- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total time
- 50 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
- Calories
- 300 kcal
Quick summary
“Iconic street food dish from South Korea composed of chewy cylindrical rice cakes (tteok) cooked in a dense and velvety chicken broth with fermented gochujang paste, soy sauce, sugar, and onion. Finished with chopped green onions and crispy toasted sesame seeds.”
What you need to know
- The elastic and chewy consistency of the rice dough (tteok) is the characteristic sensory mark of Korean cuisine.
- The combination of gochujang, soy sauce, and sugar in the reduced broth produces a shiny and full-bodied bittersweet sauce.
- Gentle simmering for fifteen minutes releases the starch that thickens the liquid without breaking the cylindrical shape.
Ingredients
Main
- 400g of rice cakes (tteok)
- 2 tablespoons of gochujang chili paste
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 500ml of chicken broth
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
Instructions
Principal
- Start by boiling the chicken broth in a large pot.
- Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent.
- Incorporate the gochujang paste and soy sauce, mixing well.
- Add the rice balls and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the sugar, stir, and let cook for another 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Finish with chopped chives and sesame seeds on top.
- Serve warm and enjoy.
Chef's tips
- Hydrate the rice balls in warm water for ten minutes before boiling if they are rigid in the package.
- Stir the bottom of the pan with a spatula during reduction so that the dough does not stick with the concentration of the sauce.
- Adjust the sweetness with sugar to soften the heat of the Korean pepper according to your palate.
Variations
- Rabokki: add instant ramyeon-type noodles and boiled eggs to the bubbling broth in the pot.
- Version with Cheese: top the hot dumplings with shredded mozzarella cheese and cover until melted.
- Addition of Fish Paste: incorporate triangular slices of eomuk (pressed fish cake) along with the onion.
Substitutions
- The cylindrical rice cakes can be swapped for traditional oval tteok slices for soup.
- Chicken broth can be replaced by kombu seaweed and dried anchovy broth or vegetable broth.
- White sugar can be swapped for Korean corn syrup (mulyeot) to give a mirrored shine.
How to store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Upon cooling, the rice starch hardens the fritters; reheat in a pan with four tablespoons of water over low heat, stirring until they soften and the sauce regains its shine.
Can it be frozen?
It is not recommended to freeze ready-made tteokbokki with the sauce, as the rice cake cracks and becomes spongy and crumbly upon thawing. Freeze only the raw rice balls vacuum-packed for up to three months.
What to serve with
Harmonize with fried seaweed rolls stuffed with potato noodles (kimmari), fried mandu dumplings, yellow radish pickles, and iced tea.
Frequently asked questions
How can I reduce the spiciness of the recipe?
Reduce the amount of gochujang paste by half, compensate with a little more broth, and add melted mozzarella cheese on top.
What is the correct texture that the rice ball should have?
It should present a very chewy, soft, elastic, and flexible consistency, without a hard core or soggy or falling apart appearance.
Where to buy rice cakes (tteok) in Brazil?
They are sold in Asian neighborhoods (such as Bom Retiro and Liberdade in São Paulo) and online Korean product stores.
Why do the dumplings get hard after they are cold?
Rice dough undergoes starch retrogradation at mild temperatures; when reheating with a little water, the starch softens again.
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