This tteokbokki recipe gives you extra broth that’s spicy and slightly thick. You can enjoy it like a soup along with the chewy rice cakes and other additions such as boiled eggs and ramen noodles.
Here’s another recipe for spicy tteokbokki (떡볶이) for you! In case you’re new to the dish, literally translated “stir-fried rice cake”, tteokbokki is one of the most popular snack/comfort foods at home and on the streets of Korea! The other spicy tteokbokki I have on the blog has been enormously popular! I hope you also love this soupy version called gukmul tteokbokki (국물 떡볶이). Gukmul refers to the liquid in the dish.
Tteokbokki is made with garaetteok (가래떡), a cylinder-shaped white rice cake. Thick ones are sliced into thin oval shapes for making tteokguk (rice cake soup). Thinner, shorter ones are used for tteokbokki, hence called tteokbokki tteok (떡볶이떡). You can use either one for this recipe. They are sold either freshly made, refrigerated, or frozen at Korean markets.
Unlike the more common tteokbokki in a thick sauce, the soupy version uses a lot more broth so the spicy, slightly thick broth can be enjoyed along with the chewy rice cakes. Typically, tteokbokki is made with anchovy broth for a depth of flavor. A flavorful broth makes a big difference in this recipe as well.
For a vegan option, you can use a vegetable broth and omit the fish cake and eggs.
I used gochugaru (고추가루, Korean red pepper flakes) for spiciness in lieu of the gochujang (고추장, Korean red chili pepper paste) that’s used in the other tteokbokki recipe. Gochujang is made with rice powder or flour, and thus it can make the broth thicker. So, gochugaru works better for a cleaner tasting broth. Finely ground gochugaru is best for this recipe, but not absolutely necessary. I finely ground my medium ground gochugaru in a spice grinder.
For vegetables, I used napa cabbage I had in the fridge. The soft, sweet cabbage is delicious with the spicy broth. It can certainly be substituted with green cabbage.
It’s common to add boiled eggs or ramen noodles to this type of tteokbokki, but they are optional. You can also use soaked sweet potato starch noodles (당면, dangmyeon), instead of ramen noodles if preferred.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound tteokbokki tteok 떡볶이떡 (2 to 3-inch long rice cake pieces or oval shapes)
- 8 ounces napa cabbage or green cabbage
- 2 sheets eomuk 어묵, (fish cakes - aka oden)
- 2 scallions
- 1/4 onion
- 2 soft boiled eggs - optional
- 1/2 of 1 package raw ramen noodles - optional
- 5 to 6 cups anchovy broth
Seasoning
- 3 tablespoons gochugaru 고추가루, Korean red chili pepper flakes, preferably finely ground
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup or oligodang or use 1/2 tablespoon more sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch pepper
Instructions
- Soak the rice cakes for about 20 minutes if hardened or refrigerated. Make anchovy broth (see note).
- Cut the cabbage, fish cake, and scallions into about 2-inch long pieces. Thinly slice the onion.
- Mix all the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons of the broth or water.
- Add the anchovy broth (or water) to a large pan or shallow pot. Stir in the prepared seasoning mix. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat.
- Add the rice cakes and cook, stirring occasionally. When the rice cakes started to soften, throw in the vegetables, fish cakes, and the optional eggs. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until the rice cakes and vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the optional noodles with 2 minutes remaining.
Fajpar says
so delicious… thank u for this recipe
Shannon Phillips says
What can be used in place of anchovy broth. I really dislike anchovies.
Hyosun says
Just use water or other flavorful broth.
Norina says
I made your dish. Last time I made the version with the thicker sauce. This time I made a big pot of the soupy kind. It is just out of this world! I am a high school teacher. Many of my students are Korean. When I told them I make this dish they were so excited, they jumped out of their seats! Thank you! I love all your dishes!
Nina says
Amazing, so delicious
Hyosun says
Happy to hear that! Thanks!
Pawel says
Great recipe! My wife said it was the most delicious Korean dish I have ever made 😊!
Hyosun says
oh Great to hear that!! Thank you!!
Linda Teo says
Hi Hyosun
This is so good. Just made this and the family approves with two thumbs up ! Thank you for the recipe.
Hyosun says
Great to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know.
Jean Olmsted says
Really easy to prepare, and so substantially satiating! I used dried japanese bonito soup stock instead of the anchovy stock and it works perfectly!
Rhona Sweeting says
I veggie’d this, using ingredients available in Asian supermarkets in the UK and a few other bits and bobs!
I made a broth using 1.5l water, 80g kombu powder, 25ml mushroom ketchup, 25 ml vegetarian Thai fish sauce and 25ml maple syrup, then added all the seasonings as above.
Rather than adding fishcakes, I sliced a packet of abura-age (pre-cooked frozen deep-fried bean curd) and pre-prepared frozen garaetteok – from the deep freeze of my local Chinese supermarket – which I defrosted and soaked in a bowl of cold water for about an hour before cooking.
Probably not so authentic, but delicious nonetheless – thank you, Hyosun, for your guidance!
uminurmaisarah says
Even look at it make me crazy… Haha… I will try it next week, n i will let u know how it taste…. im sure it will delicious… fuh…
basma says
this looks damn good I wanna make it as soon as possible but can I ask if the powder packets of the ramen should be added or not
Hyosun says
My recipe doesn’t use it but, you can add a little bit of it if you want.
Reenad says
I made this today and it was really good! Thank you!!! ❤️
Hyosun says
Happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know. Cheers!
Aaron says
Hello Hyosun! I am planning on making this recipe very soon and am wondering whether it would be possible to use fish sauce to replicate anchovy broth in any way (such as by diluting a few drops in chicken broth or water)?
Also, I live in DC and buy my Korean ingredients at the Super H-Mart in Fairfax (it’s where I bought the tteokbokki tteok I’m using!). Do you have any suggestions for better places to shop in the DMV area or do you think I can find anything you include in your recipes at that store?
Thank you for your lovely site! We use it all the time!
Hyosun says
Chicken broth or water is fine. You can use a very small amount of fish sauce if you want as a seasoning, but it won’t replicate anchovy broth. Fish sauce has a very pungent taste that anchovy broth doesn’t have. I usually go to H-Mart in Fairfax and Lotte Plaza in Centreville or Chantilly. Yes, you should be able to find all the ingredients I use at H-Mart or Lotte around here. Both stores sell freshly made rice cakes for tteokbokki, which I generally use. Thank you so much for using my recipes! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
kero says
Oh, this is perfect for the cold, drizzly weather we are having in Los Angeles! Yuuum!
Hyosun says
Sure it is! Enjoy.
Tanya Stokes says
The photos made my mouth water. I rice cake and your recipe sounds very interesting and delicious. I’ll try it next sunday and then I’ll let you know. Thank you!
Hyosun says
Thank you, Tanya! Enjoy!
Elizabeth says
너무 맛있어 보여요! Do you have a recipe for making vegetable broth? Thank you!
Hyosun says
Thank you! Yes, here are two recipes that used vegetable broth: https://www.koreanbapsang.com/2016/11/bulgogi-jeongol-hot-pot.html
https://www.koreanbapsang.com/2012/12/beoseot-jeongol-mushroom-hot-pot.html
Janine says
Where do I buy tteokbokki tteok? I can’t find it on Amazon.
Hyosun says
Any Korean markets near you? I get some hits by searching “Korean rice cake” on Amazon. Hope you will be able to find it.