Cheese tteokbokki is a delightful Korean dish that combines rice cakes with melted cheese smothered in a sweet and spicy sauce.
Our easy cheese tteokbokki recipe is creamy, not too spicy, and way better than the instant versions. So whether you're a dairy lover or prefer your food not too spicy, it will certainly meet your standards.
Not only is it extremely good taste-wise, but it is also relatively easy to put together at home. So, let's get into it.
Jump to:
Cheese Tteokbokki Ingredients
To make cheese tteokbokki, you'll need the following ingredients.
- Korean rice cakes
- Korean soup stock or dashi stock
- Cheese
- Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
- Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Sesame oil
- Green onions
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Onion (optional)
- Sausages (optional)
- Boiled eggs (optional)
- Fish cakes (optional)
Due to its high versatility, you can add many other ingredients to this rice cake dish. In Korea, street food stalls also serve creamy cheese tteokbokki with fish cakes and hard-boiled eggs.
Korean Rice Cakes
For the rice cakes, we highly recommend using garatteok, which are cylindrical white rice cakes made with non-glutinous rice flour. You may use other rice cakes as they are practically the same. However, note that the size and shape of rice cakes will affect the flavour and texture of the dish.
Thin rice cakes easily and quickly soak in the flavour. That is why they are usually used to make this spicy Korean snack. But you can also use thick rice cakes to make the dish.
Just cut them shorter so they will only take a little time to cook.
There are usually two types of rice cakes in the supermarket: frozen ones and dry ones. If you use dry ones, you can add them to the pot directly. They will slowly absorb the soup stock and become soft over time. If you are using frozen ones, we suggest thawing them first. A quick way is to add them to a bowl of warm water for 20-30 minutes to soften them.
Gochujang and Gochugaru
The gochujang sauce makes this rice cake dish spicy and red. Most recipes combine gochujang and gochugaru (Korean red chilli flakes). However, feel free to omit the chilli flakes if you don't want your Korean snack to be too spicy. For our easy cheese tteokbokki recipe, we will use both gochujang and gochugaru.
If you want to make a spicier cheese tteokbokki, increase the amount of gochujang and gochugaru. We recommend adding 1.5 times the amount in the recipe below.
If you want a sweeter version, increase the amount of brown sugar. You can start by adding 1.5 times the amount in the recipe below.
Another way to make it sweeter is to add some rice syrup or mirin to the base sauce. Start by adding 1 tablespoon of rice syrup or mirin to the base sauce, and adjust according to your preference.
Korean Soup Stock
You will need Korean soup stock as it works as the base of the sauce. However, you can swap it with any other stock, such as dashi broth, dried anchovy stock, or dried kelp. Use dried kelp to make a vegetarian tteokbokki.
Cheese
Mozzarella is used in most Korean cheesy tteokbokki dishes because it melts and stretches well. Its somewhat neutral flavour allows the other flavours of the dish to shine.
We also like using cheddar for this dish, as it melts easily and adds a rich saltiness that pairs well with the rice cakes. But this isn't a sign that you should not incorporate other variations.
Easy Cheese Tteokbokki Recipe
Ingredients
- 300-350 g korean rice cakes
- 1½ cups Dashi
- ½-1 cup mozzarella grated
For the base sauce
Optional toppings
- 2 sausages optional
- 2 Eggs hard boiled, optional
- ½ onion sliced, optional
- ¼ fish cakes sliced, optional
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
To garnish
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- green onions sliced, green part only
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix all the tteokbokki sauce ingredients in a bowl. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add half of the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the sausages to the pan and fry for 2 minutes or until the sausages char slightly. Then, remove the sausages and put them aside. Add another tablespoon of oil, and once the oil is hot, fry the sliced onions for 1 minute or until they wilt.
- Then, add the dashi stock and the rice cakes. Leave the stock to boil.
- Then, pour in the sauce and stir until well mixed. Add in the sausages and the rest of your toppings, spreading it around the pan. Reduce the heat to a medium level and let the sauce simmer until it thickens slightly.
- Move the rice cakes to the centre of the skillet and spread mozzarella over them. Cover the pan with a lid and let them cook until the mozzarella has fully melted. Turn off the heat once it is melted.
- Drizzle some sesame oil and sprinkle some green onions and toasted sesame seeds over the cheese tteokbokki. Serve hot, and enjoy while the toppings are all melty.
Notes
- If you are using frozen rice cakes, soak them in some warm water for 20-30 minutes or until they soften beforehand.
- To prepare hard-boiled eggs, add the eggs to a pot of boiling and let it simmer for 10 minutes. If you prefer boiled eggs with a slightly jammy centre, then simmer for only 7 minutes. Once they're done simmering, add them to a bowl of ice water and let them rest for 5 minutes before peeling the shells off.
- You can add more ingredients to your dishes, like fish cake, vegetables, meat, and hard-boiled eggs, if desired.
- Add two teaspoons of red chilli flakes (Gochugaru) into the sauce mixture to make the sauce spicier.
- If you don't have any gochugaru, then add an extra tablespoon of gochujang to the base sauce mixture.
- Depending on the size of your pan or pot, you may need to add more dashi stock to ensure the other ingredients are well immersed in the stock while cooking.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimate.
Ingredient substitutes
As many of the ingredients are foreign, you must buy them from your Asian supermarket. However, here are some ingredient substitutes which you might be able to find and use instead.
Using Chinese rice cakes
We sometimes use Chinese rice cakes, which tend to be slightly tougher and smaller in size. To be honest, there is only a small difference between Korean rice cakes and Chinese ones. Therefore, in our opinion, we think these are interchangeable.
