Description
This is the tteokbokki most people encounter first — simmered in a wide, shallow pan of spicy-sweet broth at street stalls across Seoul and beyond. The rice cakes absorb the sauce as they cook, turning from firm and starchy to something almost melting at the centre, still with enough chew to hold their own. Fish cake sheets add a savoury depth without requiring any stock, and the gochugaru layered on top of the gochujang gives the sauce a slightly different heat — fruity and aromatic rather than just hot.
Stats
⏱️ Prep time: 5 minutes ✦ Cook time: 15 minutes ✦ Total time: 20 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 2 people
Ingredients
- 20 small rice cake sticks
- 2 fish cake sheets, sliced into strips
- 500 ml water or dashi stock
- 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
- 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 spring onions, sliced
Instructions
- Build the broth — Bring the water or dashi stock to a boil in a wide saucepan or deep skillet. Stir in the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, and sugar until fully dissolved.
- Add the rice cakes and fish cake — Drop in the rice cakes and fish cake strips. Stir to coat everything in the broth.
- Simmer — Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10–12 minutes. The sauce will reduce and thicken, clinging to the rice cakes. The rice cakes are ready when they are tender all the way through but still have some chew.
- Finish — Scatter spring onions over the top and serve in bowls with the remaining broth.
Notes
A quick dashi base makes a real difference here. Drop a strip of dried kelp (dashima) into the cold water, bring to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes, then remove before adding the other sauce ingredients.
If you can’t find fish cake sheets, a few fish balls halved lengthways work fine. For a vegetarian version, firm tofu cut into strips holds its shape well through the simmer.
The sauce continues to thicken as it sits, so serve promptly or add a splash of water to loosen it if needed.