Korean Spicy Rice Cakes (Tteokbeoki) – Asian Recipes At Home (2024)

Make our easy Korean spicy rice cakes (tteokbeoki) recipe. Korean spicy rice cakes (tteokbeoki) is a very popular street food in Korea. This is the perfect spicy appetizer or snack.

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Korean Spicy Rice Cakes (Tteokbeoki) – Asian Recipes At Home (1)

Our family just loves this recipe. It is so easy to make. This recipe also has a lot of great elements, such as spiciness, chewy texture, and umami-rich sauce. Our recipe is made of rice cakes, fish cakes, gochujang, Dasida beef flavor soup stock, and a few other common ingredients that are probably in your pantry already.

How Korean rice cakes (tteok) were made a long time ago

Before rice cakes were made automatically in machines and readily packaged at grocery stores, my mom remembers taking soaked rice to the rice cake (tteok) processing house where they had machines to specifically make fresh rice cakes (tteok). Tteokbeoki was traditionally made with leftover pieces from the rice cakes used to make Korean Rice Cake Soup (tteokguk).

My mom remembers her dad preparing their rice to take to the rice cake-making shop. He would soak the rice overnight and rinse the rice well. Then the next day, mom remembers them taking the rice to a rice cake (tteok) processing house. The owners of the rice cake (tteok) house would usually help their customers with the rice cake-making process. Mom remembers seeing her freshly made rice cake come out of the machine, they would then cut the fresh rice cake (tteok) from the machine, let it drop in a bucket of cold water, and then finally package it up and take it home to cook in their recipes. How cool?! After making Korean Rice Cake Soup (tteokguk) from nicely sliced and fresh rice cake, they would cut up the leftover rice cake into pieces to make Korean Spicy Rice Cake (tteokbeoki).

Rice cakes made for tteokbeoki today are easily found in Asian markets in the frozen aisle ready for you to thaw and use. There are also many different sizes and shapes of rice cakes available today.

Korean Spicy Rice Cakes (Tteokbeoki) – Asian Recipes At Home (2)Korean Spicy Rice Cakes (Tteokbeoki) – Asian Recipes At Home (3)

Rice cakes are used in many different Korean recipes

There are many different Korean recipes that utilize rice cakes. Here are some other dishes that use rice cakes:

  1. Non-spicy rice cakes (tteokbeoki) made with soy sauce (check out our recipe here)
  2. Korean rice cake soup (tteokguk) (check out one of our recipes here)
  3. A lot of Koreans also like to put rice cakes into their ramen (we added it to our instant ramen hack recipe)

We hope you enjoy our Korean Spicy Rice Cakes (Tteokbeoki) recipe!

Need more spicy recipes to try?

  • Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad
  • Korean Spicy Poke Salad (Sallet) Side Dish (Muchim)
  • Spicy Korean Pork Belly and Squid Stir Fry
  • Korean Cold Noodles with Spicy Sweet and Sour Gochujang Sauce

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Korean Spicy Rice Cakes (Tteokbeoki) – Asian Recipes At Home (4)

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Make our easy Korean spicy rice cakes (tteokbeoki) recipe. Korean spicy rice cakes (tteokbeoki) is a very popular street food in Korea. This is the perfect spicy appetizer or snack.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Rinse the rice cakes and drain well.
  2. Put a medium-sized pan onto medium-high heat. Add in olive oil and the rice cakes, stir well and cook until the rice cakes get soft (about 6-8 minutes). Add about a tablespoon of water at a time, so the rice cakes don’t burn to the bottom of the pan.
  3. Next, add the fish cake pieces and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients to the frying pan and cook for another 2 minutes. Continue adding a tablespoon of water at a time to ensure nothing burns to the bottom of the pan.
  5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional). Enjoy!

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Korean Spicy Rice Cakes (Tteokbeoki) – Asian Recipes At Home (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between tteokbokki and rice cakes? ›

Korean spicy rice cakes and tteokbokki are essentially the same dish, with "tteokbokki" being the more commonly used name in Korea. Both dishes consist of cylindrical-shaped rice cakes that are cooked in a spicy sauce made from gochujang (Korean chili paste), soy sauce, and other seasonings.

What is a tteokbokki made of? ›

The royal court version was made from white tteok (rice cakes), sirloin, sesame oil, soy sauce, scallions, rock tripe, pine nuts, and toasted and ground sesame seeds, while the savory, soy sauce-based tteok-bokki was made in the head house of the Papyeong Yun clan, where high-quality soy sauce was brewed.

What are the two types of tteokbokki? ›

There are many different types of tteokbokki, including Gungjung Tteokbokki (non-spicy), Gireum Tteokbokki (oil-based), Jajang Tteokbokki (with black bean sauce), Cheese Tteokbokki, Haemul Tteokbokki (with seafood), and Rabokki (tteokbokki with ramen).

