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Tteokbokki Recipe - Los Angeles Times

2 cups prepared tteokbokki sauce, more if desired

Oil for stir-frying

2 jalapeño or serrano chiles, sliced

2 Anaheim or similar chiles, sliced

¼ large white onion, cut into thick slices or wedges

¼ cabbage, cut into thick slices

1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets

3 to 4 sticks fish cakes (eomuk or odeng), sticks removed

3 large trumpet mushrooms, sliced

About 1 pound rice cakes (tteok)

Chopped fresh herbs such as cilantro, shiso leaves, mint and sesame leaves

Recipe: Za'atar Tteokbokki With Tomato JamEater

Mention tteokbokki and what often comes to mind is an image of plump, cylindrical rice cakes swimming in a pool of spicy red sauce with fishcakes and maybe some soft-boiled eggs on the side. But not all tteokbokki is spicy and saucy. In fact, the name tteokbokki is made up of two words: tteok (rice cakes) and bokki (stir-fried), a combination that nods to the many possibilities that the beloved Korean street food presents.

For my first pop-up at Edy's Grocer, a Lebanese grocery and deli in Brooklyn, I wanted to share a different side of tteokbokki as part of the Korean-Lebanese menu I was planning with Edy's chef and owner Edy Massih. Rice cakes, I realized, were the perfect canvas to display the Lebanese flavors I'd been introduced to through my friendship with Edy. He had opened the door to a wide world of Lebanese food, from mezze like labneh and silky-smooth hummus to savory man'oushe, or flatbread. In return, I showed him the spicy, sweet, tangy flavors of Korean cuisine. Our friendship grew from our mutual passion for sharing our cultures through food, and this pop-up was an exciting opportunity for us to create something new together. After bouncing ideas off each other, we landed on a concept that deliciously captured the essence of our pop-up: crispy za'atar tteokbokki.

Za'atar is both a wild herb and a seasoning whose ingredients vary in different parts of the Middle East; generally, it's a combination of thyme, sumac, sesame seeds, marjoram, and oregano. When mixed with olive oil, za'atar becomes a delicious paste ideal for smearing on man'oushe, marinating chicken, or tossing with crispy rice cakes.

Like any oil-based tteokbokki, the rice cakes here get lightly pan-fried with plenty of oil until they're crispy all over; after that, they're tossed with pre-made za'atar paste until fully coated. In a traditional Korean tteokbokki, the rice cakes soak up all the flavors of a gochujang-heavy sauce. But in this marriage of two Korean and Lebanese culinary staples, the crispy, chewy texture of the rice cakes accentuates the potent flavors of the za'atar. In my opinion, both preparations deserve to be appreciated in the diverse world of tteokbokki.

Although za'atar tteokbokki is good as it is, the addition of spicy tomato jam makes it even better. Tomato jam is one of Edy's best-selling products, and I replicate it here by blending store-bought tomato sauce with olive oil infused with Aleppo peppers and garlic. When it's baked in the oven, all of the moisture evaporates from the sauce, creating a thick, jammy texture that's perfect for dipping. Rich and spicy, the tomato jam has many uses: you can toss it with pasta, or serve it with any grilled protein — or pair it with za'atar-coated tteokbokki for a dish that will erase culinary borders and blow your mind.

Note: You can also serve this recipe as tteok-kochi, or rice cakes on skewers. After the rice cakes cook, just take them out of the pan and place 4-5 on each skewer, and serve with tomato jam.

Ingredients:

For the spicy tomato jam:

1 (24-ounce) jar tomato sauce, preferably Rao's Marinara1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes1 tablespoon kosher salt3 teaspoons sugar2 tablespoons dried oregano3 bay leaves½ cup extra virgin olive oil8-10 garlic cloves, sliced2-4 tablespoons Aleppo pepper flakes, depending on your desired spice level

For the za'atar tteokbokki:

800 grams rice cakes, preferably cylindrical shape2 tablespoons za'atar seasoning3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Instructions:

First, make the spicy tomato jam:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Step 2: In a glass or nonreactive 9x13 baking dish, combine the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, sugar, oregano, and bay leaves. Mix everything well and set aside.

Step 3: In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, sliced garlic, and Aleppo pepper over low heat. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until the oil becomes fragrant.

Step 4: Pour the infused oil over the tomatoes in the baking dish and mix everything well. Put the dish in the in the oven for at least 90 minutes or longer, scraping the sides of the dish and mixing the tomatoes every 15-20 minutes to prevent browning, until the mixture has a thick, jam-like consistency.

Step 5: Set the baking dish aside. Once the jam has cooled completely, it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weekd, or in the freezer for up to a month. Just remember to warm up it when serving.

Make the za'atar tteokbokki:

Step 1: Make the za'atar paste by combining the za'atar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside.

Step 2: Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a non-stick pan over high heat. Add the rice cakes to the pan, being careful not to crowd them — rice cakes stick together easily, so you may need to work in batches. Lightly pan-fry the rice cakes for 5-7 minutes until they're golden-brown and crispy all over.

Step 3: Turn off the heat. If you've worked in batches, return all of the rice cakes to the pan and add the za'atar paste to them. Mix everything well until all the rice cakes are fully coated with za'atar paste.

