Spicy Korean Rice Cakes (Duk Boki) Recipe

This Korean dish of cylindrical rice cakes (duk) covered in a thick, spicy sauce is a popular street food in Korea. It is also eaten as a casual meal at home or as a drinking snack.

I prefer to make dukboki with fish cakes (oden, o-mook) in my kitchen, but it's also good made with beef or no meat at all for a vegetarian version. I like to make and eat it with Napa cabbage at home, but again, I've had good versions with bokchoy too. You can change the vegetables to suit what you like or what you have at home.

 

Ingredients:

•1 lb cylindrical rice cakes (duk), cut into 2" pieces

•1 Tbsp kochujang (hot chili pepper paste)

•1 tsp kochukaru (hot chili pepper powder)

•1 Tbsp sugar

•2 tsp minced garlic

•1.5 Tbsp soy sauce

•1 package rectangular fish cake (oden or omook), sliced into 1" pieces

•2 cups Napa cabbage, chopped
•3 shiitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced into pieces

Preparation:

1.Soak rice cakes (duk)for about an hour in cold water.*

2.In a pot, mix 3 cups water with kochujang, kochukaru, garlic, sugar, and soy sauce.

3.Bring to a boil.

4.Add fish cakes.

5.Bring to a boil.
6.Add the mushrooms, cabbage, and rice cakes.

7.Bring up to a boil again, simmer for about 3 minutes, and then turn off the heat. The sauce will thicken upon standing.

*If you don't have time to soak the rice cakes for an hour in advance, you can add the rice cakes into the pot in the very beginning with the sauce. Simmer for about 10 minutes before adding fish cakes and simmer for a few minutes more after adding vegetables.