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Tteok kkochi
Rice cake skewers
떡꼬치 · fried rice-cake skewers in sweet chilli glaze
Tteok kkochi is the after-school snack of Korea, sold for a few hundred won from carts outside primary schools, where children cluster round the vendor painting glaze onto the skewers. Cylinders of rice cake are fried until blistered and crisp outside but soft and chewy inside, then brushed with a sticky sauce of gochujang, ketchup and rice syrup. The usual mistake is frying rice cakes that are cold and hard from the fridge: they spit and stay tough in the middle, so soften them in hot water first. Rice cakes are dense and sticky, so cut them small for young children and older people and make sure they eat sitting down: they are a known choking risk. Chef's tip: dry the softened rice cakes very well before frying; water makes the oil spit.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp neutral oilfor shallow frying
For the glaze
- 1 tbsp gochujanguse less for small children
- 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 3 tbsp rice syrup
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 clove garlicfinely grated
- 2 tbsp water
To serve
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Soak 14 oz cylinder rice cakes (tteokbokki tteok) in hot water for 5 minutes until soft and bendy. Drain and pat completely dry.
5 minStep 2: Thread 5–6 pieces side by side onto each of the 8 wooden skewers, like a ladder.
Step 3: Stir all the glaze ingredients — 1 tbsp gochujang, 3 tbsp tomato ketchup, 3 tbsp rice syrup, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 clove garlic and 2 tbsp water — together in a small pan and simmer over a low heat for 2–3 minutes until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
3 minStep 4: Heat 4 tbsp neutral oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the skewers for 2–3 minutes a side, until golden, puffed and crisp on the outside.
6 minStep 5: Brush the glaze generously over both sides while the skewers are hot, scatter with 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds and serve straight away while chewy.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tteok kkochi take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of tomato ketchup?
- Tomato purée with a pinch of sugar and a dash of vinegar.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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