Spicy Korean tteokbokki rice cakes in gochujang sauce

Ingredients

• 500 g tteok (cylindrical rice cakes)
• 200 g fish cake (eomuk), sliced (optional)
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 hard-boiled egg, halved (optional)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Sauce

• 3 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500 ml water or anchovy stock

Method

1. Soak. Soak rice cakes in cool water 30 minutes if dried.
2. Sauce. Whisk gochujang, gochugaru, sugar, soy, garlic with 500 ml water.
3. Simmer. Bring sauce to a boil in a wide pan. Add rice cakes and fish cake. Simmer 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Reduce. Keep cooking until the sauce thickens and coats the rice cakes with a glossy red glaze.
5. Finish. Stir in spring onions. Top with egg, sesame seeds.
6. Serve. Hot, on its own or with rice.

Tips

• Soak the rice cakes 30 minutes. They cook evenly and get chewier.
• Gochujang, not chilli paste. There’s a difference — gochujang is fermented, deeper.
• Don’t skip the sugar. It balances the heat and gives the glaze.