Recipe Of The Day: Tteokbokki, Ddeokbokki, Topokki or Dukbokki

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I’m not sure what’s the right spelling of this popular Korean snack – so if you’re in Korea or maybe Korean, please let me know how you actually spell it. I’ve learned this recipe from Martina (EatYourKimchi). You can just click the link to watch her video.

Tteokbokki is a well-known Korean street food with main ingredients consisted of rice cake, meat, eggs and seasoning. But did you know that the history of Tteokbokki goes all the way from the Royal household? It was considered as a high-class dish around 1800s and had been introduced to the masses around 1950s. The history and evolution of Tteokbokki is so diverse and truly remarkable.

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I’ve first tasted Tteokbokki in Ban Di Bul – a small Korean restaurant here in Manchester. Their lunch menus were fairly priced so we tend to eat there around lunchtimes. However, I found that eating there in general is a bit pricey. For this reason, I’ve decided to try this comforting dish myself. It was fairly simple and very tasty!

WARNING: MY recipe is extremely SPICY!

Easy Fiery Tteokbokki

SERVES: 4 PEOPLE

PREPARATION TIME: 10 MINUTES

COOKING TIME: 15 MINUTES

Ingredients:

  • 450g rice cake (I can’t find any Korean rice cake so I’ve used Chinese brand)
  • 150g fish cake (again this is Chinese fish cakes – you can use either and add more fish cakes if you like)
  • 4 green onions (I like the taste of onions – you can use less if you prefer)
  • 2-3 tbsps Korean red pepper paste
  • 1-2 tbsps soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3-4 cups of water (you can adjust this if you want a sticky or watery sauce)
  • 4 boiled eggs (for 4 people)

What to do:

1. Roughly cut the spring onions, cut fish cakes into big chunky squares and separate the rice cakes.

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2. Prepare all the rest of the ingredients – red pepper paste, soy sauce, sugar and water.

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3. Dissolve 2tbsps of red pepper paste in a small bowl filled with a cup of boiled water. Pour in the dissolved paste in a medium-heat frying pan, add another cup of water and stir for 5 minutes.

*** I’ve decided to use a frying pan because it makes the sauce stickier which I prefer. Also, you can add more of the red pepper paste if you want it extra spicy and/or add more water – you can always add this at the end.

4. Add 1tbsp of sugar and 1tbsp of soy sauce. You can add more if you want, depending on your preference.

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4. Add 1/2 portion of the spring onions and all of rice cakes into the frying pan. In a medium heat, cook for 5 minutes or until the rice cakes become soft but not too soggy.

5. Add the pre-cooked fish cakes and the rest of the spring onions. Cook for about a minute or so.

6. Slice the eggs and serve. Enjoy!

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This is a tasty, easy and comforting dish great for the upcoming cold weather! I’ve only used 2tbsps of the red pepper paste but I tell you, this is extremely spicy! If you don’t like spicy food then I think this dish is not for you. However, if you’re really keen to try this, there are recipes in the interweb that share a not-so-spicy version. If you try this recipe, I would love to hear from you!

***

Have you tasted this dish before? Did you like it? I’d love to hear your comment!☺

Related entries:
Camerashake Recipes
Aeri’s Kitchen
EatYourKimchi
ChowDivine (non-spicy version)
TheKoreanWay (non-spicy version)

61 thoughts on “Recipe Of The Day: Tteokbokki, Ddeokbokki, Topokki or Dukbokki”

    • Thank you! It was delicious and very spicy! It’s really good for the cold weather 🙂

      Let me know how you get on 🙂

      Reply ↓

    • Thank you for your nomination! 🙂 I really appreciate it. I will try to blog about it this weekend. 🙂 Thanks again!

      Reply ↓

  8. I’m a Korean. According to “The National Institute of the Korean Language”, ‘tteokbokki’ is correct. But as Koreans are also confused, I think you don’t have to care about it. We can understand, and the purpose of language is communicating.

    Reply ↓

    • I’m not sure if there is or if it is halal – in regards to panko breadcrumbs and the curry blocks. But I think with the rest of the ingredients you can find halal version. 🙂

      Reply ↓

      • Yes It is Halal unless pork is added. All seafood is Halal for muslim so the fish cake is Halal and suitable for Muslim and Jewish are ok with fish but not prawns. So its all good for everyone 🙂

        Reply ↓

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  11. I have tried it and it’s easy to follow. Most importantly of all, it tastes really good! My husband enjoys it, for someone who hardly eats spicy food. Thanks for sharing the recipe. ^_^

    Reply ↓

  12. Hey 🙂 I googled ‘tobokki’ & I came across with your blog. After reading your blog then I quickly fixed my dinner tonight 😀 thanks for your savory recipe!

    Reply ↓

  14. I’m watching a Korean drama that involves a lot of eating, and saw this in one of the scenes. The actress sure made it look delicious, and now that I’ve read the recipe, I know why! I’m going to have to try this in the next few weeks. Looks easy to make and even easier to enjoy. Thanks so much!!!

