Crispy & Chewy! The Easiest Tteokkochi Recipe
Make Your Own Tteokkochi: A Delicious Snack for Any Time
Tteokkochi is a beloved snack for all ages! This recipe makes it incredibly easy and simple to prepare at home. Get ready for crispy outside, chewy inside perfection!
Tteokkochi Ingredients
- Rice cakes (tteokbokki tteok) – a generous amount
- Sugar – 2 Tbsp
- Soy sauce – 2 Tbsp
- Corn syrup or honey – 2 Tbsp
- Ketchup – 2.5 Tbsp
- Minced garlic – 1 tsp
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) – 1 Tbsp
- Gochujang (Korean chili paste) – 2 Tbsp
- Water – 3 Tbsp
- Wooden skewers – 6
- Cooking oil – generously
- Parsley flakes – a pinch (optional)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Hello everyone! Today, we’re going to make delicious tteokkochi, a snack everyone loves. It’s simple to make at home, so follow along!
Step 2
The key to great tteokkochi is soft rice cakes! To soften them, fill a pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil.
Step 3
Once the water is boiling vigorously, add the rice cakes and blanch them briefly.
Step 4
Rice cakes that have been refrigerated or frozen can be quite hard, making them difficult to skewer. Blanching them like this softens them considerably, making it much easier to thread them onto skewers. Blanch for about 3 minutes.
Step 5
Immediately after blanching, rinse the rice cakes under cold water. This helps to firm up the exterior of the rice cakes and enhance their chewy texture!
Step 6
It’s crucial to drain the water from the rice cakes thoroughly now. Let them sit in a colander for a bit. If they retain too much moisture, oil can splatter when you pan-fry them, so be careful!
Step 7
Now, take the well-drained rice cakes and skewer them onto the prepared wooden skewers. They should be soft enough to skewer easily.
Step 8
Thread 3-4 rice cakes per skewer, arranging them nicely as you go. You’ll end up with 6 skewers of tteokkochi.
Step 9
Now, let’s achieve that signature crispy texture! Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Once the pan is warm, add a generous amount of cooking oil.
Step 10
Place the skewered rice cakes into the pan. Cook them, flipping them occasionally, until they turn a nice golden brown and become crispy. The goal is a crispy exterior.
Step 11
I prefer my tteokkochi extra crispy on the outside and delightfully chewy on the inside, so I cooked mine slowly over low heat for a longer time. Keep an eye on them to prevent burning, ensuring they brown evenly on both sides.
Step 12
Voilà! All 6 skewers of tteokkochi are beautifully golden and crispy.
Step 13
Next, we’ll make the delicious spicy and sweet sauce that defines tteokkochi. Reheat the pan (you can wipe it clean or use a new one).
Step 14
Add a little cooking oil to the pan and sauté the minced garlic until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Step 15
Once the garlic is fragrant, add the soy sauce and sugar, and stir-fry them together. The sugar will melt and caramelize slightly as the soy sauce reduces.
Step 16
Now, add the gochujang for a spicy kick, gochugaru for extra heat, ketchup for sweetness and tang, and water.
Step 17
Finally, add the corn syrup (or honey) for a glossy finish and enhanced sweetness. Simmer gently over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent the sauce from sticking or burning.
Step 18
All the sauce ingredients are now combined, creating a wonderful tteokkochi sauce!
Step 19
If, after tasting, you find the gochujang flavor too strong, add another tablespoon of ketchup to balance the flavors. You can also adjust the sugar or soy sauce to your preference.
Step 20
Our spicy, sweet, and savory tteokkochi sauce is ready! Look at that beautiful glaze – it smells amazing.
Step 21
Now it’s time to generously coat the crispy rice cakes with the delicious sauce. Using a pastry brush will help you apply the sauce evenly and beautifully.
Step 22
Ta-da! Your mouthwatering tteokkochi is complete. It’s the perfect snack for the whole family to enjoy!
Step 23
For an extra touch, sprinkle some parsley flakes on top, if desired. This adds a nice visual appeal and a subtle herby note. (Optional)
Step 24
Be sure to apply the sauce generously to the rice cakes; this ensures the full flavor of the sauce permeates each bite, making it even more delicious! Coat them thoroughly.
Step 25
Finally, the moment we’ve been waiting for – tasting time! I can’t wait to try it. Let’s take a bite!
Step 26
The rice cakes are perfectly cooked, offering a fantastic contrast between the crispy exterior and the chewy interior! The sauce is wonderfully infused, making them incredibly tasty. If you love that crispy texture, be sure to follow the step of slowly pan-frying the rice cakes! You’ll achieve the best tteokkochi.
