Rice cake and vegetable stir-fry is a tasty and easy meal option. Thin, round rice cake pieces are stir-fried with vegetables, resulting in a wholesome dish that can be enjoyed on its own. It’s so simple to prepare that you’ll want to make it again and again!

Rice cake and vegetable stir-fry in a skillet.

I have a weakness for rice cake dishes and this rice cake and vegetable stir-fry is one of my go-to meals. The chewy and sticky rice cakes are incredibly satisfying – I could easily eat an entire pan of spicy Korean rice cakes by myself if I let myself indulge.

One of the most popular Korean rice cake dishes is called “tteokbokki (떡볶이)” and I have a recipe for it on my site. It’s made with rice cake sticks simmered in a spicy Korean chili paste sauce with anchovy stock and is a common and traditional dish in Korea. If you enjoy snacking on Korean recipes,, I highly recommend giving it a try.

The Rice Cakes

In contrast, this recipe stir-fries the rice cakes with the spicy sauce for a simple yet delicious dish. Unlike the traditional recipe, there’s no need to make anchovy stock. The addition of vegetables in the dish provides a healthy twist, and using thin rice cake rounds instead of sticks means they cook faster.

This quick and easy dish is sure to please and you’ll be surprised by how tasty it is. Follow these three easy steps to make it:

How to make rice cake and vegetable stir-fry

Step 1. Prepare the rice cakes

Rice cake rounds boiling in a pot.

Bring the water to a boil, add the rice cake rounds and cook until they float to the top.

Rice cake rounds oiled in a bowl.

Drain the rice cakes and coat them with oils. I used a mixture of wild sesame oil and grapeseed oil. You can use any cooking oils of your choice. If you don’t like the fragrance of sesame oil, you can omit it.

The reason you will want to coat the rice cake rounds with oil is so that they don’t stick to each other. These rounds are very sticky, they tend to stick to the pan when you stir-fry. By coating them with oil, you can prevent that.

Step 2. Prepare the soy chili sauce

The entire dish is flavored with this soy chili sauce.

Sauce for rice cake and vegetable stir-fry

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Step 3. Stir-fry all together

Rice cake rounds stir-frying in a skillet.

Heat a little bit of oil in a skillet, add the vegetables and stir-fry until crisp tender. Add the rice cakes and stir-fry them again for another 1-2 minutes.

Vegetables are added to rice cake stir-fry.

Add the sauce, chives and mix well. You can omit the chives if you don’t have them.

Spicy rice cake and vegetable stir-fry in a skillet.

Continue to stir-fry until everything is incorporated, about 2 minutes. I like to add fresh chili to give more spicy kick. It is a personal preference.

Rice cake rounds and vegetable stir-fry in a skillet.

Sprinkle lots of toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil.

Chopsticks holding rice cake stir-fry with vegetables.

I like the simplicity of this rice cake stir-fry. The chewy yet soft texture is something that I often crave for. And the spicy level in this recipe is perfect for me.

If you want the less or more spicy, you can always adjust the amount of chili flakes according to you taste. I also love the crunchiness that cabbage adds. Hope you can give it a try.

More Rice Cake Recipes

Korean rice cake and vegetable stir-fry is a wholesome meal on its own.

Rice Cake and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Servings: 4 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Rice cake and vegetable stir-fry is a tasty and easy meal option. Thin, round rice cake pieces are stir-fried with vegetables, resulting in a wholesome dish that can be enjoyed on its own.
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb rice cake rounds
  • 1 tbsp wild sesame oil, or sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil, divided
  • 1/2 small onion, sliced
  • 1/4 green cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1-2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1/4 cup sliced Asian chives, optional
  • 1 fresh chili, sliced (optional)
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp corn syrup
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
  • 1 tbsp sweet rice wine (mirim)
  • dashes black pepper
  • 2 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Instructions 

  • Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the rice cakes and boil until the they float to the top, about 2-3 minutes. Drain the rice cake and put them in mixing bowl. Add the wild sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of cooking oil; toss them well.
  • In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, corn syrup, sugar chili flakes, rice wine, and pepper. Set aside.
  • Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, cabbage, and garlic; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the rice cakes and continue to stir-fry for another 1 minute.
  • Add the soy sauce mixture, chives, and chili (if using)to the skillet and toss well; continue to stir-fry for another minute or until everything is well incorporated. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Cuisine: Korean
Course: Lunch, Snack
Author: Holly Ford
Did you make this recipe?Tag @beyondkimchee on Instagram. I love to see your masterpiece.