Bushra Griffith
Tteokbokki is a popular Korean street food that consists of chewy rice cakes smothered in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. In recent years, cheese tteokbokki has become increasingly popular, with young people adding cheese to various traditional Korean dishes. This variation is made by wrapping mozzarella sticks in rice paper and cooking them in tteokbokki sauce, or by grilling skewers of rice cakes and cheese and dipping them in gochujang sauce. The dish can be customised with toppings such as sesame oil, sesame seeds, and green onions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of cuisine | Korean |
| Type of dish | Street food, side dish, snack |
| Main ingredients | Korean rice cakes, gochujang sauce, cheese |
| Rice cake type | Garatteok (long, cylindrical, non-glutinous) |
| Sauce base | Korean soup stock (dried kelp and dried anchovy stock, dashi broth, or other stock) |
| Cheese type | Mozzarella, gouda, vegan cheese |
| Additional ingredients | Fish cakes, dumplings, eggs, sausages, seafood, vegetables, meat, ramen, cabbage, sesame oil, sesame seeds, green onions |
| Nutrition (estimated) | Calories: 381kcal, Carbohydrates: 69g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 1062mg, Potassium: 182mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 405IU, Vitamin C: 7.8mg, Calcium: 28mg, Iron: 0.8mg |
| Variations | Grilled cheese tteokkochi (served on skewers), rice paper cheese tteokbokki |
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What You'll Learn
Ingredients: rice cakes, cheese, soup stock, gochujang sauce
Ingredients: Rice cakes, cheese, soup stock, and gochujang sauce
Rice cakes are the staple ingredient in tteokbokki, and they can be purchased fresh, refrigerated, or frozen. Fresh is best, but refrigerated is a good alternative. Frozen rice cakes are more likely to crack and have a less chewy texture. You can also make rice cakes at home.
Before cooking, it's a good idea to soak the rice cakes in hot water for 10-20 minutes to soften them. If you're using frozen rice cakes, you can speed up the thawing process by soaking them in warm water for 20-30 minutes.
Cheese is a common ingredient in Korea, and it adds a delicious, gooey element to tteokbokki. Popular cheese choices include mozzarella, Cheddar, and Parmesan. You can also experiment with other types of cheese, but avoid cream cheese as its mild taste will be overpowered by the spicy and sweet sauces.
Soup stock, also known as "gukmul" in Korean, is a type of broth commonly used in Korean cuisine. It is made by boiling dried anchovies and dried kelp (kombu) to extract their savory flavors. You can find it in powder form at Asian or Korean markets. If you can't find it, vegetable stock is a good alternative.
Gochujang is a fermented Korean chili paste that comes in different levels of spice. It is a key ingredient in tteokbokki sauce, giving it a spicy and red colour. You can adjust the spice level by adding more or less gochujang to suit your preference.
Now that you have a better understanding of the ingredients, you can start preparing your cheese tteokbokki!
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How to make soup stock
To make soup stock for cheese tteokbokki, you can use Korean soup stock, which is the base of the tteokbokki sauce. The most commonly used soup stock in Korean cooking is dried kelp and dried anchovy stock. You can also use dashi broth or simply substitute it with any other stock if you can't find this. Alternatively, you can make a soup stock with pre-packaged ingredients and just boil it with water.
Step 1:
First, boil the soup stock in a shallow pot over medium-high heat. Use a spatula to dissolve the tteokbokki sauce by stirring it.
Step 2:
Once the seasoned stock is boiling, add the rice cakes, fish cakes, and onion. Continue to boil for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the rice cakes are fully cooked.
Step 3:
To thicken the sauce and deepen its flavour, simmer the mixture over low heat for an additional 2 to 4 minutes.
Step 4:
Finally, add the sesame oil, sesame seeds, and green onion. Stir everything together quickly and serve warm.
You can also make this soup stock ahead of time and freeze it for later use. Leftovers can be refrigerated for a day or two, and when reheating, you can add some spare soup stock or water to adjust the consistency.
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How to prepare rice cakes
To prepare rice cakes for cheese tteokbokki, you'll need to use garatteok, a long, cylindrical white rice cake made with non-glutinous rice flour. You can find these in different sizes in Korean grocery stores. The thin and short type is best for tteokbokki because it quickly soaks in flavour.
If you are using frozen rice cakes, you should submerge them in warm water for 20-30 minutes or until they soften. If you are using rice paper, you will need to soak the rice paper until it softens before laying it on a cutting board to wrap the mozzarella. Use a nonporous cutting board, such as plastic, as this prevents the rice paper from getting stuck.
