — it’s useful in other Korean dishes too.
- Keep stirring as the sauce reduces: tteok release starch and the mixture can stick and burn if left unattended.
- Adjust heat by altering gochugaru: use less for milder tteokbokki, more for authentic heat. Gochujang provides sweetness and depth, so don’t omit it.
- To reheat, add a splash of water and gently warm in a frying pan so the sauce loosens and the rice cakes regain chewiness.
Substitutions
fish cakes → firm tofu, sliced and pan-fried until golden
Noticeably differentlight soy sauce → tamari, same quantity (30 ml) for a gluten-free swap
Stays closegochugaru → mild smoked paprika, use half the amount and add a pinch of cayenne if you want heat
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 508
- Calories
- 12 g
- Protein
- 88 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 15 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
My rice cakes are hard after cooking — what went wrong?
They were under-soaked or the sauce didn’t simmer long enough. Soak frozen tteok for 30 minutes and simmer until they’re soft and glossy. If needed, add a splash of water and continue cooking 2–3 minutes.
Can I make this vegetarian or vegan?
Yes: replace the anchovy–kelp stock with vegetable stock and swap fish cakes for firm tofu or king oyster mushrooms. The flavour will be milder but still tasty.
How spicy is this?
Moderately spicy as written. Reduce gochugaru to 4 g (½ tbsp) or use less gochujang for a milder sauce.
Can I freeze leftovers?
I don’t recommend freezing tteokbokki — rice cakes change texture badly when frozen and reheated. Store in the fridge up to 2 days and gently reheat with a splash of water.
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