Homemade Tteokbokki – Korean Spicy Rice Cake from Scratch

Tteokbokki or Korean Spicy Rice Cakes is one of the best spicy street food in the world, especially in Korea! Learn how to make delicious homemade Tteokbokki from scratch. Follow this easy recipe for a flavorful Korean spicy rice cake dish. It’s super delicious, umami-rich, and highly addictive! These are totally chewy, spicy & so shareable that I bet you can’t just eat one!

You can’t watch Korean dramas without craving Korean food. And Tteokbokki is one of my favorites.

Calling all spice lovers! Have you heard of Tteokbokki, the Korean spicy rice cake? Imagine chewy rice cakes dancing in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce, all tangled up with savory fish cakes for that perfect savory kick. The best part? This one-pot wonder comes together in a flash, so you can share this deliciousness with friends in no time! Get ready to fire up your taste buds – Tteokbokki magic is about to happen!

What is tteokbokki?

Tteokbokki is a very well-known street food in Korea that is especially popular with students. The traditional version is made with rice cakes, fish cake, and sometimes hard-boiled eggs, all cooked and drenched in a delicious spicy sauce that can be slightly sweet. 

Literally translated as “stir-fried rice cake,” tteokbokki is a beloved Korean rice cake dish with many variations and a rich history.  

Type and Variation of Tteokbokki

There are so many different kinds of tteokbokki now,  Here are some;

• Jjajang Tteokbokki: This combines tteokbokki with jjajangmyeon sauce, a savory black bean paste sauce commonly used in Korean noodles. This is also a non-spicy variety of rice cake dishes where the sauce base uses black bean paste
• Rose Tteokbokki – Since this dish is very spicy but very delicious, rose tteokbokki is a variant where the classic spicy rice cake recipe is added heavy cream or milk and cheese to make it creamier and more bearable in terms of spice. 
• Gungjung tteokbokki – A milder version featuring soy sauce, veggies, and beef, historically served to Korean royalty. This translates to “royal court tteokbokki” and refers to a non-spicy version with a savory sauce made from soy sauce, and beef broth.
• Rabokki: This is a common spin-off of the classic recipe wherein instant ramen noodles are added when you cook tteokbokki. The noodles make the whole dish a full meal, and its spice powder is an additional layer of flavor that makes it super addicting.
• Gochujang Tteokbokki: This is the most common type, featuring chewy rice cakes (garaetteok) in a spicy gochujang (Korean chili paste) sauce.
• Kimchi Tteokbokki: This fiery version incorporates kimchi, fermented spicy cabbage, into the gochujang sauce for an extra kick.
• Cheese Tteokbokki: Melted cheese is added to the spicy gochujang sauce for a creamy and slightly less intense flavor.

If you know more, comment down below!

Today let’s make the original authentic tteokbokki, with making the rice cake from the starch. This is not as difficult as I thought. Turn out still very enjoyable and I’d feel very satisfied at the end of this recipe. So, let’s go

Ingredients of Homemade Tteokbokki – Korean Spicy Rice Cake from Scratch

Rice Cake (Garaetteok)

This is what we need to make the rice cake, however if you short on time you can skip this part and buy an instant rice cake. When you are buying Korean rice cakes (garaetteok), try to find cylindrical ones shaped like tubes. You can buy them fresh or frozen at Asian grocery stores but they are most common in Korean grocery stores. These ingredients are used to make the rice cakes from scratch. The rice flour forms the base of the cake, while salt adds flavor. Boiling water is used to hydrate the flour and create a dough, and sesame oil adds aroma and flavor.

• Korean Rice Flour; I don’t think you can swap this ingredient with others, because this is the key ingredient.
• Salt; to enhance flavor not make it plain at all
• Boiling Water; this is what going to make Korean rice flour with boiling water
• Sesame Oil; – This ingredient adds a lot of flavor to the dish and also avoids stickiness during shaping rice cakes.

Tteokbokki

• Rice Cake; These Korean rice cakes are made from short-grain rice flour and salt. Once cooked, Korean rice cakes have a texture that is both dense and springy.
• Fish Cake; has a savory flavor and an almost bouncy texture. I prefer the thin, flat Korean fish cakes for this dish.  you can use any shape of fish cake you prefer. To keep it traditional, I am using the fish cake sheets and cutting them into triangles. 
• Hard Boiled Egg; This is optional, you can add the egg or not. I just want to add my protein, besides it’s Rose tteokbokki lol
• Korean Soup Stock dried anchovy and dried kelp; because it makes all the difference in the depth of flavor in tteokbokki.  This is what makes it taste like authentic Korean street food! It provides the broth with a hint of smokiness. It is also the main source of sodium for this dish.
• Gochujang korean chili paste; This is Korean red pepper paste, the sauce’s main ingredient. It is a fermented paste that is spicy and savory. 
• Gochugaru korean chili powder; In making tteokbokki, use Korean red pepper powder also known as gochugaru finely ground. It will add additional spice without making the dish too salty and the powder will easily dissolve in the sauce. You can opt to add or skip this according to your spice tolerance. 
• Sugar; This is going to be the main contrast to all the spice and savor from the pepper paste, pepper flakes, and soy sauce. With the correct ratio, tteokbokki will be a perfect sweet and spicy dish that’s very addicting.
• Green Onion; Chopped green onions add a nice crunch to the dish and a sharp, clean bite.
• Sesame Seed garnish; Optional but recommended to boost the nutty taste.

How to Make Homemade Tteokbokki – Korean Spicy Rice Cake from Scratch

Homemade Rice Cake

Prepare the Rice Cake Dough: In a mixing bowl, combine the rice flour with salt until evenly distributed. Pour boiling water over the mixture and stir thoroughly until a smooth dough forms.

Steam the Dough: Brush a bowl with sesame oil to prevent sticking, then transfer the rice cake dough into it. Steam the dough for approximately 30 minutes until it becomes firm and cooked through.

Shape the Rice Cakes: Once steamed, transfer the rice cake dough onto a silicone mat and allow it to cool slightly. Rub your hands with sesame oil or use gloves to prevent sticking, then knead the dough until it becomes elastic. Roll the dough out and cut it into pieces approximately 6 cm long.

Tteokbokki

Prepare Ingredients: Cut the fish cake into bite-sized pieces and chop the green onion.

Make Tteokbokki Sauce: In a small mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the gochujang, gochugaru, and sugar until a smooth sauce forms.

Cooking Tteokbokki: In a pan, bring the Korean soup stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the Tteokbokki sauce to the boiling stock, stirring until it dissolves completely. Once the soup is boiling, add the rice cakes, fish cakes, and chopped green onions. Simmer the mixture until the rice cakes are fully cooked and the sauce thickens to your desired consistency. Add the boiled eggs 3 minutes before turning off the heat, stirring occasionally.

Garnish and Serve: Turn off the heat and garnish the Tteokbokki with sesame seeds and additional green onions. Serve hot and enjoy your homemade Tteokbokki!

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