Spicy Rice Cake (떡뽁이 Ddukbokki or Tteokbokki) with Vegetables is one of my most favorite childhood snacks. Best version is when it is cooked at the table.
In Korea, you can find spicy rice cake or ddukbokki/tteokbokki in many different places from street carts to restaurants. Spicy rice cake is also served in many different ways. There are even restaurants that serve just different kinds of tteokbokki which are called 떡볶이 집 (“ddukbokki jip” which means House of Ddukbokki). These places serve ddukbokki with different sauces and with different choices of noodles (쫄면 Jjol myun or 라면 ramen for example). Ddukbokki is also sold on street carts where often times you find the best tasting ones and for many Korean kids, it’s their most favorite after school snack on their way home.
The recipe listed here is based on a 즉석떡볶이 (jeukseok (instant) ddukbokki ) version where restaurants serve it hot pot style, on top of a portable gas stove and cooked right at your table. I didn’t cook it at the table in the pictures you see here but I have definitely cooked it in an electric hot pot at home before and it’s great fun for the whole family.
INSTANT Spicy Rice Cake (Jeukseok Tteokbokki/Ddukbokki) with Vegetables – TABLETOP VERSION
Prep time: 5 min. Cooking time: 20 min Servings: 3-4 Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients (see Recipe Card below)
Directions
1. If the tteokbokki tteok is 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 Rice Cake Soup. They are all the same tteok but just cut differently.
2. Cut cabbage, carrots and onions and any other vegetables. Korean fish cake (어묵 Uhmook also called 오뎅(oden) which comes from Japanese) comes in various shapes but the ones normally used here is one that comes in thin rectanglular sheets (사각오뎅 Sahgahk Oden). They can be found in the freezer aisle in most Korean markets. I did not get to take a picture of the package but there usually isn’t a whole lot of difference among the different brands so buy whatever looks good to you.
3. Use a saute pan deep enough to hold all the ingredients. Non-stick is easier since the tteok 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 rice cakes, fish cake and stir. Simmer for 20 min. stirring occasionally to make sure the dduk doesn’t burn at the bottom. Taste a piece of the dduk 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 dduk yet and it will taste very bland. Add ketchup to add that little extra something at the end. Sprinkle some black pepper.
Spicy Rice Cake (Tteokbokki) with Vegetables and Fish Cake
Ingredients
- 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)
Other optional vegetables
- 1-2 green onions (cut into 2 in long pieces)
- 2-3 perilla leaves (cut into thin strips)
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add gochujang, garlic, soy sauce, salt and sugar to this mixture while you wait for it to boil.
- 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.
- And if you are going to add green onions or perilla leaves, add it at the end, right before turning your heat off.
Tips & Notes:
- Ramen noodles – you can add ramen noodles directly into the ddukbokki while it is cooking. However, this is a bit risky for 2 reasons – the noodles soak up the liquid very quickly so you will have to keep adding extra water; it’s very easy to overcook the noodles which makes the whole dish into one giant blob of dduk… SO… I recommend that you boil the ramen noodles separately in water (make sure you cook it al dente) and then just mix it in quickly at the very end.
- Jjol Myun (쫄면) – this noodle is very stringy, chewy and adds great texture to the dish. Add this when you add the dduk and it should cook together nicely. You will need extra water for this too.
- Boiled eggs – make some hard boiled eggs and add it to the ddukbokki. The savory, spicy sauce goes very well with the egg.
Nutrition Information:
What other things can I add to tteokbokki ?
- Ramen noodles – you can add ramen noodles directly into the tteokbokki while it is cooking. However, this is a bit risky for 2 reasons – the noodles soak up the liquid very quickly so you will have to keep adding extra water; it’s very easy to overcook the noodles which makes the whole dish into one giant blob of tteok… SO… I recommend that you boil the ramen noodles separately in water (make sure you cook it al dente) and then just mix it in quickly at the very end.
- Jjol Myun (쫄면) – this noodle is very stringy, chewy and adds great texture to the dish. Add this when you add the dduk and it should cook together nicely. You will need extra water for this too.
- Boiled eggs – make some hard boiled eggs and add it to the tteokbokki. The savory, spicy sauce goes very well with the egg.
Why doesn’t this tteokbokki taste like the ones I eat at restaurants or on the street?
- MSG… – if you really want to get that taste, you will have to add some MSG or some variation of that like dashida(다시다).
- ramen soup powder – another way to get a similar taste is to sprinkle some ramen soup powder (which has MSG) on your ddukbokki.
Any variations?
- My niece MJ recently told me about a variation where you roast the dduk in an iron skillet first before cooking it in the sauce. Adds additional crunchy texture and some smoky flavor which I’m sure will only make it better. In Korea, around New Year’s, when you have rice cakes coming out of your ears, one way to eat the freshly made tteok is to roast them over open fire and then eat them with some sugar sprinkled on top.
Mia says
Made today! So delicious, thank you for the recipe! I made it vegetarian but I added a little parmesan at serving (because I love cheesy tteokbokki) and it really kicked up the umami. Thank you!
JinJoo says
Yes, cheese and tteokbokki work very well! Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!!
Darina Falsnes says
Made it today and it was wonderful. Thank you very much!
JinJoo says
Thank you so much for the great comment and rating! Have a nice day!
Sue Lee says
Hi! When would I add the perilla leaves?
JinJoo says
Sorry – I forgot to add instructions for that. It’s best to add Perilla leaves and green onions at the very end – right after turning heat off. You don’t really want to cook them. This way they stay nice and green and has all the flavor. Good luck!
Sue Lee says
Thank you! Will let you know how it turns out.
Bop says
Have you tried making this in an instant pot?
Thanks!
JinJoo says
No, I haven’t! Great idea – it will have to be very quick though.. will work on it! Thank you for your feedback~
serena says
If I am making this dish for children, is there a non-spicy version?
JinJoo says
Hmm…I’ve heard of people making ddukbokki with ketchup and/or tomato sauce..There is an authentic non-spicy ddukbokki called Koongjoong(palace) ddukbokki that uses soy sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame oil etc. Easiest way is to make some bulgogi and cook that with the dduk and vegetables which essentially is the same thing. Or just use the same seasonings for bulgogi and add that to your dish if you don’t want to use the meat. I need to post the koongjoong ddukbokki soon..