1. Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes). Topokki (떡볶이)
Tteokbokki (떡볶이), or simmered rice cake, is a popular Korean food made from small-sized garae-tteok (long, white, cylinder-shaped rice cakes) called tteokmyeon (떡면; “rice cake noodles”) or commonly tteokbokki-tteok (떡볶이 떡; “tteokbokki rice cakes”). Eomuk (fish cakes), boiled eggs, and scallions are some common ingredients paired with tteokbokki in dishes. It can be seasoned with either spicy gochujang (chili paste) or non-spicy ganjang (soy sauce)-based sauce; the former is the most common form, while the latter is less common and sometimes called gungjung-tteokbokki (royal court tteokbokki) Source by: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tteokbokki
Also known as teokbokki, ddeokbokki, topokki, these are cylinder-shaped rice cakes cooked in gochujang – a sweet, spicy red pepper sauce. Can be served in a bowl with ingredients such as egg, noodles or cheese, or in a stick. You almost find Tteokbokki EVERYWHERE
Now you can try our Topokki at Kukga Topokki both in Duluth and Suwanee locations.
Tteokbokki are rice cakes in a bright red-orange sauce that’s a mix of water, soy sauce, sugar, red chili flakes, and gochujang, a paste made from fermented soybeans and red chilis that is used extensively in Korean dishes, most famously in bibimbap (rice with cooked vegetables). Well into the night, just about anywhere Koreans congregate for work, school, or socializing, you will find street stalls and pojangmacha stewing oblong pans of tteok (rice cakes that resemble overblown penne pasta) in the bubbling sauce.
A mild version of tteokbokki used to be just for the royal court to eat, but now even partygoers stop on the street to fill up on the chewy rice cakes. They don’t have much flavor and almost demand spicy and sweet sauce. Dressed-up tteokbokki variations add slices of fish cake, boiled eggs, ramen (ramen noodles), and other ingredients. The best place to try this is Sindang Tteokbokki Town, a collection of tteokbokki eateries in Seoul’s Sindang neighborhood, where the modern version of the dish was pioneered and popularized. Source by: www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-street-food-south-korea
It tastes like heaven! If you love carbs, you’ll love tteokbokki. It’s chewy and filling, sweet and spicy and savory. If you haven’t had it before, think of it like a savory mochi or maybe like a gnocchi in a spicy sauce
As the title says – “spicy rice cakes”, tteokbokki is meant to be spicy, but the level of heat can be adjustable. The red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru) and gochujang used in making tteokbokki sauce are responsible for the spiciness.
2. Odeng/Eomuk (fishcake) 오뎅
Odeng is hot, easy-to-eat fishcakes typically served on a skewer. If you are spice-shy, odeng is your street-eat savior. It’s soft, smooth, and only mildly fishy. The fishcake is either shaped like a hot dog or flat and folded over, and the skewers jut out from steaming vats of seafood, green onion, and sometimes chili-infused broth that people sip on as they eat. It’s popular in winter, and many Koreans drink the soup alongside soju to temper the alcohol’s fire.
Odeng is self-serve. Just ladle the satisfying broth into one of the paper cups on offer and help yourself to the skewers. You’ll usually find either a dish of soy sauce that you can brush onto your odeng or a spray bottle of the stuff that you can spritz on your skewer. The stallkeeper counts up the sticks when you’re done. In larger places, you’ll find different colored skewers that correspond to different prices.
Now you can try our Odeng(오뎅) at Kukga Topokki both in Duluth and Suwanee locations.
