Frederic Melton
Tteokbokki is a popular Korean dish that combines rice cakes, fish cakes, and hot pepper sauce. For those who enjoy a creamy twist on the classic, cheesy tteokbokki is a delightful option. This variation features finely grated cheese, such as mozzarella or cheddar, that melts beautifully over the sizzling rice cakes, providing a luscious contrast to the spicy gochujang sauce. Preparing this dish is a simple and quick process, resulting in a mouth-watering treat that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere. Whether cooked on a stovetop or heated in a microwave cup, cheesy tteokbokki offers a harmonious blend of flavours that dance on the tongue, making it a beloved comfort food.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of Dish | Korean |
| Main Ingredients | Rice cakes, cheese, fish cakes, hot pepper sauce |
| Additional Ingredients | Beef, seafood, green onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, sesame leaves, basil, eggs, tofu |
| Sauces | Gochujang, sesame oil |
| Cheese Type | Mozzarella, cheddar |
| Preparation Time | Quick |
| Cooking Method | Stovetop |
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What You'll Learn
Grate cheese finely for even melting
When making Yopokki, a beloved Korean dish, it's important to remember that the key to a great dish is to grate your cheese finely for even melting. This ensures that the cheese melts smoothly and evenly, creating a creamy and luscious texture that perfectly complements the other ingredients. The cheese should be gradually stirred into the dish, allowing it to stretch and weave through the rice cakes and other components.
The type of cheese you use is also important. Mozzarella or cheddar cheese is a good choice for Yopokki as they melt well and provide a velvety texture. As you add the cheese, make sure to taste and adjust the seasoning. This ensures that the flavours of the cheese and the spicy gochujang sauce are balanced, creating a harmonious and mouth-watering dish.
To grate the cheese finely, it is recommended to use a fine-tooth grater or the smallest holes on a box grater. This will create thin shreds of cheese that will melt quickly and evenly. If you have a food processor, you can also use the shredding disc to grate the cheese finely. Grating the cheese beforehand ensures that it melts smoothly during cooking, avoiding lumps or uneven distribution.
Additionally, when storing the cheese, it is advisable to keep it refrigerated until ready to use. This helps maintain its freshness and facilitates easier grating. By taking the time to grate the cheese finely and following the other tips provided, you'll be well on your way to creating a delicious and cheesy Yopokki dish that's sure to satisfy your taste buds.
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Add proteins like beef or seafood
Tteokbokki is a popular Korean dish that has seen numerous variations and fusions. The dish typically includes rice cakes, fish cakes, and a hot pepper sauce. To add protein to this dish in the form of beef or seafood, you can follow these steps:
Beef Brisket Tteokbokki
Beef brisket is a luxurious and expensive addition to tteokbokki. To make beef brisket tteokbokki, you can follow these general steps:
- Prepare the broth: This can be done by creating an anchovy broth or using pre-made broth. For an anchovy broth, remove the intestines of 13 anchovies and place them in a pot with 1L of water. Boil the water and then lower the heat to medium, cooking for another 20 minutes before removing the anchovies.
- Marinate the beef: In a bowl, add red pepper paste, starch syrup, plum extract, dark soy sauce, sugar, and pepper to the beef brisket and mix well.
- Braise the beef: Place the marinated beef in a frying pan on medium heat and cook until golden brown, which should take about 3 minutes.
- Boil the ingredients: Add the broth and sauce to the pan and heat to high. Once boiling, add sliced onion, cabbage, and fish cake. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Then, add green onions and rice cakes, boiling on medium for 10 minutes and low for 5 minutes.
- Add the beef: Put the golden brown beef brisket and perilla leaves into the pan and press with a ladle to soak in the soup. Boil for another 5 minutes at medium-low heat.
Beef Tteokbokki
If you simply want to add beef to your tteokbokki without making it the main feature, you can follow these general steps:
- Prepare the beef: Slice the beef into small pieces and quickly boil them in a pot of water. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
- Prepare the rest of the ingredients: Cut the fish cake, onion, and carrot into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook the rice cakes: Put the rice cakes and water or broth into a pan and bring to a simmer. Add the hot pepper paste, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, and garlic, mixing well. Combine the vegetables with the rice cakes in the pan.
- Add the beef: After simmering for 5 minutes, add the beef and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
Seafood Tteokbokki
Seafood tteokbokki, or haemul-tteokbokki, features seafood as its secondary ingredient. To add seafood to your tteokbokki, you can follow these general steps:
- Prepare the seafood: Choose your preferred seafood, such as shrimp, squid, or fish. Cut the seafood into bite-sized pieces if needed.
- Cook the rice cakes: As with the other variations, start by cooking the rice cakes in water or broth. Add the hot pepper paste, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, garlic, and any other desired vegetables.
- Add the seafood: Once the rice cakes are almost cooked, add the seafood and simmer until both the rice cakes and seafood are cooked through.
