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Korean Tteokbokki
[Vegan]

KJ By: Kim Julie-Hansen

Author Bio

Kim-Julie Hansen grew up eating (and loving) meat, fish, dairy, and eggs. But after doing... Read More

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Korean Tteokbokki [Vegan]

Dairy Free

Vegan

Tteokbokki can have all sorts of added ingredients. Tteok means “rice cake” and bokki means “something fried.” Spicy tteokbokki is very popular in Korea. It is a bar/ street food item. It’s very spicy and it’s made with gochujang, a Korean red chili paste, and gochugaru, Korean chili powder, as well...

Spicy tteokbokki is very popular in Korea. It is a bar/ street food item. It’s very spicy and it’s made with gochujang, a Korean red chili paste, and gochugaru, Korean chili powder, as well as a sweetener like sugar. The main ingredient is the rice cake, which is called garaetteok. Garaetteok is basically steamed rice made from a very specific kind of rice flour, meaning that you can’t just take rice and mash it up; that wouldn’t work. The garaetteok is shaped into these long tubes. This spicy version is what very busy, tired professionals will eat on their way home from work. There are a lot of contests in Korea to see who can eat the spiciest tteokbokki. The second version I wanted to share is the gungjung tteokbokki, or royal/palatial tteokbokki, which would traditionally be served in the royal palace. My mom just calls it “soy sauce tteokbokki” because the thing that makes it palatial or royal is the marinated and grilled meat. Since there is no meat in this one, it’s easier to just call it “soy sauce tteokbokki.”

Soy Sauce Tteokbokki:

21 ounces (600 g) tube-shaped garaetteok (rice cakes)
4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free version)
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 scallions (both white and green parts), chopped
1/4 cup (15 g) julienned onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup (40 g) julienned green bell pepper
1/4 cup (40 g) julienned red bell pepper
1 carrot, sliced into 1/4-inch (0.65 cm) discs
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups (480 mL) water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Spicy Tteokbokki:

21 ounces (600 g) tube-shaped garaetteok (rice cakes)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 scallions (both white and green parts), chopped
1/4 cup (15 g) julienned onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons gochugaru
1/4 cup (60 mL) gluten-free gochujang
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free version)
2 cups (480 mL) water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

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How to Prepare Korean Tteokbokki [Vegan]

For the Soy Sauce Tteokbokki:

Place the garaetteok and mushrooms in a large bowl. Add the sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, and the black pepper and stir so that the rice cakes are evenly coated. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium- high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmery, add the scallions, onion, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Add the green and red bell peppers and carrot, and continue cooking until the vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
Add the rice cakes and mushrooms, together with the remaining 2 tablespoons tamari and the maple syrup. Stir until the rice cakes are evenly coated.
Add the water, bring the broth to a boil, and then lower the heat to medium-low. Cook until the rice cakes are tender and the broth reduces to a thick sauce, 5 to 10 minutes.
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

For the Spicy Tteokbokki:

Place the garaetteok in a large bowl. Add the sesame oil and black pepper and stir so that the rice cakes are evenly coated. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium- high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmery, add the scallions, onion, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Add the rice cakes, together with the gochugaru, gochujang, and maple syrup. Stir until the rice cakes are evenly coated.
Deglaze the pan with the soy sauce and then add water. Bring the broth to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low. Cook until the rice cakes are tender and the broth reduces to a thick sauce, 5 to 10 minutes.
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.