Fork Weekly
One of my all-time favorite things to do is watch 2-hour YouTube videos of street vendors making large batches of 떡볶이.
Tteokbokki is Korea’s favorite street snack, and the cheesy version is pure comfort: bouncy, chewy rice cakes in a glossy sweet-and-spicy sauce, made even better under a lid of gooey melted mozzarella.
It’s spicy. It’s sweet. It’s chewy. It’s amazing.
The sauce thickens as the rice cakes release their starch, so keep it moving and pull it off the heat once everything is glazed. The cheese does the rest.
Cheesy Tteokbokki (떡볶이)
Chewy Korean rice cakes simmered in a sweet-spicy gochujang sauce and blanketed with melted mozzarella. Less than half an hour for the ultimate cozy street-food snack.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) Korean rice cakes (떡 - tteok)
- 2.5 cups (600 ml) water or anchovy stock
- 3 tbsp gochujang (고추장)
- 1 tbsp gochugaru (고춧가루 - Korean chili flakes)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1.5 cups (170 g) shredded mozzarella
- Toasted sesame seeds, to serve
Instructions
- If using refrigerated or frozen rice cakes, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes to soften.
- In a wide skillet, whisk the water, gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar and garlic. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the drained rice cakes and simmer, stirring often, 8–10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and glazes the rice cakes.
- Stir in the scallions for the last 2 minutes.
- Scatter the mozzarella over the top, cover, and cook 2–3 minutes until melted (or broil briefly for a browned top).
- Finish with sesame seeds and serve hot, straight from the pan.
Recipe notes & tips
- Adjust the gochujang and gochugaru up or down to set your heat level.
- Rice cakes firm up as they cool — serve right away, and loosen leftovers with a splash of water when reheating.
- Add a halved boiled egg or fish cakes for a more classic, filling version.
398 kcalCalories
13 gProtein
62 gCarbs
11 gFat