Step 4: Serve immediately with a side of spicy tomato jam and extra sprinkles of za'atar seasoning.

Louiie Victa is a chef, recipe developer, food photographer, and stylist living in Las Vegas.Recipe tested by Louiie Victa

Tteokbokki Takeover: America's Next Obsession Is A Korean Street-food ...

Ask any Korean what their favorite street food is and, most likely, at the top of the list will be tteokbokki — the pillowy soft rice cakes doused in a sticky red pepper sauce. Now the dish is gaining traction in the U.S. Thanks to a confluence of Korean popular culture and accessibility. 

Pre-packaged versions of the food have started popping up at national wholesalers like Costco, online sales are spiking and tteokbokki-specific restaurants are expanding. There also was, of course, that moment BTS singer Jimin helped make it a trending item on social media when he was spotted eating it at a Seoul food market. Tteokbokki is also the preferred food of Ji-Young, Sesame Street's' first Asian muppet.

O'Foods, a global producer of Korean pantry staples, started selling instant pre-packaged tteokbokki in the U.S. In October 2021 through online retailers such as Walmart and Amazon. Its sales of the rice cake have increased 450% over the last year. 

"Our bestselling product on online platforms has always been gochujang, but our tteokbokki product line has already become our runner-up within a year," O'Foods company representative Justin Park told NBC News. 

He added that tteokbokki has outpaced popular Western snacks at times, with his product and Quaker alternating for first and second bestsellers in the "rice cakes" category at Amazon's Grocery and Gourmet Foods section.

O'Foods, which sells pre-packaged tteokbokki, has seen a 450% increase in sales over the last year.O'Food

Its sentimental value is not lost among second-generation Korean Americans, even as new clientele discover the comfort food.

"One of my earliest memories is when I was 9 or 10 years old, I was in Korea for the summer, and my cousins took me to a jip (store) right by their house and I just remember crying, so mae-yo (spicy)," said Joanne Lee Molinaro, creator behind the Instagram account The Korean Vegan and cookbook by the same name.

"I think that is a rite of passage that many Korean Americans have. As a result, its popularity kind of exploded. It's certainly exploded in my own blog," Molinaro said. "People would print out that recipe and take it to the Korean grocery store and say, 'I want to make this.'"

Korean food has long been gaining awareness with Western audiences. Bibimbap was an early Goop — and Gwyneth Paltrow's — favorite recipe in 2009. Korean barbeque joints in urban areas regularly command long lines. But the proliferation of Korean entertainment — much of which features critical plot lines hinging on eating (think ram-don in "Parasite") — has helped accelerate interest in dishes beyond Korean fried chicken and K-Bbq. And Netflix has turned Korean food shows and dramas into global sensations.

Yumi Yang pulls tteokbokki rice cakes apart before they are chopped up at San Su Jang rice cake shop in Los Angeles, on Feb. 7, 1997.Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file

"Recently the boom of Korean music, K-pop, Korean dramas, Korean movies, and anything Korean culture has become a lot more popular and now accepted as something hip and cool and something to try out," said Hooni Kim, the first chef to receive a Michelin star for Korean cuisine. "Somebody who has never tried Korean food but loves BTS and loves the movie 'Parasite,' it's much easier for them to try Korean food."

Kim sells a packaged version of tteokbokki in his premium food store in New York City, Little Banchan Shop. He sources his dduk from the rice cake maker and bakery Yedang, which he swears by. "This is the best place. I've tried every dduk from every purveyor," he said.

Once a delicacy served in royal courts, the tubular rice cakes date back to the Joseon period in Korea, where it was traditionally cooked in a sweet soy sauce and beef. It is thought to be first documented in the 19th century cookbook "Siuijeonseo," though its modern-day form has evolved to be red, sticky and sweet, simmered with hard boiled eggs and fish cakes. That too, however, is changing as new innovations bring new flavors.

In New York City, the restaurant Witch Toppoki is betting on rice cakes' growing appeal by bringing a wider selection to the public. The restaurant opened its first location in Flushing, Queens, in December 2022, and a second in nearby Bayside in February 2023. 

Witch Topokki in New York City opened its second location in February 2023.Youyoung Lee

The menu highlights a variety of rice cakes, from sweet potato to wheat to corn, and unconventional sauces like rose and carbonara. Rice cakes are short like gnocchi, medium-sized or long and skinny. Guests select ingredients from the buffet — most produced in Korea, save for the vegetables — and cook tableside.

"I think younger generations really like it, because this is the first concept in the United States," said Jerry Kim, general manager at Witch Toppoki, who said similar concepts already existed in Asia. "There's a lot of all-you-can-eat KBBQ, but [stateside] they never had a spicy rice cake."

The restaurant Yup Dduk, which opened in L.A. In 2015 and specializes in spicy Korean comfort foods, turned the flavors of tteokbokki into the popular hashtag "#Ktownspicychallenge." It dares users to conquer rice cakes smothered in sauces so spicy they deserve a spot on "Hot Ones," like cheongyang pepper, which is 10,000 Scoville heat units, and the even hotter Korean ghost pepper, ttaengcho.

Yup Dduk is originally a franchise restaurant from South Korea whose massive expansion speaks to tteokbokki's potential across the pond — the franchise has 500 locations worldwide.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.Com.

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