Spicy Rice Cakes (떡볶이)

I think I've mentioned it before, but Korea's got street food down. Like, some of the most popular Korean dishes right now are things you buy at market stands. And, one of the best things I ate when we were in Korea was tteokbokki from a random vendor in an old market in a very off the beaten path town. It's just so good.

Tteokbokki is the perfect comfort food for the start of fall. It's warm, filling, and the smell fills the house and envelops you like a warm blanket.

Tteokbokki is also a tradition for every family. There are 1,000 different ways to make it, but essential are the round, tubular rice cakes (tteokbokki tteok) and fish cakes (eomuk), and onions. Variations will add eggs, lamyun (ramen) noodles, dumplings, cabbage, and pretty much whatever your heart desires.

This is my version of my wife's family recipe. Enjoy!

NOTES:

This recipe serves 4, but my wife and I have definitely killed a whole pan of it ourselves.

I will also mention that this recipe is very forgiving to "adjustments" in measurements. I add more gochujang and green onions than most (and what I put in the recipe).

Some tteokbokki recipes add sugar, but I find that the natural sweetness from the corn and sugar already in the gochujang is more than enough.

INGREDIENTS:

4.5 cups of anchovy broth (water is an okay substitute)

2 cups of tteokbokki tteok

1 medium onion, sliced

1 cup of sliced fishcakes

1/4 cup of gochujang

3/4 cups of chopped green onions

1 tablespoon of gochugaru

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

Optional:

corn, ramen noodles, hard boiled eggs.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Start by soaking rice cakes and cutting the fishcakes into triangles (or squares, shape does not impact taste)

2. Add gochujang to 4.5 cups of anchovy broth to a high rimmed pan and bring to a boil.

3. Add sliced onions, garlic, the soaked rice cakes, and bring back to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Stir frequently so the rice cakes don't get stuck to the bottom of the pan.

4. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Add green onions and chili flakes to taste and more gochujang if it's too bland.

6. Just before you're ready to eat, add in eggs, and/or noodles.

Serve with rice on the side (that's how I like it) and eat up