What do Koreans eat with tteokbokki? ›

12+1 Dishes to Eat With Tteokbokki for a Full Meal
  • Musaengchae (Radish Salad)
  • Homemade Mandy (Korean Dumplings)
  • Boiled Eggs.
  • Fish Cake Soup (Odeng Soup)
  • Kimbap (Korean Seaweed Rice Roll)
  • Yangnyeom Chicken (Korean Fried Chicken)
  • Kimchi.
  • Bungeoppang (Korean Fish Shaped Pastry)
Sep 6, 2023

What is the English name for tteokbokki? ›

Tteok means rice cake and bokki stir-fried food. Combining these two words forms the term tteokbokki, or “stir-fried rice cake.” Ask Koreans what food makes them most nostalgic about their childhood and tteokbokki is the first thing they'll say.

What is the Chinese version of tteokbokki? ›

Shanghai stir-fried rice cakes are on the sweeter side compared to other types of stir fried rice cakes. You may have tried the korean stir fried rice cakes called tteokbokki. However, this version is not spicy and it has less sauce!

Is tteokbokki good for health? ›

While it may be considered a comfort food, it is possible to enjoy tteokbokki as part of a balanced and nutritious diet. In this article, we will explore how to incorporate tteokbokki into a healthy eating plan by making mindful ingredient choices and practicing portion control.

Is tteokbokki considered junk food? ›

Hardboiled eggs dipped in tteokbokki sauce is a serious game changer. It also adds at least 1 healthy element to this dish, since tteokbokki is generally regarded as junk food in Korea.

Is Korean tteokbokki good for you? ›

While it may not be the most exciting food, rice tteokbokki is actually quite healthy. One serving of rice cake contains 5 grams of fiber, which helps to keep your digestive tract running smoothly. It's also low in calories (about 100 calories per serving) so you don't feel bloated after eating it!

What is best paired with tteokbokki? ›

Here are our recommendations, so you can get the best out of your spicy Korean rice cake (tteokbokki).
  • Stir-fried Noodles. Stir-fried noodles and spicy Korean rice cake might be a match made in heaven. ...
  • Korean Soybean Paste Stew. ...
  • Fried Chicken. ...
  • Deep-fried Calamares. ...
  • Adjust to your preference.

Is tteokbokki and mochi the same? ›

Tteok is just as diverse as mochi, and like the latter, it has some primary ingredients. Korean rice cake or tteok, is made from steamed flour. The flour can come from any type of grain, including glutinous rice. Unlike mochi, which can't be made with regular rice, tteok can be created with non-glutinous rice.

Is tteokbokki similar to Mochi? ›

Mochi is a subset of rice cake. Mochi is specifically made from mochigome, i.e. glutinous rice. Rice cakes can be made from glutinous rice or non-glutinous rice. The most common rice cake used in Korean dishes such as tteokbokki (떡볶이), is not made from glutinous rice.

Why do my Korean rice cakes crack? ›

Soak the rice cakes: If your rice cakes are too dry, they may break apart when boiled. Try soaking them in cold water for at least 30 minutes before cooking. This will help soften them and make them more pliable. Don't overcook: Overcooking the rice cakes can also cause them to break apart.

Is tteokbokki eaten hot or cold? ›

If you use frozen rice cake, thaw it out and soak in cold water to soften it before cooking. Remove from the heat and serve hot. If you have any leftovers, just keep them in the fridge and reheat them when you want to eat. You should finished it in a few days.

What can be added to tteokbokki? ›

Tteokbokki has continued to evolve over time. Today, people add all sorts of other ingredients such as ramyun noodles, dumplings, boiled eggs, hot dogs, seafood and even cheese.

Is tteokbokki the same as Mochi? ›

Tteok is just as diverse as mochi, and like the latter, it has some primary ingredients. Korean rice cake or tteok, is made from steamed flour. The flour can come from any type of grain, including glutinous rice. Unlike mochi, which can't be made with regular rice, tteok can be created with non-glutinous rice.

Is tteokbokki rice cake healthy? ›

For example, the rice cakes used in tteokbokki are a good source of complex carbohydrates, which provide sustained energy throughout the day. Tteokbokki also contains vitamin C, which is important for immune system function, and vitamin B6, which helps to regulate mood and support brain health.

Is tteokbokki rice cake chewy? ›

For those who never tried Tteokbokki, the texture is chewy and bouncy. Because of how glutenous it is, it is very good at absorbing flavor. You can add whatever you want into your Tteokbokki; some of my favorite toppings are fish cakes, boiled eggs, cheese, and ramen.

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