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).