Tteokkochi (Korean Rice Cake Skewers)

5 from 3 votes

Tteokkochi, or Korean Rice Cake Skewers, is one of Seoul's most popular street foods! Cylinder-shaped rice cakes are threaded onto skewers and grilled for a crunchy yet chewy texture, then slathered in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. This addictive Korean snack is deliciously fun and takes only 40 minutes to make at home!

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 208

Author Jessica Kwon

Equipment

Skewers

Ingredients

1 lb tubular rice cakes (tteok)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon gochugaru
2 tablespoon ketchup
¼ cup gochujang
2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1½ teaspoon sesame oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Cooking oil
Sesame seeds for garnish
Green onion thinly sliced; for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Soak skewers in water for at least 15 minutes. Then drain and set aside.
Frozen or refrigerated rice cakes only: In a large bowl, cover frozen rice cakes with 1 inch of water. Let soak for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Then drain the rice cakes and transfer to boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds, constantly stirring, until soft and bendable. Then drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water, at least 1 minute.
Thread rice cakes onto skewers. Try to place the rice cakes as evenly as possible and leave enough space for a handle.
Add 1-2 tablespoon cooking oil to a non-stick or cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. When hot, add a single layer of skewers, making sure to leave space between each one since the rice cakes will be sticky. Don't move and let rice cakes crisp for 2-3 minutes or until lightly golden brown and crunchy. Then flip and repeat on the other side. Transfer to a clean plate or wooden cutting board and repeat with remaining skewers.
In another pan, add garlic powder, gochugaru, ketchup, gochujang, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until lightly thickened and dark red, about 2-3 minutes.
Use a pastry brush to brush sauce onto both sides of pan-fried rice cakes. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion, and serve immediately.

Notes

Serving size will depend on the amount of rice cakes placed per skewer.
Use small, cocktail or appetizer-sized skewers for Tteokkochi. If you only have regular sized skewers, cut them in half with kitchen shears.
Check the softness of your rice cake by bending them. If they don't break, they're ready to be threaded onto the skewers (usually with fresh tteok). If they crack or break, boil them for 30 seconds until soft and bendable.
Rice cakes can get very sticky, especially after they've been boiled. Rinse thoroughly with cold water to stop cooking and remove excess starch. Use gloves or coat fingers with oil to thread tteok onto skewers.
Substitutions:
- If using unsweetened ketchup, add an additional ½ teaspoon honey.
- Replace honey with your sweetener of choice. An equal amount of white, brown, or coconut sugar would work.
- To make so-tteok, alternate mini sausages with rice cakes on the skewers. Korean sausages usually have a hint of spice, but feel free to use Vienna sausage, smokies, or even cut-up hot dogs instead.
- For cheesy Tteokkochi, cut cheese sticks in half and alternate with tteok. As they melt, they can be a little messy on the pan. Alternatively, you can sprinkle grilled tteok with shredded cheese.
- To make Tteokkochi without skewers, pan-fry a single layer of tteok and flip each one as they become golden brown. Coat with sauce and serve.
- To make a less spicy sauce, use mild gochugaru and mild gochujang. Start with half of each, and add more as preferred.

Nutrition