Tteokbokki, one of my new favorite weeknight meals.

[@babitasingh330]

Ethan, I absolutely love how you almost always have healthier versions available for recipes without sacrificing much taste. It is so helpful!

[@EthanChlebowski]

Absolutely, I typically do a slightly healthier version of most dishes when I'm cooking for myself, so I'm happy to share!

[@OmnipotentEnt]

@@EthanChlebowski It's greatly appreciated! Definitely one of the reasons you're my favorite food KZbinr!

[@OmniversalInsect]

The healthier version looks a lot better to me

[@ryanb3174]

been looking for someone like this on youtube

[@장종인-d8r]

This looks great. The healthier version actually resembles the "궁중떡볶이 (Goongjoong Tteokbokki, where Goongjoong means royal cuisine)" that had been served to the kings a lot, except we didn't have asparagus back then. I'd like to recommend to those interested in the more 'authentic' or rustic version of traditional Tteokbokki, which is considered a soul food to many Koreans, to add Sogogi Dashida (쇠고기 다시다) in the sauce. Sogogi Dashida is a Korean beef stock powder that is very savory and full of 'flavor (MSG),' and it's really a backbone in the flavor profile of most kitsch Korean dishes. I don't know if Sogogi Dashida is easy to get your hands on outside of Korea, but it is one of the pantry staples in Korean households and cheap diners. My taste is to reduce the amount of Gochujang to make the sauce thinner and add some Sogogi Dashida. Please be careful of the amount of Sogogi Dashida you put in as it is very salty and sharp. Also, I wouldn't skip on the fish cakes because they contribute enormously to the taste of the sauce, but it's up to you. Plus, you can always throw some green onions or cabbages in to give the final flavor profile more depth. + You can substitute the rice cakes (쌀떡) with the wheat rice cakes (밀떡, Milltteok). 밀떡s are made of flour as opposed to rice cakes being made of rice flour. 밀떡s were cheaper than rice cakes in the 80~90s, and many of the street vendors made tteokbokki with 밀떡. So, one would argue that the tteokbokki made with 밀떡s are more old school, but it's really a choice of preference. Personally, I prefer 밀떡s over rice cakes in tteokbokki, as they get much softer and less chewy in the sauce, and they tend to absorb the flavor of the sauce better.

[@yasmine8041]

thank you! will definitely try out your recommendations :)

[@MsSagittariusA]

That is really interesting. I would really miss the cabbage, fish cake and green onion since my favorite version has all of the above

[@ooobydoob3786]

As a replacement for dashida, I use the Better than boullion beef stock paste when I make this. And always add napa and green onion

[@임은성-u1b]

한국인은 못참지..ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[@RidleyJones]

The best tteokbokki I ever had were actually sauteed in very hot oil a little first, so they had a bit of crunchy crust as well as the addictive soft chewy texture. Highly highly recommend as an extra step when you have the time.

[@letthePigeondrivethebus]

I'm going to try this!

[@bvrmnlol]

It sounds like that mightve been tteokkochi -- which uses the same rice cakes and similar sauce, but is served on skewers as a crispy snack. Or it mightve just been crispy tteokbokki!

[@RidleyJones]

@@bvrmnlol I think the person making it was improvising--it definitely had the spicy sauce (albeit a little lighter/thinner than is typical) but also some char and crisp from having been separately cooked in oil. Best of both worlds, in my opinion!

[@bvrmnlol]

@@RidleyJones sounds tasty! The version i was describing is definitely optimized for sale as street food, so what you're describing definitely sounds like a home cook combining ideas and landing somewhere in between

[@Nick.Knows.Nothing]

I once went to a tteokbokki festival in Seoul where they had all sorts of varieties. From teriyaki, pesto, cheesy, and curry flavors to desserts and stuffed tteokbokki. You can basically just treat it as any noodle in a sauce, but there is just something magical about the drunken, late night, spicy classic one you get with sides of dumplings, liver, and soondae (blood sausage)

[@Death_Bliss]

Genuinely admire how you make traditional recipes more suited for weekday meals, both time-wise and health-wise!

