This Korean rice paper tteokbokki recipe is lighter and chewier than its rice cake counterpart. Plus, the spicy gochujang sauce is fail-proof!
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What is tteokbokki/ddukbokki?
Tteokbokki are Korean stir-fried rice cakes commonly served at street stalls or as a bar snack. This is very different from the popular Shanghainese Chinese stir-fry rice cakes, which uses flat oval rice cakes and lacks a spicy sauce. Spicy Korean rice cakes are great with a beer and best during the cold winter months.
Tteokbokki is traditionally made in a spicy gochujang sauce that thickens up due to the starch in rice cakes. Recently, iterations such as rose tteokbokki (adding heavy cream) and even curry tteokbokki have risen in popularity.
Where can I find rice paper?
Rice paper can be found at any Asian grocery store and is traditionally used in Vietnamese cuisine to make fresh or fried spring rolls. You can typically find them in the noodle aisle. I swear by this Three Ladies Brand rice paper.
The biggest difference when using rice paper instead of traditional rice cakes is the lack of starch in rice paper. The sauce won't thicken as much, but this can be solved with a light flour roux!
Ingredients
- Rice paper: Rice paper is usually sold as circular sheets, but if you can find square-shaped ones, they will make for more evenly rolled rice cakes.
- Chicken stock: I use chicken stock since that's what I always have on hand and I find that it makes the dish more savory. However, you can make a kelp or anchovy stock by boiling dried kelp or anchovy in water beforehand. You can also just use water, adjust the seasonings accordingly.
- Gochujang: Spicy Korean chili paste which makes the base of the rice cake sauce
- Gochugaru: In addition to gochujang, we'll add Korean red chili pepper powder, which will really give this dish a spicy kick. This is a key ingredient in homemade kimchi! Adjust depending on your spice tolerance levels.
- Granulated sugar
- Soy sauce
- Garlic (minced)
- Onion
- Fish cakes: You can find frozen fish cakes in any Asian grocery store. Defrost them beforehand. If I need to do a quick defrost, I pop them in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Cornstarch slurry: Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoon of water since there is no starch in the rice paper to naturally thicken the sauce.
- Ramen (optional): Ramen noodles are optional and would actually makes this a ra-bokki. This is a worthwhile addition! I prefer adding Shin ramen.
- Hard-boiled egg, scallions, white sesame seeds as optional, but highly recommended toppings.
Instructions
- Mix minced garlic, soy sauce, granulated sugar, gochugaru and gochujang in a bowl to make a paste.
- To prep the rice paper, dip in lukewarm water for 2 seconds and take out. Don't leave the rice paper in any longer or they will become soggy quickly and be extremely hard to work with. Place on a non-stick surface and roll from the bottom to the top as tightly as you can. You might find that the rice paper feels stiff at first, but let it sit for 1 minute and it will become extremely soft.
- Repeat for each piece of rice paper (or more if you want more rice paper "cakes"!) Use a wet knife and slice each roll into 3-4 pieces, around 2 inches long each.
- Heat up stock in a large pot or deep pan and add the spicy paste. Bring to a medium boil.
- Add in onions and let the onion cook down for 30 seconds.
- Add in fish cakes and rice paper rolls and cook for about 2-3 minutes. To thicken, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoon water and add to the sauce.
- Add the ramen noodles and let it cook down.
- Taste the spicy sauce and adjust the seasoning to your liking (e.g., sugar for more sweetness or gochugaru for more spiciness). Add more broth or water, if necessary.
- Finally, add in scallions and let simmer another 20 seconds.
- Serve in a deep bowl, top with more scallions and sesame seeds. You can also hard-boil an egg, cut it in half, and add it as a topping!
Can I add filling or more toppings?
Yes! I love adding vegan cheese into the rolled rice paper. I usually take Daiya American Cheese slices and cut them into strips. Place the cheese into the middle of the rice paper and roll it in so it creates a gooey, cheesy center when cooked.
Another popular topping these days is to add another slice of cheese on top. The heat of the dish melts the cheese and the dairy helps cut some of the spiciness.
