By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 3
766 cal · 35 min
Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cake)
Recipe GLPR55418e08bce9f2
Tteokbokki is a beloved Korean street food featuring chewy rice cakes simmered in a fiery gochujang-based sauce. The dish combines umami-rich fish cake and a deeply flavored anchovy-kelp broth with the heat of red chili paste and flakes, creating a complex, addictive spice. Tender rice cakes absorb the vibrant sauce while hard-boiled eggs and fresh green onions add texture and brightness to each bite.
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Ingredients
1 pound cylinder rice cakes (garaetteok)
4 cups water
7 large dried anchovies (mareun-myeolchi)
1 sheet (6x8 inch) dried kelp (dasima)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/3 cup hot pepper paste (gochujang)
1 tablespoon hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 green onions, sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, halved
1/2 pound fish cakes, sliced
Directions
Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add the dried anchovies and kelp sheet, then reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes to infuse the broth with their rich umami flavors. Remove the anchovies and kelp using a slotted spoon and discard.
In a small bowl, combine the gochujang hot pepper paste, gochugaru hot pepper flakes, fish sauce, and sugar. Whisk until smooth, breaking up any lumps to ensure even distribution of the spice.
Pour the gochujang mixture into the simmering broth and stir well to dissolve completely. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
Add the rice cakes and fish cake slices to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice cakes become soft and chewy and the fish cakes are heated through.
Gently add the halved hard-boiled eggs to the pot and simmer for 1 minute to warm them in the sauce.
Transfer the tteokbokki to a serving bowl, pour the sauce over the ingredients, and garnish generously with sliced green onions. Serve immediately while hot.
Comments
Tteokbokki is a worthy dish but requires a special trip: gochujang, gochugaru, dried kelp, and rice cakes are not stocked at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Publix, Walmart, or ALDI in Charlotte, forcing a stop at a Korean or Asian market (likely in the Koreatown area near Wilkinson Boulevard). The stated 35 minutes is honest if the broth base is prepped and the rice cakes come fresh or thawed, but the real challenge is the cost per serving—Korean specialty ingredients run $4–6 for a small tub of gochujang and $3–4 for a package of rice cakes, pushing the dish toward $6–8 per serving before eggs and fish cakes. This reheats poorly; the rice cakes toughen and dry out, so it is a same-night dish. It suits a household that enjoys bold, spicy flavors and does not mind a second shopping stop.
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