Tteokbokki is chewy rice cakes cooked in a red, spicy broth. It’s a popular Korean street food. When I was a student coming home from school it was hard to resist the spicy rice cakes sold by vendors on the street! They would have big vats of tteokbokki and just kept stirring and stirring it, making it more and more delicious over time. We would stop by and they would give us a small paper cup of spicy rice cakes dripping the spicy, slightly sweet sauce for a very reasonable price that any student could afford. We just couldn’t resist it! The sauce is fiery hot and a little sweet, and the rice cakes don’t have much taste but they are a little soft and a little gooey.
For a lot of my readers who’ve never had it before, it looks like pasta in tomato sauce, but it doesn’t taste like that at all.
When I lived in Korea I learned the secret to making good tteokbokki from a famous place in the local market. It was run by an old lady who could always be found stirring her pot of tteokbokki, and there were always people lined up to buy it.
She prepared it right in front of us, so I saw she first made an anchovy stock from dried anchovies. I made tteokbokki at home and found it made a huge difference in flavor. I once ran out of dried anchovies and made tteokbokki without it, and it didn’t taste at all like what I was expecting. So don’t forget to always make a good stock with dried anchovies when you make this! It totally makes this dish!
There are many variations of the Romanized English spellings of tteokbokki (떡볶이): ddeokbokki, dukbokki, tteok-bokki and on and on. A few years ago the Korean government tried to standardize the name as “topokki” and even asked me to change it everywhere on my website! It just sounded weird to me so I never did it. How do you pronounce it? The first two t’s are a hard t, and the eo sounds more like a u.
There are also many variations of the tteokbokki recipe too: some people add dumplings (mandu), some add cabbage, cheese (mozzarella cheese seems popular), or ramen noodles. Creamy, saucy rosé tteokbokki was popular for a while, and a few hundred years ago the Korean royal court enjoyed nonspicy, soy sauce based gungjung tteokbokki. This version below of the spicy Korean rice cakes is an authentic classic and my favorite. Everyone loves it, so let’s make tteokbokki!
Ingredients
- 1 pound of cylinder shaped rice cake (tteok), fresh or frozen, bought or homemade. (Use a little more if you’re not adding hard boiled eggs and fish cakes)
- 4 cups of water
- 7 large size dried anchovies, with heads and intestines removed
- 6 x 8 inch dried kelp
- ⅓ cup hot pepper paste (gochujang)
- 1 tablespoon Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru) aka “Korean chili flakes”
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 green onions (scallions), cut into 3 inch long pieces
- 2 hard boiled eggs, shelled (optional)
- ½ pound fish cakes (optional)
Directions
Cook time: 15mins for the anchovy broth and 10-15mins for tteokbokki
- Add the water, dried anchovies, and dried kelp to a shallow pot or pan.
- Boil for 15 minutes over medium high heat without the lid.
- Combine gochujang (hot pepper paste), gochugaru (hot pepper flakes), and sugar in a small bowl.
- Remove the anchovies and kelp from the pot and add the rice cake, the spicy mixture in the bowl, the green onion, and the optional fish cakes and hard boiled eggs. The stock will be about 2½ cups.
- When it starts to boil, stir gently with a wooden spoon. Let it simmer and keep stirring it until the rice cake turns soft and the sauce thickens and looks shiny. It should take about 10 to 15 minutes. If the rice cake is not soft enough in that time, add more water and continue stirring until it softens. Freshly made rice cakes will soften faster so if you use frozen rice cakes, thaw them out and soak them in cold water first, to soften them up before cooking with them.
- Remove from the heat and serve hot. If you have any leftovers, keep them in the fridge and reheat them when you want to eat. They won’t be as good as when you first made them, but not bad. You should finished them in a few days, but it’s best to eat them all at once right after you make them.
Buy this recipe's ingredients online
I really like Weee! they deliver quality packaged and fresh Korean ingredients to the continental USA. Cheaper and better than Amazon! Check them out!
I have just made 떡볶이 for my Lunar New Year Eve dinner with a twist from your recipe. It was a last minute idea so I used whatever I have.
Taking your advice to add the little fishes into the water..I used home-made anchovies powder instead becos that’s what I have. ( thanks for this tip. 덕분에 great stock! )
I wanted this dish to be a more wholesome one therefore I also added onion, leek, carrots and mushroom.
I only have those 고추장 in a tub, so I used that with pepper flakes instead..
It turned out pretty decent I must say… though I think if I use the proper hot pepper paste, it will be much better.
I had lived in Seoul for a period of 9 months and had tasted many versions of 떡볶이. Finally, I have made my own version! haha..
By the way, this is my first post though I have been checking out your recipes for a while already! U are a life-saver to my Korean food craving! Thanks so much..
hi.Is it okay if we use ChoGochujang ??
no, chogochujang is mixture of hot pepper paste and vinegar. You need hot pepper paste.
i couldnt find any of the fresh korean rice cake so i bought a dry white rice cake, will it come out the same?
http://www.ctfood.se/u_img/2387_white_rice_cake_slice_400g_dayat.jpg
that is what it looks like
i was wondering if you can use the sauce for other foods, if so like what?