If you are using rice cakes, you will need to boil soup stock in a shallow pot over medium-high heat and dissolve the tteokbokki sauce by stirring it with a spatula. Once the seasoned stock is boiling, add the rice cakes, fish cakes, and onion. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes until the rice cakes are fully cooked. Then, to thicken the sauce and deepen the flavour, simmer over low heat for another 2 to 4 minutes.
If you are using rice paper, you will need to wrap the mozzarella in the rice paper and cook it in the tteokbokki sauce. You can also skewer the rice cakes and cheese and grill them on each side for about a minute.
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How to assemble and cook
To assemble and cook cheese tteokbokki, you will need garatteok, a long, cylindrical white rice cake made with non-glutinous rice flour. You can find these in different sizes in Korean grocery stores. The thin and short type is typically used for tteokbokki because it quickly soaks in flavour.
Next, you will need to make the gochujang sauce. This red tteokbokki sauce is usually made with a combination of gochujang (Korean chilli pepper paste), gochugaru (Korean red chilli flakes), and other seasonings. If you don't like it too spicy, simply use gochujang without any gochugaru.
For the base of the tteokbokki sauce, you can use Korean soup stock. Among other options, dried kelp and dried anchovy stock are the most commonly used soup stocks in Korean cooking. You can also use dashi broth or simply substitute it with any other stock if you can't find this.
Now, you can assemble the dish. Boil the soup stock in a shallow pot over medium-high heat and dissolve the tteokbokki sauce by stirring it with a spatula. Once the seasoned stock is boiling, add the rice cakes, fish cakes, and onion. Boil them for another 3 to 5 minutes until the rice cakes are fully cooked. Then, to thicken the sauce and deepen the flavour, simmer it over low heat for another 2 to 4 minutes.
Finally, add mozzarella cheese on top of the rice cakes and cover the pan with a lid. Let the cheese cook until it has fully melted. Turn off the heat once it is melted, and drizzle some sesame oil and sprinkle some green onions and toasted sesame seeds over the dish. Serve hot and enjoy while the toppings are still melted.
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Serving suggestions
Cheese tteokbokki is a fun and versatile dish that can be served in many ways. Here are some serving suggestions to get you started:
- Traditional tteokbokki: This dish is typically served as a street food in Korea, and it is delicious on its own. The combination of chewy rice cakes, sweet and spicy gochujang sauce, and molten cheese is a perfect blend of textures and flavours.
- Skewers: For a crispy and chewy texture, thread the rice cakes and cheese onto skewers alternately, grill them on each side for about a minute, and then drizzle with gochujang sauce. This variation is known as grilled cheese tteokkochi in Korea.
- Toppings: Take your tteokbokki to the next level by adding more toppings, such as sliced cheese, sesame oil, green onions, toasted sesame seeds, or even condensed milk.
- Add-ins: For a heartier meal, add ingredients like eomuk (fish cake), dumplings, eggs, sausages, seafood, or vegetables to your tteokbokki. These add-ins provide a contrast in textures and flavours that enhance the overall dish.
- Side dishes: Tteokbokki is often served with other fried dishes, such as Korean dumplings or Korean-style tempura. Dip these fried treats into the leftover tteokbokki sauce for an explosion of flavours.
- Ramen: Combine tteokbokki with ramen to create the famous Korean dish Rabokki. This fusion of two beloved comfort foods is sure to satisfy any craving.
- Vegan options: For vegan cheese tteokbokki, use vegetable broth, vegan cheese, or nutritional yeast. You can also use rice paper to wrap your tteokbokki, creating a unique texture and flavour.
Feel free to experiment with different ingredients and serving styles to create your own unique take on this popular Korean dish!
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Frequently asked questions
You will need Korean rice cakes, gochujang sauce, soup stock, and cheese. For the cheese, mozzarella is recommended, but you can use other melty cheese options.
Garatteok is a long, cylindrical white rice cake made with non-glutinous rice flour. You can find them in different sizes in Korean grocery stores. For tteokbokki, use the thin and short type as it will soak in flavor more quickly.
To increase the spice level of the gochujang sauce, add more gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes).
Dried kelp and dried anchovy stock is the most commonly used soup stock in Korean cooking. You can also use dashi broth or vegetable broth, or simply substitute it with any other stock if you can't find these.
Boil the soup stock in a shallow pot over medium-high heat and dissolve the gochujang sauce. Once the stock is boiling, add the rice cakes, fish cakes, and onion. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes until the rice cakes are fully cooked. Then, simmer over low heat for 2 to 4 minutes to thicken the sauce and deepen the flavor.
