Old-school Wheat Tteokbokki
Quick answer
This recipe details how to make old-school wheat tteokbokki with a sweet and spicy sauce.
What makes this special
- Old-school wheat tteokbokki serves soft wheat cakes that soak up the spicy gochujang sauce.
- Wheat tteok absorbs the gochujang sauce deeper than rice tteok would
- 10-minute cold-water soak controls how much the tteok swells during cooking
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Soak 300 g wheat tteok in cold water for 10 minutes, then separate each piec...
- 2 Cut 2 square fish cakes into bite-size pieces.
- 3 Add 500 ml water to a wide pan with 2 tablespoons gochujang, 1 tablespoon go...
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.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Step
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.
- 2Prep
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.
- 3Season
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.
- 4Control
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.
- 5Control
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.
- 6Finish
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.
After the steps
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