Carbonara Tteokbokki

Ok hear me out. The sauce from a famous Italian comfort food mixed with a famous Korean comfort food. This carbonara tteokbokki is so good and so easy. And the best part – it only takes about 20 minutes start to finish!

carbonara tteokbokki in a bowl with raw egg yolk and cheese

I know this might be contentious, but at least the sauce is a proper carbonara sauce. That means no cream, or peas, or whatever else people put in there that makes it essentially a different dish. The only difference is using Korean rice cake sticks instead of Italian pasta. For reference my favorite way of making an authentic Roman style carbonara is to use bucatini.

Believe it or not, there are many variations to tteokbokki these days as it is not only the ultimate Korean comfort food, but a popular trend dish as well. Although I will mention the carbonara tteokbokki you get in Korea usually uses bacon and cream.

What Is Tteokbokki?

Tteokbokki, prounounced like tawk-boh-kee in English, is a delicious and addicting Korean dish made of rice cakes in a sauce. The most popular version is made with gochujang paste and is quite spicy. However the original version’s sauce

was more or less soy sauce based and had no heat at all.

The rice cakes are in stick shape and called garae-tteok. There are many sauces that people use these days; Some are foreign and trendy like the carbonara sauce above, while others are traditional like chajang tteokbokki. There are also other things people add such as boiled eggs, scallions, sesame seeds, and more!

If you cannot find rice cakes at your local Korean or Asian market, you can always buy tteokbokki sticks online. The brands are all quite similar and they last A LONG time so don’t worry about cooking them up right away.

How To Make The Popular Carbonara Tteokbokki

tteokbokki with carbonara sauce ingredients on a large green cutting board

A traditional carbonara sauce has four ingredients: guanciale, eggs, pecorino romano, and freshly cracked black pepper. There are various methods to build the sauce, but it should always have those ingredients. Of course, some people like to substitute, for example if guanciale is hard to find you can use pancetta, or Parmigiano Reggiano instead of pecorino romano, but the most authentic way is to use the proper ingredients.

What You’ll Need

  • Pan
  • Small Pot – Optional
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Rubber Spatula or Wooden Spoon

Ingredients

  • 150 grams Guanciale – Cut into small cubes. As mentioned above there are substitutes, but if you can find guanciale it is best to use that.
  • 6 Eggs – Separated. I recommend 5 yolks plus one whole egg. This gives the final sauce a very rich, velvety consistency.
  • 100 grams Pecorino Romano – Grated.
  • Black Pepper – Freshly cracked, to taste.
  • 500 grams Korean Rice Cake Sticks aka Garae-Tteok – These are usually packed in plastic with a desiccant to prevent spoilage. Unlike a regular tteokbokki which is simmered in the sauce, you will need to submerge these cakes in hot water for 5-10 minutes to fully soften.

Tteokbokki With Carbonara Sauce Instructions

rendering fat from guanciale in a pan

To begin place your cubed guanciale in a pan and set on medium-low heat. This will render out the fat while preventing burning, and should take around 5-10 minutes.

egg yolks in a large steel mixing bowl

Place your egg yolks and whole egg in a large mixing bowl. I recommend using a large steel bowl as it works well in the double-boiler method to thicken the sauce.

thickening the traditional carbonara sauce in a double boiler with a rubber spatula

Pour the guanciale and rendered fat into the eggs while stirring constantly, then place the entire bowl above a pot of simmering water. Add the cheese and black pepper and stir until the sauce tightens up, about 3 minutes. You can avoid the double boiler method and do this in the pan you made the guanciale in, but it is extremely difficult to avoid scrambled eggs so the double boiler is more fool-proof.

combining the rice sticks and carbonara sauce to make the tteokbokki carbonara

Place the softened rice cakes into the bowl and give everything a good mix. You want each stick as coated as possible so scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and mix thoroughly.

carbonara tteokbokki in a bowl with raw egg yolk and cheese

Plate your tteokbokki with carbonara sauce in a shallow bowl and garnish with some more black pepper and grated cheese. I also like to add another raw egg yolk to the top which I mix in right before eating. Voila, a delicious and comforting fusion recipe you’re sure to love!

More Korean Recipes You’ll Love

carbonara tteokbokki in a bowl with raw egg yolk and cheese

Carbonara Tteokbokki

Ok hear me out. The sauce from a famous Italian comfort food mixed with a famous Korean comfort food. This carbonara tteokbokki is so good and so easy. And the best part – it only takes about 20 minutes start to finish!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Asian, Korean
Servings 4 people
Calories 920 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Mixing Bowl
  • 1 Pan
  • 1 Pot optional
  • 1 Rubber Spatula or Wooden Spoon

Ingredients
  

  • 150 grams Guanciale Cut into small cubes.
  • 6 Eggs Separated. I recommend 5 yolks plus one whole egg. This gives the final sauce a very rich velvety consistency.
  • 100 grams Pecorino Romano Grated.
  • Black Pepper Freshly cracked, to taste.
  • 500 grams Korean Rice Cake Sticks aka Garae-Tteok

Instructions
 

  • Place dry tteokbokki sticks in a large bowl and pour over hot water to cover. Let sit for 5-10 minutes (while you make the sauce) to soften up.
  • To begin place your cubed guanciale in a pan and set on medium-low heat. This will render out the fat while preventing burning, and should take around 5-10 minutes.
  • Place your egg yolks and whole egg in a large mixing bowl. I recommend using a large steel bowl as it works well in the double-boiler method to thicken the sauce.
  • Pour the guanciale and rendered fat into the eggs while stirring constantly, then place the entire bowl above a pot of simmering water. Add the cheese and black pepper and stir until the sauce tightens up, about 3 minutes. You can avoid the double boiler method and do this in the pan you made the guanciale in, but it is extremely difficult to avoid scrambled eggs so the double boiler is more fool-proof.
  • Place the softened rice cakes into the bowl and give everything a good mix. You want each stick as coated as possible so scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and mix thoroughly.
  • Plate your tteokbokki with carbonara sauce in a shallow bowl and garnish with some more black pepper and grated cheese. I also like to add another raw egg yolk to the top which I mix in right before eating.
Keyword Comfort Food, Korean Street Food, Rice Cakes
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