Nostalgic Taste! Baek Jong-won’s Classic Tteokbokki
Baek Jong-won’s Tteokbokki Golden Recipe for Guaranteed Success
Enjoy the authentic taste of old-school Korean snack bars right at home! This recipe from Baek Jong-won’s ‘Home Cooking Secrets’ guarantees success. We’ll share the secret to the golden ratio of the sauce, which accounts for over 90% of the tteokbokki’s flavor. Tteokbokki was a must-have treat during school days, and now you can recreate that nostalgic taste in your own kitchen. While franchise tteokbokki offers variety, homemade tteokbokki has a special charm. It can also be a more affordable option compared to buying from branded stores. Baek Jong-won’s original recipe for ‘Bunsik Tteokbokki’ makes a large quantity, so we’ve halved the sauce ingredients and main components for this version. Feel free to adjust the amounts to your preference!
Main Ingredients- Rice cakes (tteok) 204g (for a soft texture)
- Green onion 1/2 stalk (for a refreshing aroma)
- Cabbage a little (to add sweetness)
- Fish cakes (shaped) 2 sheets (to absorb the sauce)
- Water 500ml (for the broth base)
- Boiled eggs 2 (for a hearty meal)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the vegetables. Slice the green onions diagonally about 0.5cm thick. Chop the cabbage into large pieces, about 2-3cm. Cut the fish cakes into bite-sized pieces, approximately 3x5cm. Chef Baek Jong-won’s original recipe uses 400g of rice cakes (tteok), 4 sheets of fish cakes, 160g of cabbage, 240g of green onions, and 3 boiled eggs with 1L of water. However, we’ve halved these amounts for this recipe. You can adjust the vegetable quantities to your liking!
Step 2
Now, let’s make the sauce, the key to delicious tteokbokki. Using measuring cups and a scale, accurately measure and prepare 25g of fine gochugaru, 25g of jin ganjang, 35g of brown sugar, and 42g of gochujang. Chef Baek Jong-won’s ‘Bunsik Tteokbokki’ sauce ratio was 80g gochujang, 50g jin ganjang, 30g fine gochugaru, 20g coarse gochugaru, 70g brown sugar, and 5g MSG. MSG is optional and not essential for a delicious outcome. The golden ratio of this sauce is the most crucial element for homemade tteokbokki.
Step 3
Pour 500ml of water into a pot or wok. Add all the prepared sauce ingredients and stir well until dissolved. Once the sauce mixture begins to boil, add the sliced green onions and cabbage. After the sauce comes to a rolling boil again, add the rice cakes and stir gently to prevent them from sticking together. You can use rice cakes directly without soaking them. If using stick-shaped rice cakes (tteokbokki tteok), it’s best to soak them in water beforehand. This recipe can be cooked in either a pot or a wide frying pan.
Step 4
Cook over high heat until the rice cakes are tender. Once the rice cakes start to soften, add the sliced fish cakes and cook together. Fish cakes absorb the sauce, enriching the tteokbokki broth. When the fish cakes are tender, add the boiled eggs and simmer slightly until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Be careful not to overcook, as it can become too salty. It’s best to turn off the heat when there’s still a little sauce left. The flavor might seem mild at first, but it will deepen as it cools. You’ll find it surprisingly simple to create a delicious batch of tteokbokki!