I used to go to a place in Boston where they served the rice cakes with noodles and hard boiled egg. It was phenomenal!
hi maangchi,
thanks to ur recipe….i make my ddukbokkie today!!
click here to see my ddukbokkie , http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150093158285419&set=a.384973755418.162580.649645418&pid=6179986&id=649645418
I love duk bok gi with fish cake and sometimes hard-boiled eggs.
heyyy i read your recipe its giving me cravings but i’d like to know is the mild tasting dukkboki basically the same tasting as the hot one? cuase i love the taste of the hot one but i just dont like spicy
oh dear!! i bought hot pepper powder instead of hot pepper paste!!
is there a way i can make the paste with the powder, or can i simply add powder or flakes to this recipe??
Yes, you can use either hot pepper powder or hot pepper flakes.
Hi Maangchi! I am a vegetarian and I am wondering if there is a good vegetarian replacement for dried anchovies? Thanks!!
How about using stock made with shiitake mushrooms and dried kelp?
Are the anchovies absolutely needed? As in can you taste them in the final dish? I have never tasted anchovies and I am skeptical about them, haha. I really want to make this dish though, I am going to take a trip to the Kroean food market soon to gather ingredients, I can’t wait.
For me, dried anchovies are very important ingredient when I make spicy rice cake. Dried anchovies make it very tasty.
Hi Maangchi
I’m planning to cook ddeokbokki soon. What is the difference bet the two gochujang – is the packaging similar tubs?
I noticed in the Korean dramas, the ddeokbokki consist of dduk and spicy sauce but looks delicious anyway. I would like to add some carrots, oyster mushroom and fish cakes.
Your comments appreciated. Thnx.
I just made this and it is delicious and absurdly easy. Thank you Maangchi!
The k-mart and supermarket near my place do not have the sausage shaped rice cakes. Thy have the sliced ones in stock. can I use those instead?
Hi Mangchii i wanna make ddukbokkie within this week and have bought all the ingredients for it :DD
cos the hot pepper paste is very hot, i was thinking of making it with the mild recipe, but i still want some hot taste
can i put some hot pepper paste to the mild recipe? if yes, when is it?
thank you xD
You can add hot pepper paste anytime but if I were you, I would add it right after adding water.
I made this dish last night and the rice cakes were very chewy. Should I have cooked them longer or is that how they are supposed to be? BTW, I love this site and look forward to trying many other recipes. I even bought a grill for the table and some hot pots as well. Thanks, Bubba.
Oh! Bubba!
Wow you are ready to cook Korean style grilled meat! : ) “I even bought a grill for the table and some hot pots as well”
Your rice cake turned out too chewy? Then cook longer over low heat until it gets softer. You can add more water if the water evaporates.
Thanks! This recipe looks great, I can’t wait to make it. Unfortunately, I bought a bag of small anchovies instead of large ones. If I’m using small anchovies instead, how many do you think I should use?
No problem! Make anchovy stock first by boiling some dried anchovies with water. You don’t have to remove the heads and guts because it will be almost impossible to take them out from the tiny creatures! Then use it for your ddubokkie.
Thank you so much maangchi for this! I LOVE ddeokbokki! The only problem I have is that my ddeokbokki sauce won’t thicken. How long do you have to stir it until it becomes thick? Could it be because I’m not adding enough rice cakes when I only want to make a small portion? Perhaps the starch isn’t helping to thicken the sauce?
“Could it be because I’m not adding enough rice cakes when I only want to make a small portion?” maybe! Less rice cake will need less sauce. While you stir it, starch from the rice cake will be incorporated with the sauce so the sauce will thicken sooner or later.
Hi Maangchi! I’ve been making ddukbokkie for the past year thanks to your video. Over time, I’ve started to change the recipe a little bit to add more vegetables, but the taste is still basically the same as the recipe I first got from you! Thanks so much! I’m going to email you some photos of how I make it now.
awesome!
i don’t like vegetable…so..if i didn’t put the green onion, will it effect the taste…??
Hi Maangchi, let me start of by saying, YOU ARE THE BEST. I love your cooking. Your recipes are so clear and detailed and your videos are so entertaining to watch.
I am in bayside, NY & we have restaurantt here that sells ddukbokkie with CHEESE ( provolone I think). Now i have your recipe, so i can make it for myself!! Thank you Maangchi!
Hi. My husband doesn’t like spicy food. What can I use besides hot pepper paste? Will it taste good if I use soy bean paste instead?
I would use soy sauce instead of soybean paste. Check the mild version recipe,
How to make mild taste ddukbokkie:
1 package of rice cake
Saute 200 grams of beef strips with 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs sugar, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 3 tbs of sliced onion.
Add 3-4 sliced white mushrooms and 2 chopped green onions to “1″ and stir it.
Add 1cup of water and put rice cake in it and keep folding until rice cake is soft
Serve it on a plate and eat it when it is warm
I was looking for spicy rice cake recipe as i am craving for it and i found your web. Its easy to make but i have one problem. I cant find dries anchovies so i bought anchovies powder. My spicy rice cake is way too salty and the rice cake doesn’t seems to absorb the stock. I dont know where go wrong! :(
Find right ingredients please. Large dried anchovies are needed.
