Authentic Tteokbokki (Korean Street-Style Spicy Rice Cakes)

Tteokbokki comes together in under 25 minutes with this tested one-pan street-food recipe. Chewy rice cakes simmer on the stovetop in a glossy gochujang sauce layered with fine gochugaru, brown sugar, and savory stock. A quick, satisfying dish perfect for a weeknight meal simplified for your home kitchen.

Tteokbokki should be bold and deeply savory, never overly sweet or diluted. This version follows the traditional street-style method, building the sauce with anchovy stock and fine gochugaru for depth and clean heat.

The key is reduction. The sauce simmers until it thickens just enough to coat the rice cakes without turning pasty. The result is balanced — spicy, slightly sweet, and layered with umami — the way it tastes from Seoul street carts.

If you’ve ever walked through markets in Seoul in the late afternoon, you’ve likely smelled the irresistible, spicy aroma of tteokbokki (떡볶이) bubbling away at a street cart. That’s the memory I always return to when I’m in my kitchen—the sauce thick and glossy in the cool air, and the simple joy of that first chewy bite.

I’ve spent over 15 years refining this recipe to make sure it captures that exact ‘street-style’ soul. It’s a favorite in my home, and I even included a similar version in my cookbook, Korean Cooking Favorites, because I believe every cook should have a fail-proof way to make this at home.

In this post, I’ll show you the small techniques I use, like the specific stock base and reduction method, to make sure your sauce is perfectly balanced and never too sweet. With my step-by-step photos and video below, you’ll see exactly how the sauce should look as it thickens.

These days, tteokbokki comes in many versions; from creamy creamy Rose Tteokbokki for a milder, trendy twist to the savory Gungjung Tteokbokki (Royal Court style) for a non-spicy alternative. I love them all, but nothing replaces the classic gochujang-based version that I grew up with.

The Flavor Technique That Sets This Tteokbokki Apart

I’ve been making and refining this version for over a decade, and it remains the one I return to most. It stays grounded in classic bunshik style, rice cakes simmered in a gochujang-based sauce with fish cakes and Korean leeks.

• I use fine gochugaru rather than coarse. It produces a smoother sauce and a deeper red color that coats the rice cakes evenly instead of separating.
• A small amount of onion powder adds savory depth beyond gochujang and sugar alone.
• Brown sugar replaces white for a more rounded sweetness that blends instead of sitting on top.
• Most importantly, the sauce starts with anchovy stock (myulchi yuksu). It doesn’t make the dish taste fishy — it creates structure and depth, allowing the spice to feel layered rather than sharp.
• Proper tteokbokki is never syrupy or candy-sweet. The balance should lean savory with controlled heat and a clean finish.

Key Ingredients for Authentic Tteokbokki

Great tteokbokki relies on a handful of ingredients. Each one affects texture and depth, so quality matters.

Rice Cakes (Tteok, 떡): Use garaetteok, the long cylindrical rice cakes made specifically for tteokbokki. Fresh or vacuum-sealed both work. If refrigerated, soak briefly before cooking so they soften evenly.

Fish Cakes (Eomuk, 어묵): Thin, flat sheets are traditional. They add light chew and absorb the sauce as it reduces. Slice into triangles or strips for even cooking.

Korean Leek (Daepa, 대파): Thicker and more aromatic than Western green onions, daepa brings mild sweetness as it simmers. Large green onions can substitute if needed.

Anchovy Stock or Korean Stock Coin: Tteokbokki should be built on anchovy stock (myulchi yuksu). When short on time, a Korean stock coin dissolved in water provides similar depth. It creates a savory base without overpowering the sauce.

• For Vegetarian/Vegan option, swap the anchovy stock for dried kelp (dashima) stock and skip the fish cakes.

Gochujang and Gochugaru: The sauce depends on both. Gochujang provides body and fermentation depth, while fine-grind gochugaru smooths the texture and intensifies the red color.

How to Cook Tteokbokki

Prepare rice cakes and fish cakes. Soak refrigerated or frozen rice cakes in warm water for about 10 minutes, then drain. This helps them cook evenly and stay tender. Slice the fish cakes into medium strips or triangles so they heat through quickly and absorb the sauce.

Simmer the sauce and rice cakes together. Bring the sauce base to a steady simmer in a wide skillet until fully dissolved. Add the rice cakes and cook at a controlled simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. As they soften, the starch will lightly thicken the sauce. Let it reduce until it begins to coat the rice cakes.

Hyegyoung’s Tip: You’ll know rice cakes are done when they look slightly swollen and feel tender all the way through.

Add the fish cakes and leeks. Add the fish cakes and sliced Korean leeks once the rice cakes are tender and the sauce has reduced. Simmer briefly until everything is heated through and coated. Stop cooking when the sauce clings but still moves slightly in the pan. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Optional Tip: A small drizzle of oligo syrup at the end adds gloss without increasing sweetness significantly.

Serving Ideas

Tteokbokki is commonly paired with crispy homemade Mandu (Korean dumplings) or deep-fried Gimmari (seaweed spring rolls) for dipping. The contrast of tender rice cakes and crispy sides makes the dish more satisfying.

A sliced hard-boiled egg is another classic protein addition, and serving it with classic Kimbap to make it a complete meal. These combinations are typical of bunshikjip menus, where quick, affordable dishes are designed to be mixed and matched.

Tteokbokki is the star of the show, but the best part of Korean market culture (bunshik food) is the variety. I’ve gathered all my essential Korean street food recipes in one place so you can recreate that bustling market energy right at home.

Reheating Leftovers

Rice cakes harden as they cool. To enjoy leftovers, reheat them on the stovetop with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce and soften the cakes again.

This recipe was originally posted in April 2010. I’ve updated the recipe with a few changes, new photos, and more information.