Street food inspires my cooking at home. It is easy, fast, and always loved by my kids.
Ddeokbokki
Ddeokbokki is easily considered and fondly remembered as a childhood comfort food for Koreans. I’ll admit it was a bit of a put off when I first encountered it. I worked in a late night English academy and the middle school and high school students would be holding little paper cups with the red sauce rice cakes that could easily work as a Halloween dupe for severed fingers. But I got around to trying it and really worked up an appreciation for rice cakes and all the little add-ins.
Now there is most definitely a secret ingredient in rice cakes. Back in the days when the population was before its deep declining time as is the time now there was always a very very long line in front of the one old rice cake shop in downtown.
Naturally, this rice cake shop has been profiled on many tv network programs. The shop is so old and unadorned and the lady sits out by the front window with a large grill showcasing the food using a large spoon stirring the sauce and adding rice cakes, fish cakes, and cabbage. There are really only 2 things on the menu. Rice cakes and dumplings. There are only 3 drinks available Cool Pas (usually in peach or plum flavor some kind of juice mixed with yogurt–probably yokurta–a very sugary liquid yogurt drink), cola, and water. Most people go for the Cool pas as that is the classic combo with ddeokbokki.
Now, let me repeat, back before covid and population decline, it was a really really long line for this lady’s ddeokbokki. Every single day and several times a day. So naturally I also waited in line to try this magical rice cake that would beg people to wait hungrily in the street for this classic favorite.
And it is good. It really has the best flavor profile of any rice cake I had. But I knew the flavors the second I tasted it. The secret is red ddeokboki sauce plus slightly sweet Korean curry powder.
Below are three types of Ddeokbokki. Ddeokbokki can be spicy or not even if it is red. It is usually slightly sweet. For those that prefer to make an easy no spicy version the curry version is great. Japanese or Korean curry mixes will achieve the same sweet and savory flavor.
Get in line Secret Ddeokbokki
1 package of ddeokbokki rice cakes. They will be rice cakes about 1 and ½ inch in length in long oval like shapes.
¼ cup Curry powder–Korean or Japanese prepared powder or (cumin, corn starch, sugar, )
1 tablespoon Gochujang The kind that comes in the square tub packaging. It is dark red, sweet, and a tiny bit of heat. (You can add a little tiny bit to a lot to adjust your heat preference)
Flat fish cakes 1 package
A quarter Cabbage
2-3 Boiled eggs
Spring onion (for topping optional)
Sesame seeds (for topping optional)
Ramen noodles (optional)
Instructions
Prep the Ramen noodles and set aside with out adding any flavor packet.
Cut the fish cakes lengthwise in about ½ in strips.
Cut the cabbage in small chunks and some in thin slices around 1 or 2 in in size.
Cut the boiled eggs in half after peeling them.
Rinse the rice cakes in water and them add them to the pot with enough water to cover them. Boil for about 5 minutes or until they are looking a little plumper and have a nice marshmallowy squish to them.
Throw out about half of the water.
Add all ingredients to the pot. Add curry powder. Mix until combined. Add more water to adjust your desired thickness. Curry should be sauce-like.
Pull it off the heat and eat on a plate. Can add spring onion and sesame seeds.
Add in he Ramen noodles if using.
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