Spicy Tteokbokki - Bunsikjip Style!

Spicy Tteokbokki - Bunsikjip Style!

 

Today, we are thrilled to share with you, hands down, the best Spicy Tteokbokki recipe you'll find on the internet!

 

You see, we have been living in Korea for the past decade and have had our fair share of Tteokbokki all over the country. 

As well as the handful of our own recipes on Future Neighbor.

However, this recipe surpasses them all, and the secret lies in the sauce!

After school, kids love rushing to nearby bunsikjip 분식집 (small inexpensive shops that serve kimbap, Tteokbokki, and fried twigim). 

 

Tteokbokki is a nostalgic food. 

Therefore, the best Tteokbokki is the one that closely resembles the taste of those bunsik shops. The more fancy ingredients you add, the more unfamiliar the taste becomes, and it just doesn't feel right.

We are excited to tell you that we have figured out how to replicate that bunsik shop taste, that nostalgic taste! 

So, what is the key? 

It's actually simple - just use the same ingredients they use! 

 

Don't add too many vegetables, oyster sauce, soy sauce, or other ingredients. 

Stick to what they use: anchovy dashida, gochujang, fine gochugaru, and some MSG.

If you spend enough time at a Pohang Mocha, you will see the owner making Tteokbokki, and often they pour out a spicy sauce from a large container. This sauce they pour has been concentrated and reduced down. 

We will do the same thing - bring the aforementioned ingredients and boil them down for 15 minutes to make a concentrated spicy paste! 

Perfect, right? You guys will absolutely love this Korean Tteokbokki.

Here are a few cooking notes (please read):

- In Korea, there are two types of Dashida Powder: Anchovy Dashida and Beef Dashida. Use the anchovy dashida powder. Don't use beef dashida as it will completely change the flavor.

 

- Don't add more than 1 Tablespoon of Grated Onion. It will mess up the balance of sweetness & spiciness.

- Use Fine Gochugaru (we use this one). This will give your Tteokbokki a bright red color, making it look even more delicious!

- When reducing the marinade paste, set a timer for 15 minutes! We want to reduce it for the full 15 minutes, so use a timer. Also, start the timer right after you put the pot on the heat.

-Use white sugar. Don't substitute with brown sugar.

-In Korea, MSG is known as Miwon (미원). You can find Miwon at Korean supermarkets, or alternatively, use any other generic brand. Don't confuse Miwon with Mat-Sogeum (맛소금), which is a combination of salt and MSG.

 

Now, is this super spicy?

 

No, it's not buldak-ramen spicy. But it's spicy enough to be enjoyable.

Now stop reading and get to cooking - it's so simple!

For those who are interested, we are using this beautiful Stainless Steel Jeongol Pot (20cm).

 

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Neighbors - one thing.

We love waking up and scrolling through picture of your dishes! If you made this recipe, tag us on IG!

And if you're cooking alone tonight, no worries! Listen to our latest podcast as you prep 😀

 

 

Tteokbokki - Recipe

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Servings: 2 people

 

Ingredients

Tteokbokki Ingredients

• 250 grams Wheat Rice Cakes (밀떡)
• 100 grams Fish Cakes (2 Rectangle Sheets)
• 1.5 Cups Water (~350mL)

Tteokbokki Marinade

• 1 Tablespoon Anchovy Dashida
• 1 Tablespoon Grated Onion
• ½ Cup Water
• 1 Tablespoon Fine Gochugaru (고은 고춧가루)
• 1 Tablespoon Gochujang
• 1.5 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Maesil (Plum Extract Syrup)
• 1 teaspoon (!) Miwon (MSG)

Instructions

Prep Ingredients

• Rinse frozen rice cakes (2 cups worth) in water. Then drain and set aside.
• Then cut 2 sheets of fishcake (eomuk) into rectangular pieces.

 

Make Special Tteokbokki Sauce

• Take out a cheese grater and quickly grate a small piece of whole onion - we'll only need 1 Tablespoon of Grated Onion for our Sauce.
• Take out a pot and add in the following: Anchovy Dashida (1 Tablespoon), Grated Onion (1 Tablespoon), Water (½ Cup), Gochujang (1 Tablespoon), Fine Gochugaru (1 Tablespoon), White Sugar (1.5 Tablespoons), Maesil Plum Extract Syrup (1 Tablespoon), Miwon (aka MSG) (1 teaspoon!)
• Give it all a good stir - so it blends together
• Place pot on a low heat. Start your timer right after you place the pot on the heat - we want 15 minutes!
• Important: Make sure the heat is on LOW heat - we want a GENTLE simmer (please reference video). NOT a hard boil!
• During the 15 minutes, stir the pot from time-to-time, to make sure it doesn't burn.
• After 15 minutes, the sauce will have thickened - looking like a runny gochujang sauce.

Make Tteokbokki

• Add rice cakes and eomuk pieces into a pot.
• Then add-in 1.5 cups of water (~350ml).
• Next, add in all of the Tteokbokki Sauce. Use some water from the Tteokbokki pot and scoop it into your sauce pot - to make sure you get all of the Tteokbokki Sauce out!
• Bring the pot to boil. Once it's boiling, set a timer for 10 minutes.
• Stir it from time-to-time.
• After 10 minutes, you'll be left with one of the most delicious Tteokbokkis!
• Turn off heat. Serve and enjoy life 😉