Tteokbokki (Korean Stir Fry Rice Cake)

Rice cake! Rice cake! I love rice cake! Rice cake always has a special place in my heart. It is something really unique and different. Nothing I have ever eaten has a texture like rice cake. It is chewy with a bite. There is not much flavor to rice cake itself. The sauce is the secret to a good rice cake dish. I have grown up with Chinese rice cake, which is usually thinly sliced and cook with pork and soy sauce. Not only until recent years, I found out about Korean rice cake which is usually in a shape of long tube. However, most Korean rice cakes that I saw were cooked with a spicy sauce. I don’t eat spicy food, so I have never tried it. This recipe is just perfect, because it is not spicy! The sauce was delicious with tons of beef flavors and a hint of sweet. The cucumber was refreshing, and the carrot gave some crunch. I really love this dish that I think I can cook this every week. I hope you will like it too.

Tteokbokki (Korean Stir Fry Rice Cake) (Adapted from Muffin Top)

2 servings

Ingredients:

–   14 ounce Korean Rice Cake (long)

–   ½ pound beef rib-eye slices (thinly sliced)

–   ½ onion (finely sliced)

–   1 carrot (cut into thin strips)

–   1/3 cucumber (cut into thin strips)

–   3 big dried shiitake mushroom

–   1 green onion (finely chopped)

–   1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Marinade for beef slices:

–   2 tablespoons soy sauce

–   1 green onion (finely chopped)

–   2 garlic cloves (minced)

–   1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese sweet cooking rice wine)

–   ½ tablespoon sugar

–   ½ tablespoon sesame oil

–   ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions:

1. For the dried mushrooms, rinse them under cold water to clean, and soak them in cold water for at least 5 – 6 hours until the mushrooms are soft. If you want, you can soak them overnight. Pat them dry with paper towels. Remove and discard stems. Cut the mushroom into thinly slices and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Add the beef and mix well. Marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge.
3. Bring a large pot of water (salted) to a boil over high heat. Blanch the rice cake in the boiling water for 20 seconds to 1 minute depends on the size of the rice cake. Drain and rinse under cold water. Coat the rice cake with the sesame oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
4. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm up the vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the beef and cook until the beef is almost all browned. Add the shiitake mushroom, and cook for another minute. Put in the rice cake, carrot and cucumber. Mix well and cook for 2 – 4 minutes until the rice cake is heat through. Taste and adjust with more soy sauce if needed.

Tips:

1. The rice cakes that I used in this recipe were thinner and smaller, so the cook time was a bit less. Just make sure to taste and try the texture of the rice cake to your likeness before serving.
2. For a short cut way to soak shiitake mushroom, you can soak them in warm water for 1 hour.
3. Both the rice cake and thinly sliced beef can be bought in most big Asian supermarkets. I got mine in Assi Supermarket in downtown Los Angeles.

Assi Supermarket (3525 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90005)

Source: Read