Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes) Recipe (2024)

  • Korean

Tteokbokki are irresistibly chewy rice cakes, glazed with a sweet-spicy sauce.

By

Chichi Wang

Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes) Recipe (1)

Chichi Wang

Chichi Wang wrote a variety of columns for Serious Eats including The Butcher's Cuts, in addition to other stories. Born in Shanghai and raised in New Mexico, Chichi took her degree in philosophy but decided that writing about food would be more fun than writing about Plato.

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Updated February 21, 2024

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Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes) Recipe (2)

Why It Works

  • Glutinous rice cakes are chewy and slightly bouncy. Glazed with a combination of chile paste, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar, they take on a ton of flavor.
  • The rice cakes can be pan-fried or broiled for a crispy exterior and soft, gooey interior.

If you go into any Korean supermarket, you'll find several staples sold in an overwhelming array: kimchi, anchovies, pickled garlic, and a variety of rice cakes that are not available at Chinese or Japanese stores. At a Chinese store, on the other hand, you might find a few packages of pre-sliced rice cakes (nian gao, in Chinese) for use in stir-fry dishes, but even a small Korean supermarket will carry an impressive range of rice cakes (tteok, in Korean).

What is a rice cake?Glutinous rice is pounded to a gluey, sticky mass, which is then formed into a variety of different shapes and sizes. Shape-wise, there are chubby and skinny, tall and short, round and oblong. Color-wise, they can be pale (made with white glutinous flour) or tan (made with brown rice). You'll find freshly cooked rice cakes, most frequently in cylindrical form, sold at some stores, though all Korean markets will carry refrigerated, pre-packaged rice cakes that must be boiled before use.

Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes) Recipe (3)

Though all rice cakes taste like pounded rice (even the ones made with brown rice vary little in their taste),the specific shape dramatically affects the texture.Thin slices are significantly less chewy than large, cylindrical rice cakes that are genuinely toothsome in the degree of their chewiness.

Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes) Recipe (4)

Here is one instance where there's truly no "better" shape—each is well-suited to its purpose. A thin rice cake quickly soaks in flavor and is good for a stir-fried dish with slices of meat or vegetables. A thicker, rounder rice cake can be toasted in a cast iron pan or even charred over a grill, and still stays pleasantly chewy and soft in the center.

In Korean cooking, rice cakes are a mainstay of kimchi stews, for which almost any shape and size of rice cake will flourish.Sliced rice cakes need significantly less time to cook than the more thickly shaped sticks,but those chubby cylinders of pounded rice, you should know, char wonderfully when lined at the bottom of a clay pot.

Asking the question,what should I cook along with the rice cake?may half-miss the point—it's like asking an Italian what garnishes should accompany a freshly made plate of pasta. The pasta, valued for its specific textural qualities, is the primary draw of the dish, just like the rice cake is the main attraction. (This is not to say, of course, that a rice cake wouldn't make a superb filler for just about any stew you're contemplating.)

Koreans relish the chewy texture of the rice cake with very little garnish and side ingredients.The classic preparation oftteokbokkiis to boil the cylindrically shaped cakes andeat them coated in a red sauce of chile paste, fermented bean paste, soy sauce, and sugar, topped liberally with sesame seeds.You can follow the traditional route and boil your rice cakes in water or you can pan-fry them with a little bit of oil in a skillet. Or, char the cakes under the broiler until the surface is crackly and the inside is gooey and warm. The bibim sauce—a tasty balance of sweet, savory, and spicy—is a wonderful dressing for the chewy cakes.

Of course, once you're hooked on the texture, you'll find all kinds of ways to incorporate the cakes into your diet. In the mornings I've been known to dip broiled rice cakes in a mixture of peanut and honey with my coffee; in the evenings, I might fry one or two in bacon fat or olive oil to accompany my meat and vegetables.

November 2010

Recipe Details

Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes)

Prep5 mins

Cook25 mins

Active10 to 20 mins

Total30 mins

Serves4 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 to 8 fresh long rice cake sticks, or 20 smaller rice cake sticks

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons Korean chile pepper paste (gochujang)

  • 3 to 4 tablespoons light soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

  • Roasted sesame seeds, to garnish

Directions

  1. If using fresh rice cake sticks, proceed with step 2. If using refrigerated rice cake sticks, boil according to instructions on package, about 5 to 10 minutes, until soft.

  2. Heat cast iron skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil and pan-fry rice cake sticks for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until lightly brown. Alternatively, toss rice cake sticks with oil in a medium bowl and broil for 3 minutes.

