So-Tteok So-Tteok
소떡소떡·(so-tteok so-tteok)
Bunsikjip After School: 3 PM Street Snacks
Three in the afternoon outside the bunsikjip, kids crowd the cart, Vienna sausages and rice cakes hit the griddle, the gochujang blisters in the heat. This is a working-class masterpiece: alternating skewers of snappy pork sausages and chewy rice cakes, blistered in hot oil and lacquered in sticky gochujang glaze. The vendor's secret isn't some complex trick; it's a quick blanch to purify the pork and soften the starch before frying. Make it the real way, and remember the golden rule: turn the wooden skewer sideways and bite the sausage and rice cake together.
Before you start
Score the sausages with three shallow diagonal slits.
Doing this before blanching prevents the sausages from bursting violently in the hot oil and gives them a beautiful, appetizing bloom when cooked.
Ingredients
- tteokbokki tteok16
- Korean Vienna sausages or cocktail links16
- toasted sesame oil1 tsp
- neutral oil3 tbsp
- ketchup3 tbsp
- gochujang1 tbsp
- oligo syrup or light corn syrup2 tbsp
- soy sauce1 tbsp
- sugar1 tbsp
- garlic2 tsp
- water2 tbsp
- wooden skewers4
Method
- 01
Blanch the rice cakes and sausages in boiling water for one to two minutes.
This crucial step softens the starches in the rice cakes to a pillowy chew and purifies the sausages of excess oils and food dyes. Remove them with a slotted spoon, immediately rinse under cold water to stop the cooking, and pat them dry.
- 02
Toss the blanched rice cakes with the toasted sesame oil.
This simple grandmother's trick prevents the starches from stubbornly sticking to each other while you build the skewers, and adds a subtle, nutty depth.
- 03
Thread the rice cakes and sausages onto the wooden skewers in an alternating pattern.
Aim for about four of each per skewer, ensuring you start and end with a rice cake to act as structural bookends.
- 04
Simmer the ketchup, gochujang, oligo syrup, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and water in a small saucepan.
Whisk gently over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens into a glossy, sticky glaze, about two minutes, then remove from the heat.
- 05
Pan-fry the naked skewers in neutral oil over medium heat until golden and blistered.
Cook for two to three minutes on each side. Do not add the glaze yet, or the high sugar content will instantly burn. You want the rice cakes to puff slightly and form a crust while the scored sausages curl and brown.
- 06
Turn off the heat and paint the hot skewers generously with the glaze.
Using a pastry brush or a spoon, coat the skewers right in the pan. The residual heat will help the sauce cling and caramelize slightly without turning acrid.
Notes
Do not eat the rice cake and the sausage sequentially.
To experience the dish properly, you must turn the skewer sideways and bite into the savory pork and the bland, chewy rice cake at the exact same time.
Finish with classic garnishes.
A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts is highly recommended. A zigzag drizzle of standard yellow mustard over the top is the authentic highway rest-stop finishing touch.
From Cook Korean in America.