Vegan Tteokbokki (spicy Korean rice cake) is a salty, sweet, and spicy dish
With tender, chewy rice cake that is unlike anything else!
Sometimes we open a door and leave it open, welcoming to see if anyone will walk through.
We don’t expect, no one is obligated, but it’s a kind gesture; a welcoming gesture on the off chance they feel ready to walk back into your life.
A lot of things have changed for me, I’ve grown a lot, I’ve learned so much, and I realize now where I stand and what I’m willing to sacrifice for my own happiness.
Friends come and go, but I have clarity now on who I should spend my energy on, and who I should let go of.
Recently I let go of some negative energy that I had been holding on to for the past couple years. I told myself that I didn’t feel anger, I didn’t feel pain, or hurt towards this person, but I did. Of course I did, it’d be unprecedented if I didn’t. But I didn’t realize how much it weighed me down, how much I just wanted to let it all out.
So I did, and I opened a door I didn’t think I was ever going to open again.
So far, no one has walked through, but it’s open. I am no longer angry, I am no longer hurt. The baggage has been unpacked and put away, no longer holding me down but now just memories, nostalgia like a summer trip.
~~~~~
Cryptic but cathartic post aside, this is one of my favourite dishes to eat when I need something spicy and comforting. I’ve really enjoyed exploring Korean cuisine lately. I do find a lot of it as sweet and spicy, which is not typically my cup of tea, but in my own remakes of it, I tend to reduce the sugar to my palette so it’s not quite traditional to Korean tteokbokki, but its everything I ever wanted in a dish :)
Typically tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cake) comes in the stick form, which is delicious, but I sometimes go for the sliced coin versions of it because it usually cooks a bit faster. Traditionally they use anchovies to give it that salty punch, but I opted for soy sauce and mushroom broth powder to deliver that same umami, fermented flavour.
It’s quickly become a staple for me because I tend to buy tons of frozen rice cake to stockpile and whip this up anytime I need something spicy and comforting fast. I’ve also been missing watching Mommytang’s mukbangs and it’s reminding me of her jovial laugh and penchant for life.
Recipe adapted from the one and only, Mommytang
Vegan Tteokbokki
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 1 package of frozen rice cake slices
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp mushroom broth powder
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 green onions, diced
- toasted sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- Add water and frozen rice cake slices to a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Season with tamari, mushroom broth powder, gochujang, and garlic powder. Simmer until rice cake is cooked through and chewy, then add chopped green onions.
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve along side some kimchi and fried tofu :)
Cadry says
This sounds so good! I went through a rice cake phase about a year ago, and then it fell away. Now that it’s getting cooler again, I need to revisit them with this recipe! Is Mommytang not doing mukbangs anymore? Around the same time as the rice cake phase, I was watching her videos regularly.
Lisa Le says
She hasn’t posted regularly for maybe a year now? She comes sporadically back every now and then. I hope she’s okay. I think she’s mostly focusing on family but I know she had this like, one stalker person who was REALLY aggressive and threatening, it was unreal.
Tara says
First – cryptic but cathartic post was so relateable. I have tried to convince myself that I’m not hanging on to anger or hurt from a past experience, but there it is lurking in the shadows. I love that you were able to open the door a let it go. That’s a special skill and not easy to do!
Second- those rice cakes! I had this once before at a Korean restaurant and loved it! When I went back the placed had closed. Wah! It’s good to know what the heck I was eating and that I can find it in K-town grocery. I’ll have to dial back the spice for my bland, wonder bread taste palete. I can’t handle the spice!
Nate Leech says
I couldn’t find frozen rice cakes at my local asian grocery stores. Would the dry version be an okay substitute?
Lisa Le says
Yeah! You’d just have to soak them and then cook them so it takes a bit longer, I’m not sure for how long since I typically just use the frozen kind.
victoria says
Muito boa essa receita, como sempre fazendo postagens de receitas interessantes.
Valerie says
The only rice cakes I know are at this link. Are they the same thing? https://www.google.ca/search?safe=active&biw=1294&bih=677&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=rice+cakes+quaker&oq=rice+cakes+qu&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0l4j0i8i30k1l6.15894.16070.0.19588.2.2.0.0.0.0.101.181.1j1.2.0….0…1.1.64.psy-ab..0.2.178….0.a6gHh5PhN3k#imgrc=Awmd8q1gnd-vRM:
Lisa Le says
Hi Valerie! No these are different, they’re like a really thick, chewy rice-based…. pasta I guess would be the closest thing. They come in either stick form (I posted a picture of it here) or it’s in those sliced coins like in the picture.
Shanell says
Hello. How long does it usually take to simmer the cakes until chewy? Thx
Lisa Le says
It depends on the type of rice cake you use. It’s between 5-15 minutes, you’ll have to taste to check
Angélica Rodrigues says
Delicia!
Char says
Hi just a question regarding the nutritional data.. how does this recipe contain 101g of fat? Not that it will stop me from making this, because it looks like my ideal meal, and I have just moved very close to an Asian supermarket where I could spend hours browsing! Just curious as to where the fat comes from..
Lisa Le says
WHOA! My recipe plugin decided to add nutritional data on its own that’s wild. Definitely not that much fat in this dish haha. The only fat would be from the toasted sesame seeds honestly haha
Lola says
What the fuck is mushroom soup power lmao
Lisa Le says
Mushroom broth powder is like a granulated bouillon that is very common in Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine.