Saturday, February 11, 2012

Ttoekboki

My sister introduced me to this wonderful dish. She and her husband first had it in Korea when they were adopting my nephew. It is a keeper, hence why I even know how to make it now. Thankfully H-Mart has a website for anyone who doesn't live driving distance from a retail store. We actually have an awesome Asian grocery store close by, but it is a small storefront and while they have lots and lots of things they don't carry everything I like to keep in my larder. H-mart however does, so a bi-annual run is in order. H-mart also has the most extensive produce section you will ever see. Looking for curry leaves, bitter melon, sesame leaves, four types of bok choy, you can find it all there.

Ttoekboki can be prepared in many different ways. The name refers to the rice cakes which are either flat rounds or long cylinders. We like the cylinders. Some people use them in a broth with ramen, some with just soy and ginger, and some in the way we love it—super spicy with Korean gochujang. Note there are about 50 different types of commercial gochujang. For this recipe I used a spicy hot one that has wheat flour in it to help keep the sauce thick. You can always sub in others. The box has a spicy scale on it to help you choose the right one for your palate.

frozen ttoekboki, kecap manis, sesame oil, gochujang, garlic, scallions, and kimchi

chop scallions and garlic

remember that you also bought 6 different kinds of tofu and grab one to add

boil the ttoekboki for 5-10 minutes

drain and add scallions, garlic, tofu, and kecap manis to half of it  for the kids

add scallions, garlic, tofu, and a boatload of gochujang to the other

serve the grown ups with homemade kimchi, the kids without

remember after a few bites that you bought toasted black sesame seeds to garnish

Thanks Heather!

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