What is Tteokbokki?

Tteok-bokki (떡볶이 / Tteok-bokki) is a traditional Korean dish, the base of which is tteok (tteok). Tteok is rice cakes that are used as a base. Other components are added to the tteok, such as gochujang or chajang sauces. 

In simple terms - tteok-bokki is rice cakes cooked in sauce (of your choice).

To make this post a bit more interesting, I ordered a fast-food version of tteok-bokki with cheese sauce and chajang sauce. But first, a little information about the dish itself and its components.

Tteok (Tteok) are Korean rice products made from glutinous rice (it can also be a mixture of rice and other grains). Their shape and texture can vary greatly depending on the recipe. For tteok-bokki, long, cylindrical, or flat tteoks are used, which have a dense texture and absorb sauces well during cooking.

First, the rice is soaked in water, then ground into flour. Next, the rice mass is steamed until ready, so it acquires a soft but chewy texture. After that, the tteoks are shaped into various forms — cylinders, balls, or sheets, depending on the dish (there are actually a lot of them).

I ordered two packs of tteok-bokki (with cheese sauce and chajang sauce) from the Yopokki brand. This is a simple version of quick tteok-bokki that can be easily prepared at home. It is a fast-food version of a classic Korean dish sold in ready-made kits and includes rice cakes (tteoks) and sauce. Cooking is a bit more complicated than instant noodles, but it tastes pretty good.

Preparation: Open the package containing the tteoks and the sauce packet.

Adding water: Place the rice cakes in a saucepan or small pot, add the sauce (this is a dry mixture) and pour in water (usually the amount is indicated on the package, approximately 60-100 ml). In my case - 80 ml (as indicated on the package), 60 ml is indicated on the price tag in Ukrainian. I took 80 ml.

Cooking:Set to low heat, stirring constantly. Wait until the mixture boils. Stir until the sauce thickens. This will take about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat, enjoy.

Be careful, the sauce will be very hot.

And one more warning - there will be a small packet with an absorbent in the tteok package. It says 'DO NOT EAT'. So, don't eat it. And be careful if you're cooking with children.

In general, tteok-bokki is a great base to which you can add your favorite things. There are many recipe variations online that include adding sausages (both during cooking and separately), boiled eggs, etc. So don't hesitate to explore the topic and try different options. The downside of fast food is a lot of trash.