떡볶이 - Tteokbokki (Spicy rice cake)

Chaplin, Cathy. "Dukboki – Korean Rice Cakes In Hot Pepper Sauce". gas•tron•o•my. N.p., 2010. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.

Feature Ingredient: Rice cake

Rice cake is a word as vague as "bread", not only are there many types, they come in all shapes and sizes and can taste very different. The rice cakes in today's recipes are simply made from rice flour, water and some basic salt seasoning; they are an essential part in making 떡볶이 and can be often bought pre-packaged rather than having to go through the hassle of making them yourself! The use of rice cakes comes in both savoury and sweet styles; in Korea tteok is a popular dessert rice cake, in Japan mochi is eaten as a snack and in Chinese cuisine, rice cakes are "nian gao". In Western cultures, rice cakes are most often distributed as a snack in a cracker-like form; this just goes to show the versatility of rice and its byproducts (e.g. rice flour)!

Recipe: 떡볶이 (Tteokbokki)

Serves 5 -6

Ingredients:

1 packet of rice cake

2 medium brown onions, cut into wedges

2 carrots, sliced

1 packet of fishcake (about 5 sheets) sliced into rectangles

2 packets of tteokbokki sauce (bought at an Korean grocer) 

1 cup of vienna sausages (optional)

1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp sugar
6 eggs (optional)
Water
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Hard boil 6 eggs in a small pot.
2. In a separate pot, boil some water; add in the sliced fish cake and then the onions and carrots. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Squeeze the sauce mixture from the packets and dilute into the liquid using a spoon. Then add 1/2 cup of tomato sauce to reduce the spiciness and add the sugar. You can add less of the sauce into the mixture if you cannot tolerate spice.
4. Add in the hardboiled eggs and vienna sausages. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add in the rice cake, separating the strands as you add them in.
6. Simmer for an additional 10 - 12 minutes.
7. Serve hot in a bowl.

Check out the photographic process:

About how much water you'll need to begin with

Adding the fish cake into the water

Adding the vegetables

Add the sauces

Mixture with sauces and eggs

Adding the mini sausages

Adding the rice cake

Simmer for 10 - 15 more minutes

Serve!

Ratings/Comments:

Price: Approximately $2.00 per serving

Difficulty: 1/5 

Taste: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

(1 being lowest/not good - 5 being highest/best)

The recipe was very easy to manage and produced an enormous pot-full whilst using such inexpensive ingredients! This is street food at your doorstep - with the pre made sauce capturing the heat and intensity we all know too well this dish packs. The taste is superb is you enjoy spice, if not you should probably steer away and instead try some alternative Korean dishes such as Japchae or Wollamsam. Overall, I would recommend this dish for you to try at home, even if it's only to see if you recreate the works of your local street vendor!
- C