Tteokbokki — Spicy Rice Cakes

Ingredients

• 1 lb cylindrical tteok, soaked in warm water 20 minutes
• 2½ cups anchovy or vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp gochugaru
• 1½ tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 sheets fish cake, cut into triangles
• 1 cup Scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Bring the stock to a boil in a wide pan and whisk in the gochujang, gochugaru, sugar, and soy sauce until smooth.
2. Add the drained tteok and the fish cake. Simmer, stirring every minute so the rice cakes don't weld themselves to the pan.
3. Cook 8–10 minutes until the sauce reduces to a thick, clinging glaze and the tteok are soft with a chew in the middle. If it tightens too fast, splash in more stock.
4. Fold in the Scallions in the last minute and add the eggs to warm.
5. Finish with sesame oil and seeds. Eat immediately — reheated tteokbokki is a different, sadder dish.