Korean

Serving

Korean Quick & easy

Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)

Name: Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 400g garae-tteok (cylinder-shaped rice cakes; soaked in warm water for 10 mins); 150g Korean fish cakes (cut into triangles); 3 tbsp gochujang; 1 tbsp gochugaru; 2 tbsp sugar; 2 cups anchovy-kelp stock; 2 scallions (cut into 2-inch pieces); 2 hard-boiled eggs

A highly popular Korean street food made from small-sized garae-tteok (long, white, cylinder-shaped rice cakes) in a spicy, sweet gochujang-based sauce.

25 minutes

Serves 4

Snack

11 min prep

19 min cook

Contains common allergens

Egg Fish Seafood Soy Wheat

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Good to know

Ready in under 30 minutes

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: 30-minute meals

Instructions

6 steps

1
Pour 2 cups of anchovy-kelp stock into a wide, shallow pan and bring it to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
2
Whisk the gochujang, gochugaru, and sugar into the boiling stock until completely dissolved, creating a smooth, deep red broth.
3
Drain the soaked rice cakes and add them to the bubbling broth along with the fish cake triangles.
4
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently so the rice cakes don't stick to the bottom.
5
Wait until the sauce reduces to a thick, glossy, syrup-like consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
6
Toss in the scallion pieces and hard-boiled eggs, stirring for 1 final minute to warm them through before serving.

Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

59/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 50

Kid-friendly 35

Weeknight-easy 86

Budget-friendly 86

Great leftovers 50

Pantry-friendly 44

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

610

Calories

35 g

Protein

94 g

Carbs

9 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Tteokbokki is Korea's beloved street snack: chewy cylindrical rice cakes simmered in a sweet-and-spicy gochujang sauce with fish cakes and scallions. Once a mild royal-court dish, it was reinvented in the 1950s with gochujang into the fiery comfort food sold from carts nationwide. Its appeal is the chew of the tteok against the sticky red sauce.

Listahan note

This version simmers the rice cakes directly in an anchovy-kelp stock so they soak up flavor while the sauce reduces to a glossy, clinging glaze.

Technique cues

Soak firm rice cakes in warm water first so they soften evenly.
Let the sauce reduce until it coats the cakes in a sticky glaze.
Balance the heat with enough sugar so the sauce is sweet-spicy, not just hot.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Soak the rice cakes and make the stock before building the sauce.
Make-ahead: Best fresh; the cakes harden when stored, so make it close to serving.
Leftover move: Loosen leftovers with a splash of stock and reheat gently.
Cleanup rhythm: One wide pan; soak it right away, as the sauce sets sticky.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

Garae-tteok (rice cakes)

Base

Purpose: Their chewy bite is the whole point of tteokbokki.

Handling: Soak in warm water so they do not stay hard in the center.

Adaptation: Sliced oval tteok or frozen rice cakes work after soaking.

Gochujang and gochugaru

Sauce base

Purpose: Together they give the deep red color and layered heat.

Handling: Dissolve into the stock before adding the cakes.

Adaptation: Adjust the gochugaru up or down for heat.

Fish cakes

Savory protein

Purpose: Add chew and a savory seafood note classic to the dish.

Handling: Cut into triangles and add with the rice cakes.

Adaptation: Omit for a vegetarian version and add more vegetables.

Anchovy-kelp stock

Liquid base

Purpose: Gives the sauce a savory depth beyond plain water.

Handling: Use as the simmering liquid.

Adaptation: Vegetable or kelp-only stock keeps it pescatarian-free.

Sugar

Sweetener

Purpose: Balances the chili into the signature sweet-spicy profile.

Handling: Add to the sauce and adjust to taste.

Adaptation: Corn or rice syrup adds gloss along with sweetness.

Technique notes

Keep the cakes moving so they do not stick to the pan or each other.
Reduce the sauce to a glaze, not a soup, for the classic texture.
Add a boiled egg to soak up the sauce, a popular touch.

Ingredient swaps

Vegetarian direction: Use kelp stock, skip the fish cakes, and add cabbage and mushrooms.
Gluten-free direction: Use gluten-free gochujang and skip wheat-based fish cakes.
Milder direction: Reduce the gochugaru and add a splash of milk or cream for rose tteokbokki.

Serve alongside

Fried mandu
Gimbap
Boiled eggs
Fish cake skewers (eomuk)
Barley tea
Cold soda
Cold water

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Best fresh; refrigerate up to 2 days.
Reheat with added stock or water, as the cakes absorb liquid and firm up.
Freezing is not recommended, as the rice cakes harden.

Equipment

Wide shallow pan
Wooden spoon
Cutting board
Ladle

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