My first experience eating Tteokbokki is really quite fun. The enthusiasm in finishing one bowl of this hot and spice rice cakes is there, but my lips, throat all the way down to my intestines, probably up to my stomach.

It was good and filling but oh my gosh, it was too hot for me to handle. Koreans eat this dish like it isn’t hot. I know it because I’ve been watching a lot of Korean Dramas where the characters eat all the time. This is also one of the reasons why I’m getting into Korean dishes.

For dinner, I made Tteokbokki, a Korean hot and spicy rice cakes that is made basically of rice cakes, and hot pepper paste in anchovy and kelp broth.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of cylinder shaped rice cake, bought or homemade. (Use a little more if you’re not adding hard boiled eggs and fish cakes)
4 cups of water
7 large size dried anchovies, with heads and intestines removed
6 x 8 inch dried kelp
⅓ cup hot pepper paste
1 tablespoon hot pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
3 green onions, cut into 3 inch long pieces
2 hard boiled eggs, shelled (optional)
½ pound fish cakes (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour water in the shallow pot (you could use pan if not available), add anchovies and kelp. Boil for 15 minutes over medium to high heat. Do not cover. Remove the anchovies and kelp from the pot and set aside. You can eat them as is if you want to, otherwise you can discard them.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the hot pepper paste, hot pepper flakes and sugar.