Should I soak rice cakes before cooking them?

A lot of preparations suggest soaking rice cakes first, but I’ve found this step can be skipped with Trader Joe’s sliced cakes. If you’re working with the cylindrical version, though, I suggest soaking them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before adding to the pan for quicker, more even cooking.

How should I reheat leftover tteokbokki?

Korean rice cakes have a gelatinous texture, which means that once they cool, they become stiff (unlike, say, pasta). Therefore, if you just pop them in the microwave, they will not re-soften right away. To reheat tteokbokki properly - whether in the microwave or on the stove - add a splash of water and warm gradually, stirring every now and then until they’re soft and chewy again.

Creamy Vegan Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes)

Description

Creamy vegan tteokbokki in curried coconut milk sauce are an easy one-pot comfort food you didn’t know you needed.

Ingredients

Scale

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
One 13-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
One 16-ounce package sliced frozen Korean rice cakes* (see note below)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 cups napa cabbage cut into 3/4-inch strips (about 1/4 of a standard head)
Sliced scallions and sesame seeds, for serving

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Instructions

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger, and curry paste, and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, lemon juice, and sesame oil. Bring to a simmer.
Add the rice cakes and corn, and stir to coat (they should be mostly submerged). Cover the skillet tightly with a lid and bring the liquid back to a simmer. Then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice cakes are soft all the way through, 8 to 10 minutes. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, stir in the cabbage.
Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Scatter the scallions and sesame seeds on top, and serve immediately.

Notes

Look for frozen rice cakes at Korean markets or Trader Joe’s. You can use the cylinder version, too – they’ll just take longer to cook.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe
Calories: 415