Tteokbokki with Cheesy Rice Paper Cakes

Cheesy Rice Paper Tteokbokki

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 15 min
  • Active: 50 min
  • Yield: 2 servings (3 cups)
With leftover rice paper, you can make tteokbokki at home. Instead of using tteok, this recipe uses hydrated, pliable rice paper wrappers that are rolled into tight logs to mimic the the chewy rice cakes. Some of the rice paper tteok are left plain, while others are filled with cheese. Give this dish a try for a super chewy and spicy experience. And keep in mind that the sauce in this recipe does not get as thick as the one for original tteokbokki. Real tteok releases starch into the broth to result in a thicker sauce.

Ingredients

Dasima Anchovy Broth:

Gochujang Sauce:

Plain Rice Paper Tteok:

Cheese Rice Paper Tteok:

Directions

  1. For the dasima anchovy broth: Add the dasima and 2 cups cold water to a medium pot. Let soak until the dasima doubles in size and the water turns a slight green-yellow, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, remove and discard the heads of the anchovies. Split the anchovies in half along the spines to remove the innards; discard the innards and set the anchovies aside.
  2. For the gochujang sauce: Stir together the gochujang, sugar, soy sauce, corn syrup, and gochugaru in a small bowl and set aside.  
  3. For the plain tteok: Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Soak a rice paper wrapper in a large shallow bowl of warm water until slightly bendy but still stiff, about 15 seconds, then lay on a cutting board. Repeat soaking with another rice paper wrapper then lay directly on top of the first wrapper. Repeat soaking with a third wrapper and place on top of the stacked wrappers. Push out any air bubbles, letting the wrappers adhere together. (If the wrappers are too wet and slippery to roll, then pat them with a paper towel to remove the excess water.) Starting from the edge of the stack closest to you, roll the stack into a tight log away from you. Place the log on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining rice paper wrappers to create 6 logs. Cut each log into 3 equal pieces, each about 3 inches long, to yield a total of 18 tteok. 
  4. For the cheese tteok: Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Soak a rice paper wrapper in a large shallow bowl of warm water until pliable, about 15 seconds, then lay on a cutting board. Place a mozzarella slice on the bottom half of the wrapper, leaving 1/2 inch space from bottom. Fold the sides of the wrapper over the mozzarella, then fold up the bottom flap and roll up into a tight log. Place the log on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining rice paper wrappers to create 4 cheese tteok. 
  5. Bring the dasima anchovy broth to a boil over medium heat and boil until the broth starts to foam around the sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Discard the square of dasima, then add the reserved anchovies. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove the anchovies with a slotted spoon and discard them. Add the gochujang sauce to the broth and boil, stirring, until incorporated and the resulting sauce is homogenous and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and fish cakes (see Cook's Note) and cook until the onions are slightly softened and the fish cakes are warmed through, about 2 minutes. Add the plain tteok and cheese tteok and stir to coat them in the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with scallion greens and toasted sesame seeds. 

Cook’s Note

Add more or less gochugaru, based on your spice tolerance or preference, since gochujang can differ in spice levels across brands. Any Asian fish cakes work fine with this recipe, but rectangular Korean fish cakes sold in the frozen section are typically used for tteokbokki. If your fish cakes are completely thawed, add them to the sauce when adding the tteok to prevent them from overcooking.