Storage
Due to the nature of the ingredients, this is a recipe best served fresh! However, if you do have some leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, place onto a hot pan until sauce starts to bubble.
📖 Recipe
Korean Rice Paper Tteokbokki
Ingredients
- 8 pieces rice paper
- 2 tablespoon Korean red chili paste (gochujang)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Korean red chili pepper powder (gochugaru)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups chicken broth (sub with anchovy stock or water)
- ½ white onion
- 3 sheets fish cake (sliced)
- 1 packet instant ramen
- 2 stalks scallion
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 1 hard-boiled egg (optional)
Cornstarch Slurry
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Mix minced garlic, soy sauce, granulated sugar, Korean red chili pepper powder and Korean red chili paste in a bowl to make a paste.
- To prep the rice paper, dip in lukewarm water for 2 seconds. Place on a non-stick surface and roll from the bottom to the top as tightly as you can. The rice paper will continue to soften.
- Repeat for each piece of rice paper. Use a wet knife and slice each roll into 3-4 pieces, around 2 inches long each.
- Heat up stock or water in a deep pan and add the spicy paste. Bring to a medium boil.
- Add in onions and let boil for 30 seconds.
- Add in fish cakes and rice paper rolls and cook for about 2-3 minutes. To thicken, add the cornstarch slurry. Stir frequently.
- Add the ramen noodles and cook according to package instructions.
- Taste the spicy sauce and adjust the seasoning to your liking (e.g., sugar for more sweetness or gochugaru for more spiciness). Add another ½ cup of broth or water, if necessary. The sauce should have a similar thickness to a creamy soup.
- Finally, add in scallions and let simmer for another 20 seconds.
- Serve in a deep bowl, top with more scallions and sesame seeds. You can also hard-boil an egg-- cut it in half, and add it as a topping!
Nart at Cooking with Nart says
Great recipe!
Oscar says
This recipe looks so good, can't wait to try this one out.
Andrea White says
Love this rice dish so much! It's soooo good!
Jean says
always been curious about Tteokbokki, now finally I can try at home. glad to see your recipe.
Amanda Dixon says
This made such a wonderful dinner! The red chile sauce added the best flavor.
Agnieszka says
Excellent recipe! Thank you, will make this again for sure!
Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/ says
Wow! I'm not very familiar with Korean food, but I know is one of the healthiest. This recipe sounds too good to miss!
Tatiana says
I love Korean food and always wanted to try this recipe. It turned out delicious!
Linda says
This is my comfort food and I'm so excited I can make this at home any time
Megan Ellam says
These look so tasty! Thanks for the inspiration and another great recipe to try.
Marta says
I love Korean food and cannot wait to try your recipe. Sounds and looks delicious.
Heather says
I love the texture of tteokbokki ! and the spicy chili paste kicks things up a notch
Lauren Michael Harris says
My husband and I love trying new food. Korean food is one we haven't experimented much with. Sending this this recipe right now to add to our must-make list - it sounds so good!
Julia says
Excited for you to try it!
Veronika Sykorova says
This looks so delicious! I've never heard of tteokbokki/ddukbokki but I'd love to try it, it looks super tasty with the ramen!
Julia says
It's one of our favoriteeee Korean street foods, highly recommend especially with ramen and an extra egg 🙂
Karen says
Wow this is a flavor bomb! I love cooking with Korean ingredients - all the umami and layers of textures makes the dish so good to eat.
Silvia says
What a comforting recipe! My oldest kid is fun of ramen and Asian flavors but, since I'm not Asian I have to look for blogs like yours. We absolutely loved it. Thank you for your very clear explanation.
NATALIA says
So delicious! My family loved it! I shared the recipe and your website with a friend. Thank you so much for the easy directions.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
I love recipes like that that introduce me to cuisines and dishes that are new to me. This was incredible and so full of flavor!
Tammy says
I have never had tteobokki before but my goodness I cannot wait to give it a try now! I have rice paper too so I'm looking forward to giving this a try. Looks SO good!
Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli says
It looks so flavorful, especially with that sauce! Also, it doesn't seem too hard to make. Will give it a try, thank you!