Tteokbokki rice cakes simmering in spicy sauce

Photo: lee seunghyub · Unsplash License (Unsplash)

KVIBE IDOLS › Food guides › Korean dishes explained › 떡볶이 (tteokbokki)

🍜 Korean dishes explained

What Is Tteokbokki?떡볶이 · tteokbokki

What is it?

Cylinder rice cakes (tteok) simmered with fish cake in a sweet, spicy gochujang sauce — Korea's number-one street snack. Jeukseok tteokbokki is the sit-down version cooked at your table with ramen, dumplings and egg.

How to eat it

  1. Eat with a toothpick or fork at stalls; dip twigim (fried snacks) in the sauce.
  2. Spice varies a lot — order eomuk broth or a drink on the side.
  3. At pot-style places, finish with fried rice in the leftover sauce.
Typical price
₩4,000–7,000 per person
How to order · Say it in Korean덜 맵게 해 주세요.Deol maepge hae juseyo.Make it less spicy, please.

Where to try it

Tteokbokki rice cakes simmering in spicy sauceSindang-dong Tteokbokki TownThe home of pot-style tteokbokki: Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town and Mabongnim Halmeoni Tteokbokki (since 1953),…Fish cake skewers simmering at a Myeongdong night market stall, SeoulMyeongdong street food and where to eatMyeongdong street food stalls plus two legendary restaurants: Myeongdong Kyoja kalguksu (since 1966) and Hadon…Sky capsule track along the coast at Cheongsapo, Haeundae, BusanHaeundae & Gwangalli: where to eatBusan beach food: Haeundae Market (since 1910) street food, Somunnan Amso Galbi beef ribs (since 1964), and bu…

FAQ

Is tteokbokki very spicy?

Most street versions are medium-spicy and sweet; some shops sell extra-hot or non-spicy (gungjung / soy sauce) tteokbokki.

Where did pot-style tteokbokki start?

Sindang-dong in Seoul, where Mabongnim Halmeoni's shop has served it since 1953.

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