Tteokbokki.

The Korean street food. Sweet, spicy, chewy, glossy. The whole thing is the sauce — get the ratio right, the rest is just mixing and timing.

Ingredients

The sauce — mix in a small bowl

• 4 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• pinch of black pepper

For the pan

• 300g rice cakes (soaked in water for 10 min if dried)
• 2 spring onions, cut into 5cm pieces
• 100g eomuk (어묵, Korean fish cakes), sliced in triangular shape
• 550-600mg water
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp sugar (optional)
• ⅓ tbsp salt (optional)
• other vegetables (e.g. broccoli, carrot, cabbage, etc.) (optional)
• boiled egg (optional)

Method

1. Mix the 4-3-2·2·2 sauce. Whisk it together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Layer the pan, cold. Spring onions and eomuk on the bottom of a wide pan. (Add other vegetables of choice optionally)
3. Add water + aromatics. Pour in water. Add 1 tbsp sugar, ⅓ tbsp salt, 1 tbsp minced garlic. (Sugar and salt are optional)
4. Heat gently — 1 minute to let the aromatics open up.
5. Drop to medium heat. Add the rice cakes. Cover the lid.
6. Pour in the 4-3-2·2·2 sauce. Stir until the pan looks glossy and red. Bring to a boil — about 3 minutes.
7. Wait at least 4 minutes — low heat. The color deepens to a rich amber-red. That's the cue.
8. Plate and serve immediately. A boiled egg cut in half on top is the classic move.

Tip · don't rush the simmer

The flavor is built in those 4 covered minutes. Open the lid too early and you get raw gochugaru. Wait it out.