Korean Tapoki (Tteokbokki), the one by two kitchen way

the one by two kitchen Tapoki dish

I lurveeeeeeeeee Tapoki!

My first addiction to Tapoki was while I was still studying in China. A High School friend of mine who was studying in Hangzhou at that time, Evelyn, introduced me to this spicy and flavourful Korean street food dish, and since then - I became an avid Tapoki lover. Whenever I went to Korean restaurants in China (and there are plenty of them!), Tapoki would always be on my order list! A little while ago before I left China, some of my Korean friends told me that Tapoki actually belonged to Korean street food. I was amazed because I thought the taste was so good it should be a main menu instead of snacks or merely street food! Bless the Koreans for having created this wonderful recipe!

I tried some Tapoki dishes in Indonesia and was very disappointed. They seemed to add so many carrots and to me personally the mixture was just total havoc. Of course everybody is entitled to their own opinion.. And here goes my way of creating the Tapoki dish (if you are from Korea and consider this to be not authentic, let me know the real homemade way of making it!)

I don't really fancy putting carrots on them, because carrots are kind of sweet and it submerges the real spicy taste of the Gochujang sauce. I just think they don't go along! However I do love putting lettuces (round lettuces are the best, although iceberg lettuces will do) - they just mix along well with the taste.

I've heard recipes that use oil to help the rice cakes to not stick out with each other - I personally haven't tried the recipe - but will do and will post it once I tried it!

This recipe will serve around 2 plates for hungry people like me.

Ingredients:

1. Gochujang sauce - Korean Hot Sauce
2. Long rice cake - one pack
3. Cabbage (preferably round cabbage)
4. Fishball - 6 medium-sized fishballs (from Asian supermarkets: preferably Teochew fishball or if there is any - Korean fishball)
5. Seafood stick (kane stick) - 6 sticks
6. Garlic - crushed and evenly chopped - 1 tablespoon

Gochujang red hot sauce

How to prepare:

1. The long rice cake usually comes up very long, if they do - cut them to two.
2. Slice thin the fishballs
3. Slice the seafood sticks in two
4. Bring a pot of water to boil - put the long rice cake in and simmer until the rice cakes texture becomes soft. Careful not to over simmer them as the flour on the rice cake will start to melt away and the rice cakes become too sticky!
5. Use a strainer/sieve to drain the rice cakes and quickly rinse them with cold water to prevent them from sticking up. Set aside.
6. Put one tablespoon of oil on a pan, heat the pan and put the chopped garlic in
7. Stir the garlic and put the fishball and lettuce in
8. Scoop three tablespoons of Gochujang sauce in (or adjust them according to your resistance level to spiciness)
9. Pour a quarter cup of water and stir the sauce
10. Put the rice cake in, stir until all rice cakes are coated evenly
11. Put the seafood sticks in, stir.
12. Serve!

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.


(edited: basically, I do not know the latinised version of 떡볶이 so apologies for the spelling error if any!)