Spicy TteokBokkI

TteokBokkI (떡볶이) is one of the most popular Korean street foods. Since the way to cook this food is very easy and simple, Korean people often make it at home too. Depending on your personal tastes, you can make it spicier or sweeter. This snack has many different names according to its ingredients such as cheese TteokBokkI, RaBokkI (Ramen noodles), GanJang TteokBokkI, or GungJung TteokBokkI (soy sauce).

Main Ingredients

2 Cups (30 Pieces) Sticky Rice Cakes (2 inch)
2 Fried Fish Cakes
1 Cup Cabbage
⅔ Cup Onion
½ Cup Carrot
1 Green Onion

Broth Ingredients

2½ Cups Water
6 Pieces Kelp (1×2 Inch)
1 Dried Anchovy Pack (Optional)

Sauce Ingredients

3 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste
1 Tbsp Red Pepper Powder
2 Tbsp Corn Syrup
½ Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
½ Tbsp Minced Garlic
Some Sesame Seeds (to garnish)

Directions

Slice ½ cup worth of an onion into quarter inch pieces. Cut ½ cup worth of a carrot diagonally. Cut 1 green onion into ½-inch pieces. Cut ⅔ cup worth of cabbage into quarter inch pieces.

To make the broth, boil 2½ cups of water, 6 pieces of kelp, 2 pieces of fish cake, and 1 dried anchovy pack together for about 10 minutes. The dried anchovy pack is optional.

Remove the kelp, fish cakes, and anchovy pack from the broth. Keep the fish cakes for later and discard the kelp and anchovy pack.

Cut the cooked fish cakes and the sticky rice cakes into 2 inch pieces.

In the broth, add 3 Tbsp of red pepper paste, 1 Tbsp of red pepper powder, 2 Tbsp of corn syrup, ½ Tbsp of sugar, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce, and ½ Tbsp of minced garlic. Depending on your taste, you can make your tteokbokki sweeter or spicier by changing the amount of sugar or red pepper paste. If you can’t eat too spicy food, skip the red pepper powder. You can use sugar instead of corn syrup. Cook it for 5 minutes on medium-high.

Add the rice cakes, carrot, onion, and cabbage into the broth.

Cook it for about 5 minutes until the rice cakes become soft on medium-high.

Add the fish cakes and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the green onion, cook for another minute, and then turn off the heat.

Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of TteokBokKi to serve.