Tteokbokki — Kue Beras Pedas ala Korea
Korea's favorite street snack: chewy cylindrical rice cakes simmered in a sweet-and-spicy gochujang sauce with fish cakes and scallion, until the sauce turns thick and glossy. Comforting, fiery, addictive.
Soak rice cakes if firm. Make a quick anchovy-kelp stock (or use water). Stir in gochujang, gochugaru, soy, and sugar. Simmer the rice cakes and fish cakes in the sauce, stirring, until the cakes are soft and chewy and the sauce thickens and glosses. Finish with scallion and sesame.
- Use a proper anchovy-kelp stock if you can — it gives tteokbokki its savory backbone.
- Keep stirring as it simmers; the rice cakes release starch that thickens the sauce.
- Balance the heat with sugar — tteokbokki is sweet-and-spicy, not just hot.
Equipment
- Wide pan or shallow pot
- Wooden spoon
Bahan
Stock
- 500 ml water
- 1 piece dried kelp (dashima, 10 cm)
- 8 dried anchovies (myeolchi), heads/guts removed, optional but better
Tteokbokki
- 400 g cylindrical rice cakes (tteok), soaked if firm
- 100 g fish cakes (eomuk), sliced
- 45 g gochujang
- 10 g gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), to taste
- 15 ml soy sauce
- 20 g sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 scallions, in 4 cm pieces
- Toasted sesame seeds, to finish
Cara membuat
- LANGKAH01
Simmer the water with the kelp and dried anchovies for 10 minutes, then remove the kelp and anchovies. (Or skip and use plain water.)
- LANGKAH02
If your rice cakes are firm or refrigerated, soak them in warm water 10 minutes so they cook evenly. Fresh soft ones can go straight in.
- LANGKAH03
Stir the gochujang, gochugaru, soy, sugar, and garlic into the warm stock until dissolved.
- LANGKAH04
Add the rice cakes and fish cakes. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, 8–10 minutes, until the rice cakes are soft and chewy and the sauce thickens to a glossy coat — the starch from the cakes does the thickening.
- LANGKAH05
Stir in the scallions for the last minute. Take off the heat, scatter with sesame seeds, and serve hot — straight from the pan is traditional.
Make ahead
Make the stock ahead. Tteokbokki itself is quick and best cooked to order, since the rice cakes are at their chewy best straight from the pan.
Storage
Best fresh — the rice cakes harden as they cool. Reheat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce and soften the cakes. Eat the day it's made.
Variations
Rabokki
Add a block of instant ramen noodles in the last few minutes — a beloved combo.
Cheese tteokbokki
Melt a handful of mozzarella over the top at the end for a gooey, milder version.
Rose tteokbokki
Stir in a splash of cream or milk for the trendy 'rosé' version — creamy and less fiery.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Pertanyaan umum
Where do I buy rice cakes?
Cylindrical rice cakes (tteok) are sold fresh, refrigerated, or frozen at any Korean or many Asian groceries, often labeled 'tteokbokki tteok'. Soak firm or frozen ones in warm water before cooking so they turn tender and chewy.
Is it very spicy?
It's sweet-and-spicy. Gochujang and gochugaru bring real heat, but the sugar balances it — classic tteokbokki is moreish rather than punishing. Adjust the gochugaru up or down to taste.
Do I need the anchovy stock?
It's not strictly required, but the anchovy-kelp stock gives tteokbokki its savory depth that water alone can't. It takes 10 minutes; many cooks consider it essential to the real flavor.
Why is my sauce thin?
Keep simmering and stirring — the rice cakes release starch that naturally thickens the sauce as they cook. If it's still thin, simmer a few minutes more; if too thick, loosen with a splash of stock.
What are eomuk fish cakes?
Korean fish cakes — flat sheets or pieces of mild processed fish, sliced into the sauce. They're traditional in tteokbokki. You can leave them out, or add a boiled egg and dumplings instead.
Cooked this? Rate it.
Real ratings from real cooks. We only show a score once enough of you have weighed in — no fabricated stars.