Cheese Tteokbokki

If you love tteokbokki, then you’re going to love this cheesy version! Chewy rice cakes and fish cakes smothered in a sweet and spicy sauce then topped with melted cheese, this cheese tteokbokki is going to be your new favourite side dish.

Tteokbokki, also known as dukbokki, topokki, or ddeokbokki, is a popular Korean street food. It’s one of my favourite side dishes as I love how it’s sweet, savoury, spicy, and chewy! It comes together pretty quickly and easily with a handful of ingredients and is easily customizable.

 

• It’s quick as it comes together in 30 minutes or less.
• It’s easy and these ingredients are freezer and pantry staples for myself.
• You can make this as spicy or as cheesy as you’d like!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• rice cakes — usually, tteokbokki is made with tubular rice cakes. You can find rice cakes in the freezer section. I usually get mine at H-mart or another local Korean grocery store. They also come fresh in the refrigerated aisle if you have access to that.
• broth — for extra flavour, use broth instead of water. I like using anchovy soup stock packet but you can also use vegetable or chicken stock.
• gochujang — this is a Korean hot pepper paste. Keep in mind that they come in different level of spiciness. You can get the super spicy one or mild one depending on your preference.
• gochugaru — aka Korean chili/hot pepper powder.
• soy sauce — I recommend using low sodium soy sauce.
• sugar — a pinch of sugar to balance out the flavours.
• oligosyrup — if you don’t have this, you can add more sugar instead. It’s a type of Korean sweet syrup that add sweetens, adds a gloss, and thicken the sauce.
• garlic powder & onion powder
• fish cake — you can find this in the freezer section of a Korean grocery store. It’s usually made with surimi and come in different shapes and sizes. I get the sheet style ones and cut them into triangles.
• shredded cheese — I usually use mozzarella and/or cheddar. Shredding your own cheese melts better but in a pinch, pre-shredded cheese works.
• green onions — an optional garnish!

How to Make Cheese Tteokbokki

• If using frozen rice cakes, soak in cold water for 10 to 20 minutes. Refer to the packaging if you’re unsure how long to soak it for.
• In a large non-stick pan over medium heat, add the broth, gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, oligo syrup, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix to combine.
• Add the rice cakes and bring it up to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes.

• Add the fish cakes and simmer for another 3 minutes, stirring as you simmer.
• Add a layer of cheese and let it melt for a minute before serving. Top with some green onions if you’d like.

Make Ahead Tips

• Meal prep: once cooled, store the cheesy tteokbokki in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. You can reheat it in the microwave or in the skillet with a splash of broth.
• Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing cheese tteokbokki.

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