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I’ve been reading through some tteokbokki discussions, particularly threads in this subreddit about sauce recipes, rice cake texture, and different ways people customize the dish. I work at a Korean food company, and our “deep-dive” topic this month is tteokbokki! Below are some recurring problems and questions that I found that are ripe for discussion. We have a few dozen Korean chefs on staff in our Seoul + U.S-based kitchens who would love to learn about your perspective on quandaries and curiosities. Post a photo of your tteokbokki and we’ll give you our best guess at possible solutions! 1. Getting the sauce right / Diff sauce styles This comes up a lot. Some people find their sauce way too sweet, others say it’s too spicy, too thin, too thick, or just tastes like straight-up gochujang without much depth.
#1) close-up of sauce. slightly thin consistency #2) street-food; close-up of sauce, slightly thicker, glossier, more red #3) street-food; close-up of sauce, thinner and less red 2. Rice cakes that don’t have the right texture People describe theirs as gummy, starchy, rubbery, hard in the middle or almost dissolving into the sauce. There are actually two common types: rice-based (ssal-tteok) and wheat-based (mil-tteok). They can have noticeably different textures. Rice cakes tend to have a firmer, more substantial chew, while wheat cakes are often softer and springier. They can also behave differently when simmered in sauce, particularly in how much starch they release and how thick the sauce becomes.
#9) cracking issues from u/Taehoon 3. Topping Options! Variations beyond the basic formula of rice cakes and red sauce. Fish cakes, boiled eggs, cabbage, ramen, dumplings, mushrooms, cheese.
#10) a fave topping: medium-soft boiled egg #11) another classic topping: fish cake and ramen! #12) cheesy, hot dog, rose teokbokki #13) street food; stir-fried style with crab topping (signs are in chinese & korean) TLDR: Let me know your burning questions, frustrations, or observations about tteokbokki. Feel free to post a photo, if you want some support with figuring things out. Or feel free to post a photo if you want to share some ideas for toppings and get some kudos for it 😉 submitted by /u/summerboredom2012 |
Have you tried making tteokbokki at home before? Some struggles I’ve noticed over the years + possible solutions!
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