Cheese Tteokbokki (Korean Spicy Rice Cakes with Mozzarella)

Tteokbokki is the most popular street food in Korea, and on a chilly autumn evening a bowl of these glossy red, piping-hot rice cakes brings you right back to life. This version builds on the classic sweet-and-spicy sauce with fish cakes and hard-boiled eggs, then finishes with a blanket of mozzarella. The creamy cheese takes the edge off the heat, and the cheese pull is pure comfort. It's incredibly simple: one pan, start to finish, and on the table in about 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• 400 g (14 oz) Korean cylindrical rice cakes (tteok), refrigerated or frozen
• 150 g (5 oz) Korean fish cake sheets (eomuk), cut into triangles
• 1 large green onion (or 1/2 leek), sliced diagonally
• 1/2 onion, thickly sliced
• 100 g (3.5 oz) cabbage, cut into large pieces (optional)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 100 g (1 cup) shredded mozzarella
• 500 ml (2 cups) water or anchovy-kelp stock
• 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
• 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), or up to 2 tablespoons for extra heat
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup or honey (optional, for a glossy sauce)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

1. If the rice cakes are refrigerated or frozen, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes to soften and separate them, then drain.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, minced garlic, and corn syrup to make the sauce.
3. Pour the water or stock into a skillet or shallow pan, add the sauce, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sauce has completely dissolved.
4. Add the rice cakes and onion and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, turning them now and then so the rice cakes don't stick to the bottom.
5. Add the fish cakes, cabbage, and green onion and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the rice cakes are soft and chewy and the sauce is thick enough to cling to them.
6. Add the hard-boiled eggs, reduce the heat to low, drizzle with the sesame oil, and scatter the mozzarella evenly over the top.
7. Cover and let it steam for 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted and stretchy. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bring the pan straight to the table while it's hot.

Tips

• The sauce thickens quickly toward the end. If it gets too thick, stir in a splash of hot water; if it's too thin, turn up the heat and let it reduce a little longer. The rice cakes should be coated in sauce, not swimming in it.
• Using anchovy-kelp stock instead of water gives it a real Korean-restaurant flavor: add 1 piece of dried kelp (kombu) and 10 dried anchovies to cold water, simmer for 10 minutes, then strain.
• Eat tteokbokki as soon as it's done, since the rice cakes harden as they sit. To reheat leftovers, add a little water and warm over low heat until the rice cakes soften again.
• For a heartier meal, add a block of instant ramen noodles, dumplings, or Spam. That's the "rabokki" you see in so many Korean dramas.