As I mentioned, there are so many kinds of Tteok-bokki that have been created using different cooking methods, flavors, and ingredients.
The proportions of rice cake to possible liquid to sauce or seasoning all vary based on chefs’ preference and style and can be adjusted to fit your taste.
Red Pepper Paste Tteok-bokki (떡볶이)
Even if you are new to Korean cuisine, you may still be able to recognize this version of Tteok-bokki.
This Tteok-bokki is actually not the original Tteok-bokki that was first created in Korea, but it is so popular that it is the one people initially think of when they say, “I want to eat Tteok-bokki”.
It was invented by a Korean woman after the Korean war. At first, she tried adding black bean paste (춘장) as the base for her sauce but then settled on red pepper paste (고추장), and that is how this dish was created. It has a fairly recent history and just goes to show how much Korean cuisine has changed and influenced the culture.
This Tteok-bokki is made using the braising cooking method, all ingredients are cooked in a red pepper paste-based, slightly thick sauce that has a sweet and spicy flavor. Along with rice cake, this Tteok-bokki may contain fish cakes, boiled eggs, green onion, and or cheese.
Royal Court Rice Cake Tteok-bokki (궁중떡볶이)
The earliest record of Tteok-bokki being eaten is in the Joseon dynasty. The first recorded Tteok-bokki that was made was Royal Court Rice Cake (궁중떡볶이). This Tteok-bokki was served to the king in the Joseon dynasty. It is a sweet and salty soy sauce-based dish with beef and vegetables. It is stir-fried and can be slightly simmered/braised based on the recipe.
Soup Rice Cake Tteok-bokki (국물떡볶이)
Over the years as red pepper paste-based Tteok-bokki became popular, people experimented with different versions. Soup Rice Cake Tteok-bokki is an example of that experimentation. This Tteok-bokki has more liquid in comparison to the original version, it has more of a brothy soup consistency compared to a thickened sauce.
Oil Rice Cake Tteok-bokki (기름떡볶이)
Oil Rice Cake Tteok-bokki falls under the category of Tteok-bokki, but the cooking method involves stir-frying rice cake in oil. This dish is very simple and usually contains mostly rice cake as the only ingredient used in this dish. It can be stir-fried in an aromatic oil plain or with red pepper flakes (고추가루) added to the rice cakes. This dish is more like a street snack that can be enjoyed quickly. It is best to eat this rice cake dish right after you make it because it can get hard if not kept warm and it does not store well in the fridge.
Instant Rice Cake Tteok-bokki (즉석떡볶이)
Instant Tteok-bokki is your basic red pepper paste Tteok-bokki with a twist. This version of Tteok-bokki is cooked and served in front of the person who is eating it.
This Tteok-bokki doesn’t take much time to cook. So, if you were to order this dish at a Tteok-bokki restaurant it would be cooked and served in front of you. All of the ingredients to make the Tteok-bokki would be added to a pot on a burner and then simmered shortly at your table. Once it is perfectly done, you would eat it immediately.
Cream/Carbonara Tteok-bokki (크림/까르보나라 떡볶이)
Cream or Carbonara Tteok-bokki is made with a thickened cream sauce as the base. It can contain bacon or other ingredients along with the rice cake. This Tteok-bokki was obviously influenced by the pasta dish carbonara. It tastes like the pasta version but instead of pasta, you have chewy rice cake.
Black Bean Rice Cake Tteok-bokki (짜장 떡볶이)
This Tteok-bokki is made just like the Korean Chinese dish called black bean noodles (짜장면). It contains a thickened black bean paste (춘장) sauce as the base and usually contains other vegetables and proteins.
Thin Beef Rice Cake Tteok-bokki (차돌박이 떡볶이)
Another variation of Tteok-bokki that was created is called Thin Beef Rice Cake Tteok-bokki. This recipe involvesadding thinly sliced beef to either red pepper paste-based or soup Tteok-bokki.
Soy Sauce Rice Cake Tteok-bokki (간장 떡볶이)
This Tteok-bokki is another kind of stir-fried Tteok-bokki. It is made by pouring a sweet and salty soy sauce mixture onto rice cake as they stir fry.
Egg Rice Cake Tteok-bokki (달걀 떡볶이)
The final version of Tteok-bokki that I will cover is this stir-fried version. It is made with egg and onions stir-fried with rice cakes, and mildly seasoned. I think this dish would be a great option to introduce kids to some basic Korean textures.
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