Old-school Wheat Tteokbokki

Quick answer

Total time: 30 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 9

About this dish

This recipe details how to make old-school wheat tteokbokki with a sweet and spicy sauce.

Wheat rice cakes are used because they absorb the flavors of the gochujang sauce deeper than rice cakes. The wheat cakes are first soaked in cold water for ten minutes to remove surface starch and control how much they swell during cooking. A base sauce is prepared by mixing water with gochujang, red chili powder, sugar, soy sauce, and minced garlic in a pan. Once the sauce boils, the wheat cakes and the white parts of the sliced green onion are added and simmered. When the cakes become soft, bite-size square fish cakes are added to simmer together. The starch and flavor from the fish cakes help thicken the sauce. The green parts of the green onion are added at the end for color, creating a glossy sauce that clings to the ingredients.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

Wheat rice cakes300 gg

Square fish cakes2 장장

Green onion1 대대

Water500 mlml

Gochujang2 큰술큰술

Gochugaru1 큰술큰술

Sugar2 큰술큰술

Soy sauce1 큰술큰술

Minced garlic½ 큰술큰술

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Step

Soak 300 g wheat tteok in cold water for 10 minutes, then separate each piece and rinse off surface starch.

If they still feel firm, soak 5 minutes longer, drain well, and keep them ready.
2

Prep

Cut 2 square fish cakes into bite-size pieces.

Slice 1 green onion diagonally into large pieces, keeping the white and green parts separate so the whites can soften first and the greens stay fresher.
3

Season

Add 500 ml water to a wide pan with 2 tablespoons gochujang, 1 tablespoon gochugaru, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 0.5 tablespoon minced garlic. Stir until no paste lumps remain.
4

Control

Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower to medium heat and add the tteok with the white green onion pieces.

Simmer about 5 minutes, stirring along the bottom so the cakes do not stick.
5

Control

When the tteok looks puffed and soft, add the fish cake and simmer about 4 minutes more.

If the liquid reduces too fast before the sauce coats the cakes, add a small splash of water.
6

Finish

When the sauce clings glossily to the tteok, add the green onion tops and stir for 30 seconds.

Check seasoning, add a pinch of black pepper if desired, turn off the heat, and serve immediately.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Old-school wheat tteokbokki serves soft wheat cakes that soak up the spicy gochujang sauce.
Finish cue: If the liquid reduces too fast before the sauce coats the cakes, add a small splash of water.
Avoid this: Simmer about 5 minutes, stirring along the bottom so the cakes do not stick.