Tteokbokki with Chili Crisp and Honey

Name: Tteokbokki with Chili Crisp and Honey
Prep time: PT0D0H0M
Cook time: PT0D0H20M
Total time: PT0D0H20M
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 10 oz. fresh or frozen tteok (tube-shaped); 2 Tbsp. perilla oil; 2 Tbsp. soy sauce; 1 Tbsp. gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder); 2 tsp. sugar; 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil; 2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced; 1 Tbsp. chili crisp; 1 Tbsp. honey; 1 tsp. white sesame seeds, toasted and lightly ground

Chewy rice cakes get a sweet and spicy finish in this riff on the Korean street food favorite.

Serves
2
Time
20 minutes

PHOTO: TOBY SCOTT • FOOD STYLING: TAMARA VOS • PROP STYLING: RACHEL VERE (COURTESY HARDIE GRANT)

By Su Scott

Published on August 22, 2024

This recipe is brought to you by the SAVEUR Cookbook Club, our passionate community of food-loving readers from around the globe, celebrating our favorite authors and recipes. Join us as we cook through a new book every month, and share your food pics and vids on social media with the hashtags #SAVEURCookbookClub and #EatTheWorld.

In her new cookbook, Pocha: Simple Korean Food from the Streets of Seoul, author Su Scott unpacks one of her favorite street foods: an oil-seared version of Korean rice cakes known as gireum tteokbokki. This dish is believed to have appeared in Seoul after the Korean War in the early 1950s, but also has roots connecting it to the royal court delicacy known as gungjung tteokbokki, which did not include gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder). In Scott’s rendition, the rice cakes are seasoned with perilla oil and soy sauce and cooked over low heat until they’re simultaneously crispy and chewy, then finished with sweet honey and spicy chili crisp.

If you are using frozen tteok, soak them in cold water for 10 minutes to soften first. You can find tteok, gochugaru, and perilla oil in many Asian grocery stores.

Adapted with permission from Pocha: Simple Korean Food from the Streets of Seoul by Su Scott, published by ‎Hardie Grant Publishing, June 2024.

Featured in “Pocha Takes You on a Street Food Crawl Through Seoul” by Jessica Carbone.

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Ingredients

10 oz. fresh or frozen tteok (tube-shaped)
2 Tbsp. perilla oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder)
2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. chili crisp
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. white sesame seeds, toasted and lightly ground

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Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tteok and cook for 1 minute, then transfer to a strainer or colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside to drain completely, about 5 minutes.

Step 2

To a large bowl, add the tteok, perilla oil, soy sauce, gochugaru, and sugar and toss until well combined. Set aside.

Step 3

To a large wok or skillet over medium heat, add the vegetable oil. When it’s hot and shimmering, add the scallions and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Using a spider skimmer, transfer the scallions to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the oil behind in the wok, and set aside.

Step 4

Turn the heat to low, then add the seasoned tteok and cook, stirring frequently, until they are tender and appear crispy and scorched in places, about 8 minutes. Stir in the chili crisp and honey and continue cooking until caramelized, 1–2 minutes more.