Description

This is tteokbokki by way of Japanese teriyaki — the chilli paste is gone entirely, replaced by the sweet-savoury trio of soy, mirin, and a little sugar, finished with butter for richness and sesame for fragrance. The rice cakes are pan-fried golden first, then lacquered in the glaze as it reduces in the pan. The result is mild enough for anyone who finds gochujang a stretch, but has enough going on that it doesn’t feel like a compromise. It also comes together in about twelve minutes, which is genuinely useful on a weeknight.

Stats

⏱️ Prep time: 5 minutes ✦ Cook time: 10 minutes ✦ Total time: 15 minutes

🍽️ Serves: 2 people

Ingredients

  • 20 small rice cake sticks
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Mix the sauce — Stir together the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl and set aside.
  2. Pan-fry in butter — Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rice cakes in a single layer and pan-fry for 3–4 minutes per side until golden.
  3. Glaze — Pour the sauce over the rice cakes and toss over the heat for 1–2 minutes until the sauce reduces, thickens, and glazes each cake.
  4. Garnish and serve — Top with sesame seeds and spring onions and serve hot.

Notes

A teaspoon of grated fresh ginger stirred into the sauce adds a lively, warming note without any chilli heat — well worth adding.

Mirin varies in sweetness between brands. If yours is particularly sweet, reduce the sugar to a pinch or leave it out entirely and taste as you go.

The glaze reduces quickly once it hits the pan, so have everything ready before you start and don’t walk away in step three.