Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)

Name: Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: South Korea
Ingredients: 1 lb cylindrical rice cakes (tteok); 4 cups anchovy stock or water; 3 tbsp gochujang; 1 tbsp gochugaru; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 2 fish cakes (eomuk), sliced; 1 onion, sliced; 2 scallions, cut into pieces; 2 hard-boiled eggs (optional)

4 servings10 min prep20 min cookEasy South Korea

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)

Story updated September 17, 2026

Tteokbokki began as a mild, soy-sauce-based royal court dish, gungjung tteokbokki. The fiery, gochujang-based street food version familiar today is credited to Ma Bok-rim, a Seoul vendor in the 1950s said to have discovered the combination of rice cakes and spicy sauce by accident, and it went on to become one of Korea's most beloved street snacks.

Ingredients

Scale:· 4 servings

1 lb cylindrical rice cakes (tteok)
4 cups anchovy stock or water
3 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp gochugaru
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 fish cakes (eomuk), sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 scallions, cut into pieces
2 hard-boiled eggs (optional)

Instructions

1Soak the rice cakes in warm water for 10 minutes if firm, then drain.
2Bring the anchovy stock to a boil in a wide, shallow pan.
3Whisk in gochujang, gochugaru, sugar, and soy sauce until dissolved.
4Add the rice cakes, fish cakes, and onion, and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice cakes are soft and the sauce thickens.
5Add scallions in the last 2 minutes of cooking.
6Serve hot, topped with hard-boiled eggs if desired.

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