떡볶이

Name: 떡볶이
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: South Korean
Ingredients: 500g cylindrical rice cakes (garaetteok); 200g fish cakes, cut into triangles; 2 cups anchovy and kelp broth; 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste); 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes); 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp minced garlic; 2 scallions, cut into five-centimetre lengths; 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

떡볶이 (DDUK-bo-kee)

Tteokbokki

⏱ Prep Time 20 min

📈 Difficulty Easy

👥 Servings

🔥 Calories 366 kcal

Chewy rice cakes in thick, fiery gochujang sauce with fish cakes. The undisputed king of Korean street food — sweet, spicy, impossibly chewy.

Nutrition & Info

Protein 10.0g

Carbs 68.0g

Fat 6.0g

Protein Carbs Fat

Dietary

dairy-free gluten-free nut-free

Allergen Warnings

⚠ eggs ⚠ fish ⚠ soy

Equipment Needed

shallow pan ladle chopsticks

Presentation Guide

Vessel: shallow bowl

Garnishes: sliced scallions, sesame seeds, boiled egg

Accompaniments: fish cakes, instant noodles

Ingredients

500g cylindrical rice cakes (garaetteok)
200g fish cakes, cut into triangles
2 cups anchovy and kelp broth
2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
2 scallions, cut into five-centimetre lengths
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

Instructions

1
Soak the rice cakes in warm water for ten minutes to soften them slightly, then drain well. If using frozen rice cakes, allow them to thaw completely at room temperature before proceeding.
2
Prepare the broth by simmering five dried anchovies and a ten-centimetre piece of dried kelp in two cups of water for fifteen minutes over medium heat. Strain out the solids and reserve the clear broth.
3
In a small bowl, combine the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, and minced garlic, stirring until the paste is smooth and all the ingredients are evenly incorporated into a thick sauce.
4
Pour the anchovy broth into a wide shallow pan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Stir in the prepared sauce mixture, whisking until it dissolves completely into the broth.
5
Add the drained rice cakes to the seasoned broth and cook for eight to ten minutes, stirring frequently with a spatula to prevent sticking, until the cakes become plump, chewy, and translucent around the edges.
6
Add the fish cake triangles and peeled hard-boiled eggs to the pan, cooking for three more minutes. The sauce should reduce to a thick, glossy coating that clings to each piece.
7
Scatter the scallion pieces over the top and give everything one final stir. Transfer to a hot stone pot or shallow serving dish and serve immediately while the rice cakes are still stretchy and tender.

💡

Did You Know?

The original royal version was mild soy sauce — the spicy gochujang version was invented in the 1950s.

Chef's Notes

Equipment Tips

shallow pan
ladle
chopsticks

Garnishing

sliced scallions, sesame seeds, boiled egg

Accompaniments

fish cakes, instant noodles

The Story Behind 떡볶이

### The Story

Tteokbokki's earliest form, called gungjung tteokbokki, dates to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), described in the late 19th-century cookbook Siuijeonseo as rice cakes stir-fried with sirloin beef, sesame oil, soy sauce, and vegetables -- a savory, mild dish reserved for royalty. The spicy version beloved today was born by accident in 1953 when Ma Bok-rim, while helping at her father-in-law's Korean-Chinese restaurant, dropped a rice cake into a bowl of noodles with sauce. Intrigued by the combination, she experimented and discovered that gochujang (fermented red chili paste) was the ideal sauce. She opened Grandma Ma Bok-rim's Tteokbokki, and by the 1970s and 1980s, the surrounding neighborhood had transformed into Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town.

### On the Calendar

Tteokbokki is eaten year-round as a street snack or casual meal, with no specific seasonal or calendar association. It is a ubiquitous presence at Korean street food stalls, school zones, and night markets.

### Then & Now

From a single restaurant in Sindang-dong, spicy tteokbokki became Korea's most iconic street food. Modern variations include cheese tteokbokki, seafood tteokbokki, and rose (cream-based) tteokbokki. The dish has gained international popularity through Korean Wave (hallyu) cultural exports, appearing in K-dramas and mukbang videos that have introduced it to global audiences.

### Legacy

Tteokbokki's journey from royal court delicacy to democratic street food encapsulates Korea's culinary evolution -- a dish that crossed class boundaries and now crosses national ones.

🕐 Traditionally enjoyed snack or casual meal, any time 📜 Origins: Joseon Dynasty (royal); 1953 (modern spicy version)

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