Lately, my spouse and I have been watching a Korean show about a contemporary chef who’s transported back in time 500 years and becomes the king’s royal cook. It’s been silly and fun, and it’s made us crave Korean food so badly that I wanted to try my hand at making tteokbokki (pronounced tuk-bow-kee).

These stick-to-your-ribs rice cake sticks have the texture of a soft, chewy pasta. They’re usually prepared in a very spicy sauce, though there are multiple versions and I opted for jagang tteokbokki because I was also craving this rich burst of umami in black bean flavor.

I was inspired by this recipe, which is more of a side dish with fish cakes than a full meal. But this dish is saucy enough to support even more than the chicken and broccoli rabe that I added, so I think it could be customized to suit whichever protein or vegetables you feel like adding. As such, I think it’s fair to say this is more of a Korean-inspired fusion dish than anything authentic (besides the fact that I myself am not Korean) — but the result was delicious and I look forward to making it again.

A note on the rice cakes: I used a full bag of dried cakes (600 grams) and cooked them like pasta noodles. Depending on where you live, you might be able to find fresh or frozen rice cakes instead. For this recipe, I would recommend following the instructions on the package to prepare these before you start in on the other steps.

This made about 4-6 servings in the batch shown above. Again, you could pad this out by adding more protein/vegetables, especially if you want leftovers. The rice cakes dry out a little overnight, particularly if there is a lot of air in the leftover container — they’re still good the next day, though the texture changes a little.

~600 grams or 2 cups of rice cakes, cooked
1 large chicken breast or other protein, diced
1-2 bunches broccoli rabe
1 large shallot or small onion, minced
2 green onions (1 cut into 1-inch pieces & the other diced)
⅓ cup roasted black bean paste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chicken stock or dashi
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon oyster sauce 
1 tablespoon white sugar to taste
1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnishing

Prepare the rice cakes according to the instructions on the package and set aside. (If the instructions would have you make them into a completely different dish, just boil them in salt water like a pasta until they feel soft, then strain.)

If you are using raw meat or tofu as a protein, heat this in a separate pan with a little more oil on medium heat and brown it a little bit while you work on the rest.

In a small bowl, mix together the stock and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Fry the black bean paste in the oil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add the onion, longer green onion slices, and cooked chicken/other protein. Mix until well combined. Add the broccoli rabe or other vegetables you might want to include.

Stir in the cornstarch stock mixture until combined with other ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat or until sauce has thickened.

Mix in the strained rice cakes, stirring carefully to cover them with the sauce without breaking or smashing them.

Add the sugar and oyster sauce to taste, then stir again and simmer for another 5-10 minutes until rice cakes are soft but chewy or fork tender. Remove from heat.

Garnish with the rest of the green onions and sesame seeds right before serving. Eat them while binge-watching a food-centric K-drama!