  3. Mix ingredients for sauce together. In a mixing bowl, coat browned rice cake sticks in sauce and top with sesame seeds. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Special Equipment

Cast iron skillet

Notes

If you have extra rice cakes, you can freeze them. The smaller, thinner varieties can be tossed directly into the soup pot from the freezer, making them a quick addition to your late night kimchi soups.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
262Calories
8g Fat
43g Carbs
5g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories262
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g11%
Saturated Fat 1g4%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1610mg70%
Total Carbohydrate 43g15%
Dietary Fiber 2g7%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 2mg11%
Calcium 18mg1%
Iron 1mg5%
Potassium 176mg4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is tteokbokki rice cake made of? ›

The royal court version was made from white tteok (rice cakes), sirloin, sesame oil, soy sauce, scallions, rock tripe, pine nuts, and toasted and ground sesame seeds, while the savory, soy sauce-based tteok-bokki was made in the head house of the Papyeong Yun clan, where high-quality soy sauce was brewed.

What is the difference between tteokbokki and rice cakes? ›

Gukmul Tteokbokki 국물 떡뽁이 is a soupy version of spicy Korean rice cakes where the rice cakes usually are served in a bowl with a lot of Gukmul (broth) but other than that it's really nothing different. It's usually served with just the soupy sauce and tteok but usually no vegetables or fish cake.

Is tteokbokki rice cake healthy? ›

For example, the rice cakes used in tteokbokki are a good source of complex carbohydrates, which provide sustained energy throughout the day. Tteokbokki also contains vitamin C, which is important for immune system function, and vitamin B6, which helps to regulate mood and support brain health.

Do Korean rice cakes need to be soaked? ›

When it comes time to cook tteok, the biggest point of consideration is whether they need to be soaked and for how long. Both Maangchi and Kim agree that fresh rice cakes do not need to be soaked before using in recipes.

Is Korean tteokbokki healthy? ›

While it may not be the most exciting food, rice tteokbokki is actually quite healthy. One serving of rice cake contains 5 grams of fiber, which helps to keep your digestive tract running smoothly. It's also low in calories (about 100 calories per serving) so you don't feel bloated after eating it!

Why do Koreans eat tteokbokki? ›

This is because the sweet and savory taste with a bit of a spicy kick remains irresistible to many Koreans, along with a chewy texture. For only a few dollars you can fulfill your need to snack, which makes it all the more tempting.

What is the English name for tteokbokki? ›

Tteok means rice cake and bokki stir-fried food. Combining these two words forms the term tteokbokki, or “stir-fried rice cake.” Ask Koreans what food makes them most nostalgic about their childhood and tteokbokki is the first thing they'll say.

What do Koreans eat with tteokbokki? ›

Traditional accompaniments for tteokbokki include hard-boiled eggs, fish cakes, and sliced scallions. These ingredients complement the spicy and chewy rice cakes, adding texture and flavor to the dish.

Does Trader Joe's have Korean rice cakes? ›

Trader Joe's Sliced Korean Rice Cakes are fantastic in so many ways! First of all, there are only two ingredients (white rice and water), so these rice cakes are exactly how they should be: bouncy and chewy. Because they're frozen, that texture remains consistent each time you use them.

Is tteokbokki eaten hot or cold? ›

If you use frozen rice cake, thaw it out and soak in cold water to soften it before cooking. Remove from the heat and serve hot. If you have any leftovers, just keep them in the fridge and reheat them when you want to eat. You should finished it in a few days.

Is tteokbokki supposed to be refrigerated? ›

But what happens once you've cooked your Tteokbokki? This is where the fridge becomes your best friend. Leftover cooked Tteokbokki should be refrigerated to maintain its quality.

How do you make Trader Joe's tteokbokki less spicy? ›

Adding cheese helped balance out the flavors. To mellow out the spice, add milk or cream while cooking to make Rose Tteokbokki.

Why are Korean rice cakes so chewy? ›

The rice flour in these tteok gives them an irresistibly crisp and chewy texture.

Why are my Korean rice cakes chewy? ›

These thick traditional rice cakes are made from glutinous rice flour, which gives them a soft and chewy texture.

What is the Korean dish tteokbokki made of? ›

Tteokbokki is chewy rice cakes cooked in a red, spicy broth. It's a popular Korean street food.

Are Korean rice cakes healthy for you? ›

In short, yes, rice cakes are a healthy snack. They are simple and allergen-friendly, so you can enjoy them whether you are gluten-free, nut-free or soy-free. They contain no animal products, making them perfect for vegans and vegetarians too.

What is the flavor of tteokbokki? ›

Tteokbokki sauce is made up of gochjang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic. It's garlicky, a tiny bit sweet, and spicy. It's definitely super savory and keeps you wanting to come back for more and more. Korean fish cakes.

Are rice cakes actually made from rice? ›

Rice cakes are a popular snack that has become a pantry staple. They're low-fat and can carry various toppings to make them tastier. By themselves, they are a dry, crispy snack. These snacks are made from puffed rice pressed together to form a circular cake.

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