Tteokbokki is the most popular Korean street-food. In Korea they have it when they are particularly stressed  it is said they help in releasing all bad energy: true? Dunno, I just think they are crazy good.

Soft rice cakes, cooked in a spicy and hot chili pepper sauce. Many other ingredients are paired: hard-boiled eggs, fish cakes, even sausages and melted cheese. The recipe that follow is very basic and I opted for the eggs version (cause this is the best in my opinion and the simplest on top).

Careful: you will need got-jang (easily found in international grocery stores and even on amazon). Rice cakes can be found deep-frozen in international grocery stores, but i decided to push boundaries further and I made them home: they are a piece of G-O-O-D-N-E-S-S!!!

Serves 4

ready in 20 minutes (with rice cakes ready)

500 grams Tteok (here the recipe)

800 ml water

3 salted anchovies (washed and cleaned)

1 leave of Kombu seaweed (if available)

salt (as needed)

70 grams of gochujang (chilli pepper paste)

1 tbs chilli pepper powder

1 tbs sugar

4 spring onions (in 2 cm wide chunks)

4 hard boiled eggs

In a small bowl mix well the chilli pepper cream, with the chilli pepper powder and the sugar.

Menawhile bring to a boil the water with the anchovies and the kombu seaweed and half tbs of salt. Boil for 7/8 minute. Retain the seaweed and clean the foam with a slotted spoon.

Add the rice cakes, the chilli pepper mixture and bring to a boil. Let simmer – high heat – for 5 minutes.

Add the green onions. SImmer for further 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens enough. Serve.

For 500 grams rice cakes circa (serving 4)

Phase 1

500 grams short grain rice

water (as needed)

wash the rice under running water until the discarded water gets clear.

Cover it with fresh water and set aside for 8 hours.

Phase 2

Drain the rice and set aside into the colander for 30 minutes.

Then put the rice into a grinder and grind it finely. Sieve the flour on a sieve. Then go to phase 3.

Phase 3

500 grams short grain rice flour (check phase 2)

2 tbs sesame oil

160 grams boiling water

1 tsp salt

Mix the flour with the salt and the boiling water.
You will obtain a semi-thick cream.

Cover the recipient with cling film and cook the mixture into the microwave oven for 2 minutes. Take out, and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Cook the mixture again for further 2 minutes. Take out from the container and beat firmly with a pestle for 5 minutes. Knead then with your hands for further five minutes (until it gets compact).

Divide the dough into 4 parts and roll each part into cylinder shaped rolls 1,5 cm diameter. Slice them into 4/4.5 cm long pieces.

Grease them with the sesame oil and preserve inplastic bag (1 day in refrigerator or 1 month into the freezer).

I had it so many times in Korea. And today I can say this is one of my preferred Korean specialities. There are many versions of it, the most common use either Gochujang (hot chilli pepper paste) or Gochugaru (hot chili pepper flakes). The directions are exactly the same, just use one or the other: up to you and to the available ingredients.

Some make a light brine with the soy sauce, the sugar, the garlic and the ginger and mix it with the meat 30 minutes before cooking – if you want you can also do this way – the taste will not change dramatically! I go for the version I share with you: it is really how they make it home and it is very quick and easy. Enjoy!

4 persone / Serves 4

30 mins

400 grams fresh sliced pork belly 3 mm thick

1 onion

1 carrot (julienne)

2 garlic cloves

1 tbs grated fresh ginger

2 tbs gr gochugaru*

2 tsp brown sugar

2 tbs say sauce

half tsp ground pepper

2 tbs sesame seeds & 2 tbs sesame oil – at choice

* – if you can’t find korean ones, than be careful not to use too spicy hot chili peppers – go for medium hot ones. Alternatively you can use 1 full tbs of gochugaru (korean red chilli pepper powder)

Cut the pork into slices 2 cm wide.

Slice the onion into slices half cm thick. Chop the garlic. Grate the ginger. In a pan put the pork on high heat. Stir fry for 4/5 minutes.

Add all vegetables and the ginger and stir for a couple of minutes. Add now the seasoning: gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar and stir fry – high heat – until the sauce is reduced. Add at last the sesame seeds the sesame oil, stir fir for 1 extra minute and serve.

Serves 4

Ready in 2h

400 grams carpaccio meat or thin slices

6 spring onions

3 garlic cloves

1 tbs sesame seeds

1 tbs sesame oil

3 tbs soy sauce

3 tbs water

1 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs honey

To serve

1 lettuce

Gochujang – korean hot pepper paste

Slice the meat into stripes 7/8 cm long and 2/3 cm wide. Chop the onions and the garlic.

In a container put the meat, the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients and put in the refrigerator for 1h at least.

Cook the whole mixture on hot grid or in a hot pan until cooked – careful it does not get brown, it tastes better when it is still juicy.

Serve bulgoghi with lettuce – you need to wrap the meat into the lettuce leaf – serve with gochujang on a side.

Serves 2

Ready in 1.5H

150 grams fresh spinach

200 grams beef carpaccio

150 grams soy sprouts

150 grams mushrooms (shitake or button)

1 zucchini

1 big carrot

2 eggs

200 grams rice (steamed or boiled)

5 garlic cloves finely chopped

sesame seeds oil

salt

2 tbs brown sugar

3 tbs soy sauce

to serve:

korean hot pepper paste ( gochujang)

sesame seeds oil

Boil the baby spinach for 1 minute, drain and let cool down. Squeeze them and drain the water in excess. Season with half tsp of garlic, 1 tbs soy sauce and 1 tbs sesame seeds oil.

Boil for 6/7 minutes the soy sprouts. Drain well. Season with half tsp garlic, salt and 2 tbs sesame seeds oil.

Stir fry for 10/12 minutes (high heat) the sliced mushrooms with 1 tbs of sesame seeds oil. Season with 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs sesame seeds oil and 1 tsp brown sugar, stir fry for other 2/3 minutes. Set aside.

Stick the zucchini and the carrots and Stir fry them separately quickly for 5/6 minutes with a tbs of sesame seeds oil. Season with salt. Set aside.

Stir fry for a couple of minutes the sliced meat with 2 tbs of vegetable oil, add 1 tsp of garlic, 1 tsp brown sugar, 2 tbs sesame seeds oil, stir fry for 2 minutes more season with pepper and set aside.

Steam the rice, heat your dolsot (the stone bowl – if you do not have it you can use a normal hot bowl) and compose your bibimbap.

When you are ready to serve, fry the eggs.

Put the hot rice at the bottom and top with the fried egg and with meat and vegetables all around.

Serve hot with gochujang and sesame seed oil. Mix everything well before tasting it!