By following these steps and adjusting the ingredients to your taste, you can create delicious and protein-rich variations of tteokbokki with beef or seafood.
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Include vegetables like onions, mushrooms and peppers
To make Yopokki cheese with vegetables, you will need the following ingredients:
- Rice cakes
- Cheese
- Onion
- Mushrooms
- Peppers
- Aromatic herbs (such as sesame leaves or basil)
- Gochujang
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Fish stock (or vegetable broth for a vegan option)
- Seafood or thinly sliced beef (optional)
- Hard-boiled eggs or soft tofu
First, cut the fish cake sheets into triangles, if using, and rinse the rice cakes with cool water. Then, add your choice of chicken or vegetable broth, gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, and gochugaru to a pan on medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the rice cakes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and cook for about 4 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Next, add your vegetables. Sliced onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers will add a variety of textures and flavours to the dish. Stir in your vegetables and continue cooking until they are tender.
Now it's time to add the cheese. Gradually stir in grated mozzarella or cheddar, stirring gently to prevent the cheese from sticking to the pan. Taste the dish as you add the cheese, seeking the perfect balance of flavours.
Finally, add your choice of protein, such as seafood or thinly sliced beef, and stir through. For a refreshing contrast, add some hard-boiled eggs or soft tofu to soothe the fiery spice of the dish. Serve immediately and enjoy your delicious, vegetable-packed Yopokki cheese!
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Add herbs like sesame leaves or basil
When cooking yopokki cheese, adding herbs like sesame leaves or basil can bring a refreshing touch to the dish. Sesame, a plant in the genus Sesamum, is native to sub-Saharan Africa and India. It is cultivated for its edible seeds, which are enclosed in pods. The seeds are small and ovate, with a rich, nutty flavour. They can be added whole to your yopokki cheese, or you can use sesame oil to add a fragrant, nutty note to the dish. Sesame leaves are lanceolate and can be identified by their opposite arrangement, growing up to 2" wide and 6" long.
Basil, on the other hand, is a culinary herb native to tropical regions from Central Africa to Southeast Asia. It is a tender plant with glossy, ovulate leaves that have smooth or slightly toothed edges. The leaves are arranged oppositely along the square stems and can be green or purple. Basil is a versatile herb that can be grown indoors or outdoors and adds a distinctive aroma and flavour to yopokki cheese.
To incorporate sesame leaves or basil into your yopokki cheese, simply chop or tear the leaves into small pieces and sprinkle them over the dish just before serving. This will add a fresh, herbal note to the spicy and cheesy flavours of the yopokki. You can also add the herbs at the end of the cooking process, allowing them to wilt slightly in the heat of the dish.
Remember to taste as you add the herbs to ensure that the flavours are well-balanced. The nutty aroma of sesame or the distinctive scent of basil should complement the spicy and cheesy notes of the yopokki, creating a harmonious and mouth-watering dish.
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Taste and adjust as you go
When making Yopokki, or tteokbokki, it's important to remember that the key to a delicious dish is in tasting and adjusting as you go. Start with a conservative spoonful of gochujang, the fiery base of the dish, and gradually add more to suit your taste preferences. Remember, you can always add more, but you can't take away!
As you stir in the gochujang, pay attention to the colour and texture of your tteokbokki. The sauce should be a crimson tangle, with the cheese weaving through it. The cheese is the star of the show, so take your time to choose the right variety and grate it finely for even melting. Mozzarella or cheddar are popular choices, as they melt well and provide a creamy contrast to the spicy gochujang.
Taste the dish as you add each ingredient, seeking a perfect balance where the spice and cheese complement each other. The spice should tickle your taste buds, while the cheese provides a luscious, creamy reprieve. It's a delicate dance of flavours that you can guide with your taste tester's palate.
Don't be afraid to experiment and make the dish your own. You can add proteins like thinly sliced beef or seafood, vegetables like green onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers, or aromatic herbs such as sesame leaves or basil. Each addition will bring a unique twist to your tteokbokki, so keep tasting and adjusting until you find your perfect harmony of flavours.
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Frequently asked questions
Yopokki is a Korean snack made of rice cakes, fish cakes, and a hot pepper sauce. It is a spicy dish that can be made in a variety of ways, including with cheese.
You will need rice cakes, cheese (mozzarella or cheddar), and gochujang (a spicy Korean condiment). You can also add protein such as beef or seafood, vegetables like green onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers, and aromatic herbs such as sesame leaves or basil.
First, put the rice cakes and gochujang in a pot or cup. Start with a conservative amount of gochujang and add more to taste. Gradually stir in the cheese, tasting as you go to achieve the perfect balance of spicy and creamy. You can also add other ingredients like protein, vegetables, and herbs.
Yopokki cheese can be made in as little as 3 minutes. If using a cup, heat it in the microwave, then let it sit for 30 seconds with the lid on to allow the rice cakes to become chewier.
