Tteokbokki — Korean Rice Cakes with Red Chili Sauce

Ingredients

• 8 ounces fresh or thawed frozen tteok (see note)
• 4 ounces beefsteak, such as chuck or sirloin, very thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups green cabbage, cut crosswise into large pieces (optional)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili paste)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Sesame seeds

2 servings

Preparation

1. Soak tteok in cold water to cover while preparing the other ingredients, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
2. Combine beef with soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and garlic.
3. Heat a wok or skillet over high heat until very hot. Add beef mixture and stir-fry just until lightly browned, 1 minute. Add onion and cabbage, if using, and stir-fry until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add gochujang and mix. Add about 1/3 cup water, remaining teaspoon sesame oil, sugar and tteok. Mix and let simmer until sauce is thick and tteok is soft, adding water a little at a time as needed. Adjust seasonings with sugar and gochujang.
5. Mix in scallions and serve hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

• Tteok (Korean rice cakes, also spelled dduk or toppoki) are available in Asian markets. For this dish, the traditional shape is long cylinders; cut them crosswise in half before cooking. If using dried tteok, cook according to package directions and do not soak.

20 minutes