Tteokbokki (Korean Spicy Rice Cakes)

Tteokbokki is the chewy, fiery, slightly sweet rice-cake dish you’ll find bubbling away at every Korean street stall. Soft cylinders of rice cake (tteok) soak up a glossy red sauce built on gochujang and gochugaru, cut with a little sugar and the savoury depth of a quick anchovy-kelp stock. It’s comfort food, snack and dinner all at once.

Why this recipe works

• A real stock matters — a fast anchovy-and-kelp (dashima) broth gives the sauce a savoury backbone that water can’t.
• Soak firm rice cakes first — refrigerated or dried tteok need a warm-water soak so they turn pillowy, not chalky.
• Reduce until glossy — let the sauce simmer down so it clings to every rice cake instead of staying watery.

Key ingredients

Cylinder rice cakes (tteok), fish cakes (eomuk), scallions, and a sauce of gochujang, gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), sugar and soy sauce, simmered in anchovy-kelp stock. Full amounts in the recipe card below.

Tips from our kitchen

• If your rice cakes are hard or fridge-cold, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes before cooking.
• Add a boiled egg or a slice of cheese at the end — both are classic Korean ways to tame the heat.
• Adjust the gochugaru to your spice tolerance; the gochujang already brings heat and sweetness.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I buy rice cakes?

Fresh or refrigerated tteok are sold at Korean and most Asian grocers, often labelled “tteokbokki tteok”. Dried ones work too — just soak them longer.

Can I make it less spicy?

Yes — reduce the gochugaru and add a slice of cheese or a splash of milk at the end for a milder, creamier sauce (rose tteokbokki).

What can I add to it?

Boiled eggs, fish cakes, ramen noodles (for “rabokki”), dumplings and scallions are all classic additions.

Tteokbokki (Korean Spicy Rice Cakes)

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 2 servings

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 500 g cylinder rice cakes tteok
• 3 cups water
• 6 dried anchovies heads and guts removed
• 1 piece dried kelp dashima, 10cm square
• 3 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp gochugaru Korean chili flakes
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 150 g fish cakes sliced
• 3 scallions cut into lengths
• 1 tsp sesame seeds to garnish

Method

 

1. Simmer the water, dried anchovies and kelp for 10 minutes, then remove the anchovies and kelp to leave a light stock.
2. If the rice cakes are firm or cold, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes and drain.
3. Whisk the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce and sugar into the stock.
4. Add the rice cakes and fish cakes and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
5. Cook, stirring often, for 8–10 minutes until the rice cakes are soft and the sauce is thick and glossy.
6. Stir in the scallions, cook 1 more minute, then finish with sesame seeds.

Notes

No anchovy stock? Use a dashida (Korean beef/anchovy stock powder) or even chicken stock — but the anchovy-kelp version is the authentic one.