Korean tteok and rice cake technique
Tteok (Korean rice cakes) are made from glutinous (sweet) or non-glutinous rice flour, pounded or steamed into a dense, chewy, satisfying dough. Tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes in spicy sauce) is the iconic Korean street food. Tteok-guk (rice cake soup) is the traditional New Year's dish. Songpyeon (filled rice cakes) are the Chuseok harvest festival food. The technique centres on understanding rice starch behaviour: glutinous rice flour produces a stretchy, sticky dough, while non-glutinous rice flour produces a firmer, more sliceable result. The pounding technique (historically using a large stone mortar and wooden mallet) develops the elastic, chewy texture that defines tteok.
For tteokbokki: cylindrical rice cakes (garaetteok) are simmered in a sauce of gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, and anchovy-kelp broth. The rice cakes must be soaked in cold water first if dried — they need to soften before cooking. The sauce reduces and thickens as the starch from the rice cakes dissolves into it, creating a glossy, clingy coating. Fish cakes (eomuk) and boiled eggs are standard additions. For songpyeon: non-glutinous rice flour dough is filled with sweetened sesame seeds, red beans, or chestnuts, shaped into half-moons, and steamed over a bed of pine needles — the needles prevent sticking and impart a subtle piney fragrance.
For tteokbokki: the sauce should be made separately and the rice cakes added to simmer — this gives you control over consistency. Add a tablespoon of corn syrup or oligodang (Korean syrup) for the characteristic glossy finish. The heat level is traditionally quite high — use more gochugaru than you think. Cheese tteokbokki (adding mozzarella) is a modern Korean comfort food innovation. For tteok-guk: the rice cake is sliced into thin ovals from a garaetteok log, simmered in clear beef broth with egg ribbons, seaweed, and spring onion — it symbolises gaining a year of age at New Year.
Not soaking dried rice cakes — they'll be hard and undercooked in the centre. Over-cooking until they dissolve — they should be chewy and distinct, not mushy. Not enough sauce for tteokbokki — the rice cakes absorb liquid. Using regular rice flour instead of glutinous rice flour for mochi-style tteok. Overcrowding the steamer for songpyeon — they expand and stick together.
Common Questions
What are common mistakes when making Korean tteok and rice cake technique?
Not soaking dried rice cakes — they'll be hard and undercooked in the centre. Over-cooking until they dissolve — they should be chewy and distinct, not mushy. Not enough sauce for tteokbokki — the rice cakes absorb liquid. Using regular rice flour instead of glutinous rice flour for mochi-style tteok. Overcrowding the steamer for songpyeon — they expand and stick together.