Tteokbokki — chewy rice cakes in spicy gochujang sauce — is the most iconic Korean street food. Here is everything you need to know about it.
What Is Tteokbokki?
Tteokbokki (떡볶이, pronounced "dduk-BOK-ee") is one of Korea's most beloved street foods and comfort foods. It consists of cylindrical white rice cakes (garaetteok, 가래떡) cooked in a bold, spicy-sweet sauce made primarily from gochujang. Fish cakes (eomuk), boiled eggs, and scallions are typical additions. The combination of chewy, bouncy rice cakes with the intensely flavored red sauce is instantly addictive.
Ancient Dish, Modern Form
Rice cakes have been eaten in Korea for over a thousand years, but tteokbokki as we know it is a 20th-century invention. Ancient tteokbokki (궁중 떡볶이 — court tteokbokki) was a savory dish made with soy sauce, beef, and mushrooms — elegant, mild, and nothing like the spicy street food version. The spicy gochujang tteokbokki was apparently invented in the 1950s by a street food vendor in Seoul's Sindang-dong neighborhood, who began adding gochujang to the rice cake dish. It became wildly popular and spread throughout Korea.
Variations of Tteokbokki
The original gochujang tteokbokki remains the most popular, but numerous variations have developed. Rosé tteokbokki (로제 떡볶이) blends gochujang with cream for a milder, richer sauce — an enormous trend from the 2010s onward. Gungjung tteokbokki (궁중 떡볶이) is the ancient soy sauce version, savory rather than spicy. Jajang tteokbokki uses black bean sauce. Cheese tteokbokki tops the dish with melted mozzarella. At high-end restaurants, tteokbokki is made with wagyu beef and high-quality rice cakes.
Tteokbokki at Home
Tteokbokki is easy to make at home. The most important ingredient is good-quality tteok (rice cakes) — fresh is best, but frozen works well if thawed properly. The sauce requires gochujang, a little gochugaru, sugar, and soy sauce, cooked in anchovy-kelp broth. Fish cakes add body and a subtle seafood flavor. The whole dish comes together in about 20 minutes. It is best eaten immediately while the rice cakes are still soft and the sauce is glossy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is tteokbokki?
Tteokbokki (떡볶이) is a popular Korean street food made from cylindrical rice cakes (garaetteok) cooked in a spicy, sweet gochujang sauce. It is one of the most popular Korean street foods and is also widely eaten at home. The dish is chewy, spicy, and slightly sweet.
How do you pronounce tteokbokki?
Tteokbokki is pronounced "dduk-BOK-ee" — the "tt" is an unaspirated double-t sound (similar to the "d" in English "duck"), the "eo" sounds like the "o" in "pot," and the final "i" is a short "ee" sound.
Is tteokbokki spicy?
Traditional tteokbokki is moderately to quite spicy, depending on the recipe. Restaurant-style street tteokbokki can be very hot. However, "rosé tteokbokki" (made with cream and gochujang) and "soy sauce tteokbokki" (ganjang tteokbokki) are popular milder versions.