Ingredients

   
400g tteok (cylindrical rice cakes)
500g water
15g dried anchovies, heads and guts removed
1 piece dried kelp (kombu), ~10cm square
60g gochujang
15g gochugaru
30g sugar
15g soy sauce
2 green onions, cut into 5cm lengths
100g fish cakes (eomuk), sliced
2 boiled eggs, peeled (optional)

Steps

  1. If the rice cakes are hard or refrigerated, soak in warm water 10 minutes to soften. Drain.

  2. In a wide pan, combine water, anchovies, and kelp. Bring to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes. Remove the anchovies and kelp — you want about 450g of stock left.

  3. Whisk gochujang, gochugaru, sugar, and soy sauce into the stock until dissolved.

  4. Add the rice cakes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often so they don’t stick.

  5. When the sauce starts to thicken, add the fish cakes and green onions. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is glossy and thick and the rice cakes are soft and chewy, 6–8 minutes.

  6. Add boiled eggs to warm through. Serve hot.

Notes

  • Use fresh or frozen tteok if you can find them — they’re chewier than shelf-stable. Frozen ones just need a slightly longer soak.
  • The anchovy-kelp stock (yuksu) is what separates homemade from instant. In a pinch, use 450g water + 5g dashi powder, or even plain water with an extra splash of soy.
  • Adjust heat with the gochugaru: drop to 8g for mild, push to 25g for fiery. The gochujang carries most of the savory-sweet base.
  • For rosé tteokbokki, stir in 100g cream and 30g milk at the end and cut the gochugaru in half.
  • Add ramen noodles in the last 3 minutes for rabokki — toss the seasoning packet or use half.
  • Sauce thickens fast as it cools and the rice cakes keep absorbing liquid. Serve right away; loosen leftovers with a splash of water when reheating.
  • Top with toasted sesame seeds and a little sesame oil off the heat.