Can I keep this in the fridge and heat it up the next day? I’m thinking of bringing to work to share with my colleagues.
You can do that but it won’t be as tasty as freshly made ddubokkie. I never like to eat leftover ddukbokkie. Making ddukbokkie doesn’t take so long. I recommend making this right before serving. You can take all ingredients and cook at your work if it’s possible.
I found your website while browsing for new recipes and it made me very excited about trying to cook a Korean dish. Your recipes and instructions are very clear and easy to follow, so I’m sure it’ll work! What I really want to start with is Ddukbokki, but I’m having a hard time finding the rice cakes. Would you please let me know if this is the correct item: 초립동 떡볶이 떡 ? …I can’t read Korean :-( Still, I can tell that 3 of the characters are the same as the ones you used in the title, but I don’t know what the rest says. Please help me! Thank you so much…
“초립동 떡볶이 떡” You could make ddukbokkie with it, too.
Hello! I bought all the ingredients for this recipe today, but found out I accidently bought vinegar gochujang instead of the regular one. Could I use vinegar gochujang for this recipe instead? If not, are there other recipes I could use the sauce for?
I’m afraid to say that you should get hot pepper paste to make delicious ddeokbokki. The vinegar gochujang is called “cho gochujang” in Korean. Check out my hoedupbap recipe. https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/hwedupbap
You could use it for the sauce for the recipe. And also you could use as dipping sauce like tabasco.
Maangchi! Thank you VERY VERY MUCH for your lovely cooking site! You make me really happy. My sweetheart is Korean American, and though she loves to eat delicious Korean food she does not cook so much because she lives in a university dormitory.
Now I can make the food she loves, and invite her for a happy dinner. I LOVE YOU MAANGCHI! You are a good teacher.
You will definitely make two people very happy indeed – I can also make kimchi for Minjoo to take back to her dorm.
kam sa ham ni da =)
What can I add to make it more spicy?
add more hot pepper paste and flakes. : )
Thanks :)
To make rabokki, do I make the sauce the same way and just add ramyun in?
Yes, you do. If you want to add uncooked ramen to the sauce, I think you will have to add more water because dried ramen will need water to be cooked.
Thanks for this!
I think this is by far my favourite Korean dish (I have very limited experience in Korea culinary!). I will make sure to try this soon when I move back to dorm, since it seems relatively simple and should taste so good :)
yes, don’t forget to make dried anchovy stock to make this more delicious. Actually if I run out of dried anchovies, I wait until I get them to make ddeokbokkie.
my ddukbokkie sauce didn’t thicken out and i used 4cups of water. Do you think you know what went wrong?
I would keep stirring until it thickens.
hello!!
i tried this with my friend and it worked! but i think i added to much water hehe i’ll practise hard!
thanks for the recipe! ^^
ya ya ya! practice makes perfect! : )
Hi Maangchi,
The first time I tried this was on the streets of Songtan outside the Air Force Base in Korea the summer of 2008. After my first exposure to this meal I was hooked. I visited the same street vendor for most of my street food desires to include “Chicken on a Stick”, Fried Shrimp & Ddukbokkie. When I first arrived in Las Vegas, I visited a Korean market and was excited to find instant ddukbokkie in the freezers. I purchased a few packs and have to admit, it did taste decent. Then I wanted to try my hand at making my own ddukbokkie and it was your video that I used to help me. I enjoy this meal regularly and was able to convince my room mate to try it. He is constantly asking when the next ddukbokkie night will be. Thank you for the recipe and I look forward to trying other dishes that I was able to enjoy while in Korea!
With regards,
Joey
Joey, wow, you are a big fan of this dish! “He is constantly asking when the next ddukbokkie night will be.” haha, cute!
Hi,
I think you’re great! love the recipes – they always work!
is it possible to make the rice cake from scratch? like actually make ddukbokkie from glut flour?
thanks!
Michelle
hii maangchi! i’ve been wanting to try or make ddukbokkie for a very long time so i’m going to try tonight. i’ve never tasted it before and never made it before, so i’m hoping it’ll come out right just like your video. so my question is do i have to put anchovies? because i’m not a big fan of fish. and will it taste okay if i dont put anchovies. and whats the difference between the rice cake your using and the round ones?
Good luck with making delicious ddukbokkie. Yes, I wouldn’t make ddukboki If I run out of dried anchovies.
Hi, this is my first time cooking ddukbokkie but it didn’t turned out as good as expected :( It seems like something’s wrong with the rice cake. The rice cake doesn’t absorb the taste inside so it’s sort of like bland when you bite into it! I used dried anchovies stock and I kept stirring till the sauce is thick and the rice cake is shiny. Any idea what went wrong and what should I do instead? Thanks!!
“the sauce is thick and the rice cake is shiny” I don’t know! It sounds like you made it right way. Use more stock and hot pepper paste?
how many servings are the ddukbokkie?
2-4 servings? If you are really hungry, you can eat it by yourself!