The Ultimate Tteokbokki Recipe: Dive into Rich, Spicy, and Sweet Flavors!
An Unforgettable Taste Sensation! I’ve found the ultimate golden recipe for Korea’s most delicious spicy and sweet tteokbokki.
I wanted to make tteokbokki with chewy rice cakes, as they’re often hard to find at regular supermarkets, so I bought them from a specialty rice cake shop. Since the rice cakes were so good, I decided to make a thick, rich tteokbokki rather than a soupy one, allowing the flavors to truly shine! This water-free, thick tteokbokki is guaranteed to hit the spot.
Main Tteokbokki Ingredients- 1 pack Tteokbokki rice cakes (approx. 2 standard cups)
- 200g fish cakes (approx. 2-3 sheets)
- 1/4 onion
- 1/4 stalk green onion
- 1 handful cabbage (approx. 50g)
Secret Sauce Ingredients- 1 Tbsp Gochujang (Korean chili paste, heaped)
- 3 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, adjust to taste)
- 3 Tbsp sugar (adjust sweetness)
- 2 Tbsp corn syrup or rice syrup (for shine and thickness)
- 1 Tbsp plum extract (for umami)
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic (for aroma)
- 1 tsp ginger powder (optional, to remove any gaminess)
- 1 Tbsp Gochujang (Korean chili paste, heaped)
- 3 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, adjust to taste)
- 3 Tbsp sugar (adjust sweetness)
- 2 Tbsp corn syrup or rice syrup (for shine and thickness)
- 1 Tbsp plum extract (for umami)
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic (for aroma)
- 1 tsp ginger powder (optional, to remove any gaminess)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the vegetables that will enhance the flavor of your tteokbokki. Thinly slice the onion, cut the green onion diagonally, and chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Cutting them into larger pieces like this will give them a better texture once cooked.
Step 2
If your tteokbokki rice cakes are stuck together from the packaging, gently rinse them under cold water and then carefully separate them by hand. It’s important to ensure the rice cakes are not clumped together.
Step 3
To ensure a clean taste and prevent impurities from floating in the tteokbokki sauce, it’s a good idea to briefly blanch the fish cakes. Boil some water, add the fish cakes for about 1 minute, then drain and cut them into your desired shapes.
Step 4
Rice cakes can sometimes be firm, so soak them in hot or warm water for about 5 minutes to soften them. This helps the rice cakes absorb the sauce better and reduces cooking time. Be careful not to soak them for too long, or they might become mushy.
Step 5
Now for the heart of the sauce! In a heated pan, add the sliced onion, green onion, and cabbage. Then, add 1 Tbsp gochujang, 2 Tbsp minced garlic, 3 Tbsp gochugaru, 3 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp corn syrup, 1 tsp ginger powder, and 1 Tbsp plum extract. Stir-fry over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, just until the vegetables begin to soften, allowing the flavors to meld. Stir-frying the sauce base like this deepens its flavor.
Step 6
Once the sauce base is well-stirred, add the prepared tteokbokki rice cakes and blanched fish cakes. Use a spatula to stir and coat everything evenly with the sauce. If the tteokbokki seems too thick and is starting to stick, add just about 10ml (around 1 Tbsp) of water. Adding too much water will dilute the rich, thick consistency, so use it sparingly – that’s the key!
Step 7
Finally, reduce the heat to low and let the tteokbokki simmer for another 2-3 minutes until it thickens and becomes glossy. Once the sauce clings beautifully to the rice cakes, creating that signature thick texture, turn off the heat. Transfer the finished tteokbokki to a plate and enjoy this incredibly delicious, spicy, sweet, and thick dish. It’s truly the best!
