Rabokki is my absolute favorite Korean dish! Chewy rice cakes and ramen are smothered in a sweet and spicy sauce. Onions, fish cake, and hard-boiled eggs are my favorite add-in. But you have to top it all off with melted cheese. It's addictingly good!
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What Is Rabokki?
Rabokki is the combination of the words tteokbokki (Korean rice cake) and ramyeon (ramen noodles). Tteokbokki is a very popular Korean street food. In its simplest form, it's made of cylindrical rice cakes that's coated in a fire-red, spicy sauce. It's comforting, great for sharing, and delicious any time of the day.
Eeomuk (fish cake sheets) and hard-boiled eggs are common additions, but my favorite version has ramen and lots of melted cheese. The combination of spicy, sweet, umami, and cheesy is better than words can describe! Traditionally, tteokbokki can also be very spicy - the tongue-numbing, sniffling kind. But don't worry, you can make a milder version that's still full of flavor!
How Do You Pronounce It?
Rabokki is pronounced RAH - boh -kee. Tteokbokki, on the other hand, is pronounced DUK - boh- kee.
Crave-worthy Street Food At Home
This Rabokki recipe truly has it all! You get plenty of spice but with your taste buds intact. It's insanely flavorful with lots of texture thanks to the spongy rice cakes and slurpable instant ramen. The fish cake and hard-boiled eggs add protein, making it a complete and satisfying meal.
I honestly make this recipe at least once a month. It was even on our Christmas menu last year. My husband says it's as good as the ones he grew up with - in Korea! And did I mention it's all made in one pot? Doesn't get much easier than this!
Ingredients
You'll need some specialty Asian ingredients for this dish, but they're worth the extra step. They add a richness that substitutes can't provide.
- Cooking oil: Avocado oil is my favorite oil to cook, fry, and sauté with because of its high smoke point (500°F).
- Onion, garlic, and green onion: The basic aromatics to flavor the dish.
- Red chili flakes: To add another layer of spiciness, but you can leave it out if you wish.
- Gochujang: Gochujang is Korean red chili paste. It has a delicious umami and spicy flavor.
- Gochugaru: Gochugaru is Korean ground red chili flakes. It has a slightly smoky flavor and is very commonly used in Korean cooking with gochujang.
- Soy sauce: To add umami seasoning.
- Sugar: To balance a lot of the rich, deep flavors in this dish.
- Water and fish sauce: Many Korean soups and stews start with an anchovy broth base. Instead of making it from scratch with dried anchovies and seaweed, we're keeping it simple with water and fish sauce (which is made from anchovies!).
- Frozen tubular rice cakes (tteokbokki): Bouncy, chewy, starchy rice cakes! The star ingredient in this dish.
- Ramen: I use Lotus Foods Millet & Brown Rice Ramen from Costco. You can use the ramen from the instant noodle packs too.
- Eomuk (fish cake): These fish cake sheets are found in the frozen aisle. They have a mild flavor similar to imitation crab.
- Sesame oil: It's very common in Korean cooking to finish the dish with a light drizzle of sesame oil. It adds a little nuttiness and richness.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: Cheese might sound like an odd addition but it's one of the best parts! It also helps tame the spiciness.
- Hard-boiled eggs: A great protein addition.
Where To Buy These Ingredients?
Some of these ingredients might be new to you. Your best bet is finding them at H-Mart, a big Korean supermarket chain. In case you're a visual person like me, here are what the ingredients look like and how you can find them.
Gochujang: There are different levels of spiciness so if you're unsure about the spice level, start with mild and work your way up. You can purchase it at almost all Asian markets or on Amazon. You can also find the Mother In Law's brand at some American markets like Whole Foods.
Gochugaru: The chili flakes come in packets or large spice jars. They're often next to the gochujang. Again, you can find several different brands at an Asian market, Amazon, or Whole Foods.
Fish sauce: My favorite brand is Red Boat Fish Sauce. They're made with only 2 ingredients and it's paleo. They tend to be stronger in flavor than other fish sauce brands I've tried so be sure to adjust the seasoning as needed. Red Boat can be found at Whole Foods, Costco, Amazon, Kroger, and several other large-chain grocery stores.
