Tteokbokki — spicy rice cakes
Korea's top street-food hit: chewy tteokbokki rice cakes in a thick sweet-and-spicy gochujang sauce with fish cakes and egg.
Tteokbokki is one of the most recognizable Korean street foods, constantly showing up in K-dramas and K-pop videos. These cylindrical tteok rice cakes have a pleasantly chewy texture, simmered in a rich gochujang-paste sauce: spicy, sweet and very addictive. It all comes together in one pan in about twenty minutes. Add odeng fish cakes and a boiled egg for a hearty, vivid plate straight off a Seoul street cart.
🧺 Ingredients
🍽 2 servings👩🍳 Method
- 1
Soak
If the rice cakes are dry or frozen, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes to soften.
- 2
Sauce
In a pan, mix the water or broth with gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar and minced garlic, bring to a boil.
- 3
Simmer
Add the rice cakes and sliced fish cakes, simmer over medium heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring.
- 4
Finish
When the sauce thickens and turns glossy and the cakes are soft and chewy, remove from heat.
- 5
Serve
Plate it up, add boiled egg halves and sprinkle with green onion. Serve hot.
💡 Tips
- 💡
Stir constantly toward the end: gochujang sauce thickens fast and can scorch.
- 💡
Anchovy broth instead of water makes the flavor deeper and more authentic.
🔄 Swaps & variations
- 🔄
Rosé tteokbokki: add 100 ml cream for a gentle, creamy, less spicy sauce.
- 🔄
Add mozzarella on top and let it melt — a very popular version.
✉️ Fresh recipes — once a week
Fresh recipes every week — no spam.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Where do I buy rice cakes and gochujang?
Both tteok and gochujang are sold in Asian grocery stores, large supermarkets and online. Rice cakes come fresh, chilled or frozen — any will do.
What can I use instead of odeng fish cakes?
Add slices of sausage, shrimp or simply more vegetables and eggs — the dish stays tasty even without fish cakes.
How do I make tteokbokki less spicy?
Reduce the gochugaru and gochujang, add more sugar or a spoon of milk to the sauce — this softens the heat while keeping the flavor.
