If you’ve ever watched a Korean drama, you’ve probably seen someone eating this bright red, steamy street food. That’s Tteokbokki (떡볶이) — soft, chewy rice cakes simmered in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce.
한국 드라마를 본 적이 있다면, 붉은색 양념에 푹 담긴 떡볶이를 먹는 장면을 한 번쯤 봤을 거예요. 떡볶이는 쫄깃한 떡을 달콤하고 매운 고추장 양념에 졸여 만든 대표적인 한국 길거리 음식이에요.
The best part? You don’t have to be in Korea to enjoy it. With just a few simple ingredients, you can recreate that authentic flavor right at home.
좋은 점은, 꼭 한국에 가지 않아도 집에서 간단한 재료로 그 맛을 낼 수 있다는 거예요.
🛒 Ingredients 재료
- Main 주재료
1½ cups Korean rice cakes (about 200g) / 떡볶이 떡 1컵 반 (약 200g)
3–4 fish cakes (or fish tofu sheets), sliced / 어묵 3~4장 (또는 피쉬두부 시트)
1 green onion, cut into 2-inch pieces / 대파 1대 (5cm 길이로 자름)
2 cups water or anchovy broth / 물 또는 멸치육수 2컵
- Sauce 소스
2 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chili paste) / 고추장 2큰술
1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) / 고춧가루 1큰술
1 tbsp soy sauce / 간장 1큰술
1 tbsp sugar / 설탕 1큰술
1 tbsp corn syrup or honey / 물엿 또는 꿀 1큰술
1 tsp minced garlic / 다진 마늘 1작은술
Optional toppings (선택):
1 boiled egg or ½ cup mozzarella cheese / 삶은 달걀 1개 또는 모짜렐라치즈 ½컵
Sesame seeds for garnish / 깨 약간
🍳 Instructions | 조리법
- Boil the broth.
In a medium pot, pour 2 cups of water (or anchovy broth) and bring it to a boil.
냄비에 물이나 멸치육수를 넣고 끓입니다. - Add the sauce ingredients.
Stir in gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, corn syrup, and minced garlic. Mix well until smooth.
고추장, 고춧가루, 간장, 설탕, 물엿, 다진 마늘을 넣고 잘 풀어줍니다. - Add rice cakes and fish cakes.
Once the sauce starts bubbling, add rice cakes and fish cakes. Stir often so they don’t stick.
양념이 끓기 시작하면 떡과 어묵을 넣고 저어줍니다. - Simmer until thick.
Cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens and the rice cakes become soft and chewy.
약 10분간 끓여 양념이 걸쭉해지고 떡이 부드러워질 때까지 졸입니다. - Finish with toppings.
Add boiled egg or cheese, and sprinkle sesame seeds before serving.
삶은 달걀이나 치즈를 넣고, 마지막에 깨를 뿌려 마무리합니다.
🧊 Storage / 보관법
If you happen to have some leftover tteokbokki (which honestly doesn’t happen often 😋), here’s the best way to keep it fresh!
혹시 남았다면 (사실 거의 그런 일은 없지만요 😋), 이렇게 보관하면 좋아요.
Let it cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
완전히 식힌 뒤 밀폐용기에 담아 냉장고에 넣어주세요.
When you’re ready to eat again, add a spoon or two of water and warm it slowly over low heat — it’ll come back soft and chewy like new.
먹기 전엔 물 한두 스푼 넣고 약불로 천천히 데우면 처음처럼 말랑해져요.
If you’re in a hurry, pop it in the microwave for about a minute, give it a quick stir, then heat again until hot.
바쁠 땐 전자레인지에 1분 정도 돌리고 한 번 저어 다시 데워도 괜찮아요.
I don’t recommend freezing it though — rice cakes turn hard and lose their chewy texture.
다만 냉동은 비추천이에요. 떡이 딱딱해져서 쫀득한 식감이 사라지거든요.
If you want, you can freeze just the sauce separately for next time!
필요하다면 양념소스만 따로 냉동해두면 다음에도 편하게 쓸 수 있어요.
Oh, and for cheese tteokbokki — always add fresh cheese when reheating.
그리고 치즈 떡볶이는 데울 때 새 치즈를 살짝 더 올리면 훨씬 맛있어요. 🧀
💡 Tips 팁
- If rice cakes are frozen, soak in warm water for 10 minutes before cooking.
냉동 떡은 미리 따뜻한 물에 10분 정도 담가주세요.
- Add a few drops of sesame oil for extra flavor.
참기름을 살짝 넣으면 풍미가 더 좋아져요.
- Goes perfectly with fried dumplings or kimbap!
튀김이나 김밥과 함께 먹으면 궁합이 좋아요.
If you’re planning to try making tteokbokki at home, it helps to stop by a Korean grocery store first.
Rice cakes, gochujang, and fish cakes are the key — and once you have them, you can use them for many other Korean dishes too.
They keep well in the fridge and come in handy whenever you want a quick, warm meal with Korean flavor.
In Korea, tteokbokki is often enjoyed together with soondae (Korean blood sausage) and fried snacks (twigim).
Mama's Korean Kitchen 