Frozen rice cakes: These can be a little harder to find. Korean markets or large-chain Asian markets like 99 Ranch will have them.
Eomuk: These fish cake sheets will be found in the frozen aisle. Pretty much any Asian market should have a variation.
How To Make It
- Hard boil your eggs. I like to steam mine in the Instant Pot on High Pressure for 9 minutes, then into an ice bath. They're perfect every time and the shells are so much easier to peel!
- Soak the rice cakes. This will help prevent them from cracking. You can skip this step if preferred.
- Sauté the veggies. Start by cooking the onion and garlic until fragrant.
- Add the spices and "anchovy broth". Let it simmer for a few minutes to let the flavor develop.
- Cook the rice cakes and noodles. As they cook, the starch that's released will help thicken the sauce.
- Heat the fish cake and green onion. The fish cake is already cooked so you just want it to warm up.
- Finish with sesame oil and mozzarella cheese. Turn off the heat, drizzle with sesame oil, and let the cheese get melty.
Make It Not Spicy
If you want a less spicy Rabokki, omit the red chili flakes. Use a mild gochujang and gochugaru, and use a ½ tbsp less of each in the recipe. Also increasing the soy sauce and cheese will help dilute the spices.
Storing Leftovers
Rabokki with cheese is best served hot. As it cools, the rice cakes get stiff. The noodles will also become bloated and break into little pieces.
However, it's a hefty dish so quite understandable if there are leftovers! Pack the remaining Rabokki into an air-tight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, microwave or warm in a skillet until rice cakes are soft again. You can add 1-2 tbsps of water to moisten it again.
Looking For More?
If you're in the mood for Asian meals, look no further! I crave Asian food on a daily basis and these are some of my favorites:
- Kimchi Deviled Eggs
- Vietnamese Turmeric Fish with Dill (Cha Ca Thang Long)
- Better Than Takeout Shrimp Fried Rice
- Instant Pot Chao Ga (Vietnamese Rice Porridge)
- Kimchi and Pork Meatball Stew
Recipe
Rabokki - Tteokbokki + Ramen
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- ½ small onion sliced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ tsp red chili flakes (optional)
- 3 tbsp gochujang
- 2½ tbsp gochugaru
- 1½ tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp fish sauce
- 4½ cups water
- 2 packs instant ramen
- 2.2 lbs frozen tubular rice cakes soaked in water for 20 minutes then drained
- 2-3 sheets eomuk (fish cake/oden) cut into triangles
- 3-4 green onion whites sliced thinly and greens cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 hard-boiled eggs halved
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add onion and sauté with a pinch of salt until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, and toast for 30 seconds.
- Add gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, fish sauce, and water. Season with salt and pepper, stir to dissolve the seasoning, and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down to let simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn the heat back up to high. Drop the ramen in and cook for 2-3 minutes until very al dente. Add the rice cakes and turn the heat down to medium. Let simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until ramen is cooked through, rice cakes are soft, and sauce has reduced. Don't worry if it still looks watery, it'll continue to thicken.
- Stir in fish cake and dark green parts of green onion, letting it warm through. Then turn off heat and stir in sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella over the top and cover with lid. Let sit for 2-3 minutes to allow residual heat to melt cheese.
- Top with hard boiled eggs and whites of green onion. Serve hot.
Notes
- Storing Leftovers: Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, microwave or warm in a skillet until rice cakes are soft again. You can add 1-2 tbsps of water if needed. The texture will not be the same as freshly made Rabokki.
- Make It Less Spicy: Skip the red chili flakes. Use a mild gochujang and gochugaru, and use a ½ tbsp less of each in the recipe. Also increasing the soy sauce and cheese will help dilute the spices.
- For more information on the ingredients, read the post above.
Nutrition
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Products I Used
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Liquid Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoons
Instant Pot Steamer
One of the Korean street-food staple! This recipe tasted exactly like home. Thank you!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!