I have found my new favourite version of tteobokki!  This version is closer to the version I had in Seoul and for the longest time I couldn’t work out how to make it/ what the dish was called.  I experimented making different versions of the more saucy traditional tteokbokki a few times and have developed a great recipe, but finally I found gireum tteokbokki aka oil tteobokki!

Apparently in Korea they often just have this with a beer as a snack. I like it with some greens, even just simple green salad leaves to cut through the heat and the slightly sticky chewiness.

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 350g (2 cups) tteokbokki

• 45g (1/2 cup) spring onions, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1.5 tbsp gochugaru

• 1 tbsp gochujang

• 1.5 tbsp brown sugar

• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce

• 1.5 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 tbsp oil

• Toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Soak rice cakes in a bowl to slightly soften and to make it easier to separate them if they’re sticking together. Prep the rest of the ingredients whilst soaking.

2. Drain the rice cakes, then mix with the chopped spring onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, crushed garlic, gochujang and gochugaru.

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium to low heat then pour in the rice cakes and stir. There should be a gentle sizzle. The sauce burns very easily so you do not want the heat too high.

4. The rice cakes will be very firm initially but will soften as they cook through. Be patient and let them sizzle away gently, it will take about 10 minutes roughly. 

5. Toss the rice cakes from time to time, they should start to get some colour. You want to take them to the edge of burning but not actually let them burn. That’s where the best flavour is!

6. Once the rice cakes are softened and nice and chewy and bend under the pressure of a utensil, taste and if you feel it needs it, add a little more brown sugar and/or sesame oil. Give them a final toss through so the sugar dissolves then plate up and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.