Korea · 25 min · Vegetarian · Starter · For beginners
Tteok Kkochi
In German: Reiskuchen-Spieße · In English: Rice Cake Skewers
For 4 servings · US units
Crispy pan-fried rice cake skewers with a sticky, spicy gochujang glaze
Tteok Kkochi are skewers of cylindrical rice cakes, pan-fried until crisp on the outside and wonderfully chewy inside, then brushed with a glossy sauce of gochujang, ketchup and syrup. It's a savory street-food-style snack, sweet, spicy and sticky all at once, best eaten straight off the stick. They're on the table in 25 minutes, any time of year.
Ingredients
- 14⅛ ozcylindrical (garaetteok/tteokbokki tteok), about 16 pieces; fresh or thawedKorean tteok: steamed and pounded rice dough, usually shaped into finger-thick sticks or oval slices. Firmly chewy and mild, not to be confused with puffed rice cakes.Substitute: There is no good substitute. Japanese mochi is made from glutinous rice, turns soft when cooked and melts away. Gnocchi or short thick pasta will carry the sauce but lack the chewy, springy bite these dishes are built around.Read more
- 2 tbspVegetable oilfor frying
- 2 tbspfor the sauceKorean chili paste made from glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, chili powder and salt, thick, hot, salty and faintly sweet.Substitute: There is no real substitute, because the fermented depth and the sticky sweetness together carry the dish. As a stopgap, light miso paste stirred with Korean chili powder or other mild chili flakes and a little honey or sugar roughly matches the salt, heat and sweetness, but tastes flatter and less rounded. Chili sauces such as sriracha are too thin and too sour and change the dish noticeably.Read more
- 2 tbspketchupfor the sauce
- 2 tbspfor the sauce; alternatively corn, maple or oligosaccharide syrupIn Korean cooking this usually means a light starch or rice syrup (mulyeot, jocheong): thick, mildly sweet, and used for gloss.Substitute: Glucose syrup or light corn syrup come closest to the original, as does rice syrup. Honey or agave syrup also work but are noticeably sweeter and bring their own flavour, so use less; sugar dissolved in water sweetens but gives little gloss or body.Read more
- 1 tspSugarfor the sauce
- 1 tbspSoy saucefor the sauce
- 1 clovesGarlicfinely minced or grated, for the sauce
- 1 tsptoasted, for the sauceDark oil pressed from toasted sesame seeds, with a strong, nutty, roasted aroma; usually added at the end in small amounts as a seasoning.Substitute: There is no real substitute, as no other oil carries the roasted aroma; at a pinch, a neutral oil with freshly pan-toasted, crushed sesame seeds helps, though the flavour stays clearly weaker.Read more
- 2 tbspWaterto thin the sauce
- Black pepperfreshly ground, in the sauce
- 1 tbspSesame seedstoasted, for sprinkling
- 1Spring onionthinly sliced, for garnish
- 2 tbspPeanutschopped, for sprinkling; other nuts or pumpkin seeds work too (optional)
Method
- Soak the skewersSoak the wooden skewers in water for about 10 to 15 minutes so they don't scorch in the pan.
- Blanch the rice cakesIf your rice cakes are thawed, blanch them briefly in boiling water until softened, then rinse under cold water and pat them thoroughly dry. With really fresh rice cakes, you can skip this step.
- Thread the skewersThread about four rice cakes onto each skewer, side by side.
- Mix the sauceFor the sauce, stir together the gochujang, ketchup, rice syrup or honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil with the water, then season with freshly ground black pepper. If you like it a little thicker, bring it briefly to a boil in a small saucepan until it thickens slightly.
- Fry until goldenHeat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the skewers for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crisp all over.
- Brush with sauceTake the skewers out of the pan and brush them generously all over with the sauce.
- Garnish and serveSprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, sliced spring onion and, if you like, chopped peanuts, and serve hot.
Tips and variations
For extra shine, put the glazed skewers back in the pan for a moment and let the sauce caramelize slightly. They're great on the grill, too. You can sweeten the sauce with strawberry jam or sweet chili sauce, or round it out with a splash of mirin, and sliced rice cakes (tteokguk tteok) work in place of the cylinders. If you don't need to keep it vegetarian, alternate rice cakes and little sausages for sotteok. Other nuts or pumpkin seeds can stand in for the peanuts. The skewers are best fresh and warm, but they still make a lovely snack at room temperature.
Allergens
Contains: Cereals containing gluten, Sesame, Soybeans
May contain if you use the optional ingredients: Peanuts
Not every ingredient in this recipe has been checked, so nothing is promised as free from.
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
