Korean · snack

Tteokbokki (떡볶이)

Name: Tteokbokki (떡볶이)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 lb cylindrical rice cakes; 4 oz fish cakes, sliced; 3 tbsp gochujang; 1 tbsp gochugaru; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp sugar; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 cups anchovy broth; 2 scallions, sliced; 1 tsp sesame seeds

Tteokbokki (떡볶이) reads umami 7.4, salinity 6.2 and funk & ferment 5.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Korean snack, about 25 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 9.0 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.5 / 10
Sour & Bright — 1.1 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.1 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.4 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.2 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.4 · Salinity 6.2 · Funk & Ferment 5.3 · Sweetness 4.5 · Marine & Briny 4.4 · Richness 3.8 · Allium 3.7 · Heat 3.4 · Herbaceous 2.2 · Nutty 1.9 · Warm Spice 1.8 · Sourness 1.1 · Earthy 0.9 · Smoke 0.7 · Bitterness 0.6

What's in it (10)

1 lb cylindrical rice cakes
4 oz fish cakes, sliced
3 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp gochugaru
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups anchovy broth
2 scallions, sliced
1 tsp sesame seeds

Time & effort: about 25 min (20 min active) · effort: easy

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 233 kcal, 13.7 g protein, 5.9 g fat, 31.6 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Simmer anchovy broth in a wide pan and stir in gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic to make a spicy-sweet sauce.
Add rice cakes and fish cake sheets and cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and rice cakes are tender.
Scatter scallions and sesame seeds to finish.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Thai Basil Pork (Pad Kra Pao Moo) — Thai
Vietnamese Caramel Chicken — Vietnamese
Garlic Noodles — American · Californian
Vietnamese Caramel Salmon — Vietnamese
Vietnamese Caramel Pork (Thit Kho) — Vietnamese

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, funk & ferment mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.