[RECIPE] Ddeokbokki (Spicy Korean Rice Cake)

Ddeokbokki

떡볶이

떡볶이 (Ddeokbokki/Tteokbokki/Topokki, often translated as Spicy Rice Cakes) comes in many forms in Korea. But when you have some time, home-made version is the best! Here would be my simplified version:

Ingredients

300g 떡볶이 떡 (Korean rice cake)

2 sheets 어묵 (fish cake), sliced

2 hard-boiled eggs

1/2 medium onion, sliced

1 stalk 대파 (leek), thinly sliced

Soup Stock

3 1/2 cups water

10-12 국물용 멸치 (dried anchovies for soup stock)

1 2x2" piece of 다시마 (dried sea kelp)

Tip: If it's too much of a hassle to use raw anchovies or you may not have dried sea kelp at your local store, may use processed anchovy cube or chicken stock instead for the stock & skip the kelp.

Sauce Mixture

3 tablespoons 고추장 (chili pepper paste/ Gochujang)

1 tablespoon 간장 (soy sauce)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon grated garlic

Tip: Gochujang level of spiciness varies accordingly. Depending on your Gochujang "spicy-level", adjust the amount to your sauce accordingly.

Noodle Topping Suggestions (pick one)

1 package instant 라면 (ramen)

1 package 우동 noodles (udon)

150g 쫄면 noodles (chewy noodles), cooked and drained

Directions

More authentic method: Boil a handful of anchovies together with the dried kelp for 5-10 min to get the stock for later use. Just remember to remove the anchovies & kelp once the stock is ready before putting in all the ingredients.

Alternatively you may follow the short-cut method below: 

Bring the water to a boil & add in anchovy/chicken cube stock.

Add in all the sauce mixture ingredients as indicated above.

Once ready, then add in the rest of the ingredients (rice cake, fish cake, hard-boil egg, leek, sliced onion).

Lastly add in your desired noodles. (This is optional though)

At this point, it may look a little diluted. Don't worry about that, as the sauce will thicken by time by the starch from the rice cake. Leave it to cook for 5-10 minutes. During this time, you may taste it the sauce to make sure whether it suits your taste buds. If found to be too spicy for you to handle, try adding a 1-2 spoonful of ketchup or even by adding honey or sugar can reduce the spiciness. If not spicy enough, may add a few spoonful more of the Gochujang.

Ready to be served!