    Reply ↓

  16. Thank youuu for the recipe.This is very simple.I found that another recipe in the Internet have the ingredients that is hard to find in my country.BTW,the gochujang or red pepper paste that you shown is not HALAL.So,I’ve made it myself. 😀 There is alcohol element in the gochujang since it is from korea.That is some info that I want to share with you.Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu once again :DD

    Reply ↓

      • Haha.Nahhhh.Not too hard. I don’t know how gochujang real taste.
        So,I don’t know if my gochujang have the same taste as the real gochujang.
        The is the recipe.

        1 tbs salted soy bean or taucu(malay)
        2 ts chili powder(if you want more spicy,add some more)
        1 ts sugar
        A little bit of water
        —————————————————————————————————–
        1.crushed the salted soy bean untill you get smooth texture.
        2. Put chili powder and sugar.
        3. Stir until well blended. If salty, add sugar.
        4., Add more water to get a paste-like texture

        #Sorry if my english is broken.Hahaha.Hope you’ll understand.Any question,please ask me. 🙂
        You can share it on your blog.Muslims will love it if they can make halal gochujang themself.

        Reply ↓

    • Why and how is a vegetarian red pepper past not Halal. Yes it is a fermented food but so is Bread and Yoghurt and Kefir and cheese. This pepper past is Halal and anyone who believes otherwise does not know Koran or Hadith as they should. 🙂

      Reply ↓

      • The majority of commercial mass produced gochujang such as those you can purchase in Asian supermarkets is not Halal. They contain spirits and will be labeled as either containing alcohol / ethanol. Can only assume the alcohol is used as a preserve or to prevent the paste from fermenting further. Organic/ homemade gochujang may be Halal, but I haven’t had the opportunity to verify this as I don’t know anyone who makes it! Hope this clarifies things.

        Reply ↓

  17. How would you describe the taste of fish cakes? I live in Arizona and the city I live in doesn’t have any Korean restaurants or even a restaurant that serves Korean food along with any other type of Asian food. I mean we have a few Chinese and Japanese places, but nothing Korean. i am a huge K-drama fan and really want to try some of the food I have seen. My friend and I are going to attempt to make Kimchi this weekend, and I have always been curious about Toppoki. I think I am going to make this my next project. As I have said I have never tasted fish cakes and I am kind of picky about trying new things, but I am willing to try this.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Jessica,

      Thank you for your comment. Well done for trying a new dish like this! 🙂 It’s a bit hard to describe what it tasted like. Personally, I think it’s a little bit fishy but not too much. The fish cakes that I bought were pre-packed – the texture were sort-of like a fried tofu. A little bit chewy.

      Wow! Making kimchi – that’s exciting! I wanted to make my own kimichi too but I haven’t had a time to do it. Please, if you don’t mind, let me know how it goes and maybe the ingredients you will use to make it.

      I’m a huge K-drama fan too! What drama are you watching at the moment?

      Best wishes,

      Sarah 🙂

      Reply ↓

  18. I tried it. But I would say that your #3, there’s should be more water… I failed at making it. But this was a starting point, next time I’ll follow a bit more myself as to how many I should put and all of that. So thank you for posting this and helping me to start 🙂

    Reply ↓

    • Hi there,

      Thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate it. 🙂 How many cups did you use in your dukbokki? I’ll edit the #3 and maybe put a little note about adding more water.

      In my ingredient list, I did put 2-3 cups of water depending on what sauce you’re aiming for. I ended putting 2 cups and a little bit on mine. I like my sauce sticky. 😀

      Best wishes,

      Sarah 🙂

      Reply ↓

  19. Hi! this recipe is great. I love it spicy, is there anyway I can make the rice cakes my self. if so do you have a recipe? thanks” 🙂

    Reply ↓

    • Thank you for your lovely comment. 🙂 About the rice cakes, I’m sure you can make it from scatch. I just bought a ready-made ones so unfortunately I don’t have any rice cakes recipe.

      Reply ↓

  21. I love this recipe and it’s really easy. I actually haven’t made this in a while and just made it, and it’s as yummy as I remember it. I like to use dashi stock instead of water, and sometimes I can’t find good fish cake, and so I tried using fried tofu. Also tasty! I end up simmering the sauce for about ten minutes before adding the rice cakes because I like to reduce my sauce to be thicker and more concentrated. I also like to put two tablespoons of soy sauce and slightly more than two tablespoons of the gochujang–probably about two-and-a-half. 🙂 I also wash the rice cakes before adding them to the pan. Like you, I also love to add a lot of green onion. Sooo good!

    Reply ↓

  22. Hi dear. Im sorry if im wrong but i have a muslim friend who speaks and read korean. She said that the paste that u are using contains wine.

    Reply ↓

  23. I always make this but I’m also eager to see how other people make one of my favourite dishes in the world! What I especially love about Ddukbokki is how easy it is to make. If you have time, I hope you can check out and comment: http://nyamwithny.com/nyam-recipes-ddukbokki/

    Thanks for the great recipe! I also use sesame oil and sesame seeds to add more of a distinctive smell and taste. You could use next time if you’re not allergic! ^_^

    Reply ↓

What do you think? I'd love to hear your comment!☺