While the spicy version is all the rage these days, originally tteokbokki was not spicy at all. In fact the original was a soy sauce based version, with jjajang tteokbokki following shortly after. Jjajang, sometimes spelt chajang, is a Korean type of fermented and roasted black bean paste that adds an umami punch to many dishes.
Just like the spicy tteokbokki, you can use dry rice sticks to make this recipe as well. I often buy kilos at a time and store them in the pantry until needed, as they make a perfect lazy dinner when I don’t know what I want. In fact, this recipe can be made in about 15 minutes if you are on top of your organization!
I use this brand of rice cake sticks, aka garae-tteok, as they are affordable and last a long time. You can easily find other brands at your local Asian/Korean grocery store or online.
The real star of the recipe is the black bean paste. I put a recommendation down below, but any quality Korean brand will work well. I would avoid Chinese and Japanese brands as they are slightly different and won’t give you that authentic jjajang tteokbokki taste you’d get from a Korean street food stall or restaurant.
What You’ll Need
Other than the actual ingredients you can do this entire dish in a large pan. Of course things like measuring spoons, and a knife/cutting board are also needed. So really there is nothing that you will need to go out of your way to get; Making this recipe perfect for a quick snack or lazy dinner.
How To Make An Easy Jjajang Tteokbokki At Home
While it does seem like there are a lot of ingredients, everything except the black bean paste and rice sticks should be easily found at most grocery stores. In fact if you live in a large city and your grocery has a proper Asia foods section you might be able to find those as well.
Ingredients
- 400 grams Rice Cakes – These Korean rice cake sticks are called garae-tteok and usually come dry in a sealed pack. Sizes vary but you can of course add more or less depending on how saucy you want the dish to be.
- 3 tbsp Roasted Black Bean Paste – I recommend Wang roasted and fermented black bean paste but you can use any roasted and fermented paste you can find. Try your best to get a Korean brand for authenticity. This is also used in the very delicious and popular Korean comfort food jjajangmyeon!
- 500 ml Chicken Stock – Of course store-bought or homemade both work in this recipe. If you do use store-bought then try to find low sodium so you can control the saltiness level yourself.
- 1 tbsp Neutral Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion – finely diced
- 1 bulb Garlic – minced
- 1 tbsp Corn Starch – You can also substitute potato starch if you prefer
- 2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil – Optional
- 2 tbsp Sugar – Optional
- Sesame Seeds – Optional, to taste
Black Bean Sauce Instructions
The first step is to fry your black bean paste. This may sound weird but the ‘raw’ paste can be quite bitter so we fry it to remove that taste. Simply add oil to a hot pan and when hot add the black bean paste. Stir it around until it slightly fries. It may seem like it is sticking to the pan and getting burnt but once we add the rest of the ingredients it will easily reincorporate back into the sauce and won’t taste burnt at all.
Add in your onions and stir them around the pan. I use a wooden spoon here as the liquid from the onions makes it very easy to scrape up the paste that is sticking to the pan. After a few minutes add the garlic and stir that around for a half minute or so before proceeding to the next step.
Whisk together the chicken stock and corn starch and then add it to the pan. Stir everything together until you get a nice, even sauce. Allow the sauce to reach a boil while stirring constantly.
When the sauce is boiling add the rice cakes and immediately turn the heat down to low. Stir everything together and place a lid on the pan. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the rice cakes have softened to desired texture.
Finally turn off the heat and stir in the toasted sesame oil if you are using in. You don’t want to add the oil too early or it will lose it’s flavor so it is important to only add it after turning off the heat or right before serving.
Plate the homemade jjajang tteokbokki and garnish with the sesame seeds if you like. I also like to add some finely sliced scallions for a pop of color but that is entirely up to you. If you want a side dish the ever popular chicken-mu is always great with tteokbokki, and you can make it at home with just a few ingredients!
How To Store And Reheat Tteokbokki
All tteokbokki recipes are best made to order but you can store them for later. I suggest portioning your leftovers into sealable containers and storing in the fridge for up to two days. To reheat this specific tteokbokki with black bean sauce I find a microwave works well. As for power I run it at 850w for two minutes, but as we all know everyone’s microwaves work differently.
More Delicious Tteokbokki Recipes You’ll Love
- Spicy Tteokbokki
- Tteokbokki Carbonara
- Rose Tteokbokki
- Jjajang Tteokbokki
Jjajang Tteokbokki
Equipment
- 1 Large Pan
Ingredients
- 400 grams Rice Cakes Use more or less depending on how saucy you want the dish to be.
- 3 tbsp Roasted Black Bean Paste
- 500 ml Chicken Stock
- 1 tbsp Neutral Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion Finely Diced
- 1 bulb Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Corn Starch You can also substitute potato starch if you prefer
- 2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil Optional
- 2 tbsp Sugar Optional
- Sesame Seeds Optional, to taste
Instructions
- Add oil to a hot pan and when hot add the black bean paste. Stir it around until it slightly fries. It may seem like it is sticking to the pan and getting burnt but once we add the rest of the ingredients it will easily reincorporate back into the sauce and won’t taste burnt at all.
- Add in your onions and stir them around the pan. After a few minutes add the garlic and stir that around for a half minute or so before proceeding to the next step.
- Whisk together the chicken stock and corn starch and then add it to the pan. Stir everything together until you get a nice, even sauce. Allow the sauce to reach a boil while stirring constantly.
- When the sauce is boiling add the rice cakes and immediately turn the heat down to low. Stir everything together and place a lid on the pan. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the rice cakes have softened to desired texture.
- Finally turn off the heat and stir in the toasted sesame oil if you are using in. You don’t want to add the oil too early or it will lose it’s flavor so it is important to only add it after turning off the heat or right before serving.
- Plate the homemade jjajang tteokbokki and garnish with the sesame seeds if you like. I also like to add some finely sliced scallions for a pop of color but that is entirely up to you.