Korean garatteok is slightly softer to bite into, yet has a bouncy and chewy texture that is nice to munch on. So, if we had the choice, we would go for Korean rice cakes.
Rice paper
If you can't find rice cakes, making cheese rice paper tteokbokki by using rice paper as rice cakes works too. You can make cylindrical rice cakes from rice paper. Soak multiple rice papers into water, stack them and then roll them together into a cylinder. It's not exactly the same, but a close alternative if you have rice paper at hand.
Japanese dashi stock
We tend to use instant Japanese dashi stock as they are very similar to the Korean ones. Both Japanese and Korean soup stocks tend to use dried kelp.
The difference is the Japanese dashi usually adds katsuoboshi (bonito) while Korean stock uses dried anchovies in the soup stock.
Other types of cheese
Apart from mozzarella and cheddar you can experiment with other types of cheese. However, we don't recommend cream cheese as its mild taste will be overpowered by the spicy and sweet sauces. Parmesan is a good alternative if you like the salty taste of hard cheese.
How To Make Cheese Tteokbokki Spicy
You can make this dish spicy by adding more gochujang to match your preference. This is because the amount of gochujang used determines the level of spiciness.
But if you're up to another level of hot and spicy, try adding gochugaru to our recipe. If you want to make a spicier cheese tteokbokki then, increase the amount of gochujang and gochugaru. We recommend add 1.5 times the amount in the recipe below to start with. Add more in increments so that you don't end up with something too spicy.
If you accidentally add too much, balance the spiciness by increasing the sweetness and saltiness of the sauce. Adjust by adding a bit more sugar and soy sauce.
If you want a sweeter version, then increase the amount of brown sugar. You can start by adding 1.5 times the amount in the recipe below.
Another way to make it sweeter is to add some rice syrup or mirin to the base sauce. Start by adding 1 tablespoon of rice syrup or mirin to the base sauce, and adjust according to your preference.
However, this dish isn't just made for spicy food lovers. If you are looking for a milder and non-spicy cheese tteokbokki recipe, then go for rose tteokbokki. Cheese rose tteokbokki is lighter, milder, and creamier than the original spicy stir-fried rice cakes. Therefore, it is a favourite of those who usually can't handle too much spice.
Calories
Our creamy Korean snack contains around 800 calories per serving. But for something so sinfully good, cheesy and filling, it isn't too high in calories like other cheesy dishes.
Other Variations
In addition to the melted cheese, you can add sliced cheese as toppings to make it extra cheesy. There are other variations of tteokbokki that you can try apart from having it the traditional way.
Grilled Cheese Tteokbokki
This variation is also known as grilled cheese tteokkochi in Korea because they are often served on skewers. Korean cooks skewer the rice cakes and cheese alternatively and grill them on each side for about 1 minute.
Then, they dip or drizzle the skewers with gochujang sauce. Some people also eat it with condensed milk drizzled on top. This variation offers a crispier version of this chewy and cheesy recipe.
Ramen
You can also enjoy your rice cake snack with ramen, creating the famous Korean dish Rabokki. Apart from tteokbokki and ramen, this variation also contains fish cakes and eggs to complete the dish.
Meats And Veg (Gungjung Tteokbokki)
This variation of rice cake dish has meats and vegetables, making it a well-rounded meal. Most restaurants make this variation using beef brisket and vegetables like mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and carrots.
Koreans call it Gungjung Tteokbokki (royal court tteokbokki), which is usually non-spicy. Therefore, it is a good option for children and those who prefer less spice. But it can always be made spicy with some chillies or red chilli flakes.
Original tteokbokki without cheese
One thing for sure is that Koreans love cheesy dishes, especially the younger generations. Thus, a lot of traditional Korean foods have their cheesy versions. This cheesy, spicy dish is, in fact, a variation of the original tteokbokki.
The only difference between the traditional and cheesy versions is the presence of cheese. Traditional tteokbokki contains no dairy, so it is hot and spicy. On the other hand, our version is creamier and a little less spicy. Therefore, most people prefer the cheesy version as it is not too spicy yet still gives them that gochujang kick.
Mac and Cheese
This variation exists for those who love their Mac. Instead of the usual red gochujang sauce, you can enjoy tteokbokki in a mac sauce. Simply follow your go-to mac and cheese recipe and replace pasta with rice cakes.
The dish is often topped with red chilli flakes, sesame seeds and scallions to vary the flavour and add texture. You can use cream cheese for a creamier sauce and sprinkle parmesan as toppings. Those who want it to be more cheesy can also make cheese-stuffed tteokbokki by wrapping your preferred cheese in rice paper.
Vegan
You can make the vegan version of this delightful snack by using a few substitutes. Since most ingredients are vegan-friendly, you will only have to replace the cheese and broth with a vegan alternative.
We recommend using vegetable broth, vegan cheese, or nutritional yeast to make your vegan rice cake dish. You can also use rice paper to make vegan rice paper cheese tteokbokki.
Frozen Cheese-Filled Tteokbokki
You can make this dish in advance and freeze it for up to a month. If you're wondering how to cook frozen cheese tteokbokki, just reheat them on the stove on low heat until soft. You may also add a splash of broth and more gochujang if needed.
It stands out in an era where cheese is a common ingredient in most dishes. The combination of soft, chewy rice cakes and stretchy melted mozzarella makes every bite irresistible.
Nowadays, this Korean street food is popular among many K-food fans worldwide. We'd argued it's one of the best cheesy foods in the world, and we're ready to defend that, too.
Did you try our recipe? Share your feedback and reviews on Instagram @honestfoodtalks. Or subscribe to us on YouTube so you won't miss out on more tasty content.
Leave a Reply