How to Make Tteokbokki

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 2, 2019

Tteokbokki are a popular Korean street food consisting of small, cylindrical rice cakes stir fried in a spicy sauce. The secret to getting the sauce just right is using an anchovy-based broth. While you can certainly use plain water as a base for the sauce, the tteokbokki will be much more flavorful if you take the extra steps and prepare the broth. The results are well-worth the effort!

Ingredients

1 pound (450 g) of cylinder-shaped rice cakes
3 green onions
2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled (optional)
¹⁄₂ pound (230 g) of fish cakes (optional)
4 ounces (110 g) of cabbage (optional)
1 teaspoon of sesame oil (optional)
1 teaspoon of sesame seeds (optional)

Anchovy Broth

4 cups (0.95 L) of water
7 large dried anchovies, heads and guts removed
6 by 8 in (15 by 20 cm) piece of dried kelp

Sauce

3 tablespoons (51 g) of hot pepper paste
1 to 3 teaspoons of hot pepper flakes
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 g) of white, granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (15 mL) of soy sauce (optional)
2 teaspoons of minced garlic (optional)

Serves 3

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Preparing the Sauce

1
Pour the water into a pot, then add the anchovies and kelp. Measure 4 cups (0.95 L) of water into a large, shallow pot. Add 7 large, dried anchovies and a 6 by 8 in (15 by 20 cm) piece of dried kelp.^{[1]
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- Use dried anchovies that already have their heads and guts removed. It's difficult to remove these things from already-dried anchovies.
- Make sure that you are using actual kelp. Don’t use a nori sheet, like what you'd use to make sushi.
2
Bring the water to a boil and let it cook over high heat for 15 minutes. Do not cover the pot with a lid; you want the water to evaporate as it cooks. This will give you a rich-tasting, concentrated broth. If you leave the lid on, the condensation will just drip back into the pot and water the broth down.^{[2]
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3
Pull the anchovies and kelp out of the pot and discard them. It's not recommended that you save them for another recipe because all of their flavors would have gone into the broth. You will have about 2 ¹⁄₂ cups (590 mL) of broth left.^{[3]
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- Use a fork, metal tongs, or chopsticks to lift the anchovies and kelp out.
4
Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Choose a brand of hot pepper paste with your desired level of spiciness. Measure out 3 tablespoons (51 g) and place it into a small bowl. Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of hot pepper flakes and 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 g) of white, granulated sugar. Stir everything together with a fork or mini whisk until the texture is consistent.^{[4]
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- For extra flavor, stir in 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of minced garlic.
- Most of the heat comes from the pepper flakes. The more pepper flakes you use, the spicier the sauce will be.
5
Add the pepper mixture to the pot and cook it until it dissolves. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the small bowl clean so that you don't waste any of the paste. Stir the broth with a whisk to combine the ingredients, then bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir it occasionally until the paste dissolves and mixes in with the broth.^{[5]
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- This should only take 2 to 3 minutes. The sauce is ready once the color and texture are consistent. Don't worry about it thickening just yet.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Cooking the Tteokbokki

1
Soak 1 pound (450 g) of rice cakes in cold water for 20 minutes. This is only necessary for refrigerated rice cakes. If you are using freshly-made rice cakes, you don't need to soak them at all. If you're using frozen rice cakes, however, allow them to thaw to room temperature first, then soak them in cold water for 20 minutes.^{[6]
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- 1 pound (450 g) of rice cakes is equal to about 24 pieces.
- The rice cakes should be about 3 inches (7.6 cm) long. If they are longer than that, cut them into shorter pieces with a knife.
2
Add the rice cakes to the broth and cook them for 8 to 10 minutes. Gently slip the rice cakes into the broth. Allow them to cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir them often with a wooden spoon so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pot.^{[7]
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3
Add cabbage, scallions, eggs, and fishcakes, if desired. You can include all of these ingredients, or you can pick and choose the ones that you like. Other tasty things you can add to the pot include dumplings, ramen, and seafood.^{[8]
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- Slice the fish cakes, cabbage, and green onions into 2 to 3 in (5.1 to 7.6 cm) long pieces before you add them to the pot. Do not cut the eggs, though.
4
Cook the broth over high-heat for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often. Turn the stove to high heat first. Let the broth return to a boil, then stir it with a wooden spoon. Keep cooking and stirring the broth for about 4 to 6 minutes. It's ready when the rice cakes are soft and the sauce is thick.^{[9]
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5
Add the sesame oil and sesame seeds before serving the tteokbokki. As soon as the tteokbokki is done cooking, stir in 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds. Turn the burner off and take the pot off the stove. Serve the tteokbokki immediately while they are still hot.^{[10]
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- Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container. Eat them within 1 or 2 days.