Korean Snack Bar Style Tteokbokki

If you have memories of eating Tteokbokki at a local “Bunsik-jib” (Korean snack bar) after school, this recipe will take you right back. It’s a perfect “all-in-one” method that yields soft, chewy rice cakes and a glossy, flavorful sauce. The key is the balance of sweetness and a hint of savory beef Dashida!

Yield: 2 Servings

Short Korean Lesson

• GiDae (기대) = Expectation
• SoMang (소망) = Hope

Video Instructions

Main Ingredients:

• 2 Generous Cups Rice Cakes for Tteokbokki (1 lb)
• 2 sheets of Fish Cakes (Eomuk)
• ½ cup Green Onions
• 2 Boiled Eggs

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups Water
• 2 Tbsp Corn Syrup
• 1 ½ Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Hot Pepper Powder (GoChuGaRu)
• 1 Tbsp Hot pepper Paste (GoChuJang)
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Beef Dashida

Directions

Prepare 1 lb (about 2 generous cups) of rice cakes for tteokbokki. For a chewier texture, use the rice cakes straight from the package. For softer and more tender tteokbokki, soak the rice cakes in warm water for about 10 minutes first.

Cut the fish cake sheets into 4 squares, then slice them diagonally into triangles. Prepare 2 boiled eggs as well.

Slice about 1/2 cup of green onions diagonally into 1-inch pieces.

In a wide pan, combine 1 ½ cups of water with all the sauce ingredients: 1 Tbsp of hot pepper powder (Gochugaru), 1 Tbsp of hot pepper paste (Gochujang), 1 Tbsp of soy sauce, 2 Tbsp of corn syrup, 1 ½ Tbsp of sugar, and the secret ingredient, 1 tsp of beef Dashida.

Stir well over medium-high heat until the sugar is fully dissolved.

Once the liquid begins to boil, add the rice cakes, fish cakes, green onions, and boiled eggs all at once.

Boil for about 5 minutes until the rice cakes are soft and the sauce coats them perfectly.

Serve in a shallow bowl just like they do at your favorite Bunsik-jib.

 

And that’s it! Once you have everything in the pan, it only takes about 5 minutes of boiling to get that perfectly glossy and chewy Tteokbokki. The secret ingredient (beef Dashida) is the key to that authentic snack bar flavor. Try it at home and enjoy. Happy cooking!