[@thew26x]

truly

[@jasonlieberman4606]

When i worked for a Korean couple at a Quizno's 15 years ago, on slow evenings they'd send me to the Korean market for their groceries and hot food. As they realized how open-minded I was about their culture, they started sharing lots of great food with me, with a coworker once even bringing me homemade bulgogi. Everything i tried was amazing, and out of it all I was hooked from the first bite of teeokbokki. It's great seeing this awesome getting more love.

[@rugsdelite]

We Koreans love this stuff. Hey...while it's not "healthier" add puck of ramen noodles on there...while it boils and you will get ra-bokki. Delicious.

[@Warm_Cardi]

As korean living overseas, I actually thought it was texture that was hard to convince people 😆 but for some reason, people seem to like it more lately haha I think it kind of came with whole bubble tea trend and people just got bit more used to chewy texture 🤔 Anyway I am glad you like it! We have so many variations. If you are looking for unique one, you can try egg and butter tteokbokki 😌 And their is classic Alfredo saucey tteokbokki etc. I honestly love adding it to anything like soup, ramen, mix with pasta sauce 🥴 just works with anything

[@Warm_Cardi]

Just in case you are looking for egg butter tteokbokki recipe, highly recommend De La Serna’s ‘egg scramble tteok-bokki’ can search on youtube ❤️

[@CherryScout]

You're so right, the west is getting more exposure to chewy foods. I think it got big with bubble tea since it is sweet, maybe it is kinda reminiscent of American gummy candies.

[@ane3sha]

the texture is such a sensory dream for me, though its far too spicy for me. the woman who owned the only korean spot in my college town almost stopped letting me order them so i’d stop dying in the corner of her restaurant every few weeks

[@roanelytle4579]

I know it is a little late, but I hope you see this. I use mild ssamgjang instead of gochujang in my sauce. Ssamjang has gochujang in it, but is much less spicy. I think it is more savory, but that may be because I can taste more than spice. It is traditionally used as a sauce for lettuce wraps.

[@davidwitt5585]

All of these Indian, Pakistani, and Korean dishes have convinced me that Ethan grew up on the wrong hemisphere of the globe as a kid. :D

[@ninjapotatoman9337]

Ethan, I appreciate all the care and respect you give to my country’s food and to all the other countries/cultures’ cuisine you’ve explored- the mark of a true chef and food lover

[@ekwebeman]

Learned making this dish from Maangchi's recipe in september myself & fully agree. This dish is 1 of the best dishes I have ever tried. Highly recommend

[@AeroGold1]

Yeah, I make Maangchi's recipe every few weeks. I always have frozen rice cakes in freezer, plus gochujang container lasts long time in the fridge.

[@eld0r1t06]

I just made it exactly like he said to and, while good, it doesn't pack much flavor up front. The back end is flavorful, but the flavor isn't bold like I expected it to be. Does this sound right?

[@reviveu2242]

You can add ramen noodles and boiled eggs as well 😋 *oops I should have watched the entire video before commenting. There's also another version of that got popular called Rose tteokboki. Also great vid might make it this weekend.

[@mhkpt]

I hope Koreans who saw this felt like this is a faithful reproduction, as a non-Korean I wanted to say I really appreciate you adding comments for people who are not likely to have some of these ingredients at home, or to use them often. If you hadn't mentioned that Gochujang keeps "almost indefinitely" in the fridge, I'd probably skip this recipe. Because you mentioned it, I went and bought all the ingredients yesterday, and will be making it tomorrow for the first time. Thanks!

[@dingdang8467]

Even though I am Chinese like Korean food a lot. They actually use much less ingredients the entire food options but delicious

[@H2h0e]

Unrelated video idea-a guide to lesser know vegetables and techniques to use them. I feel like a lot of people understand basics like broccoli, asparagus, carrots and so on but I had to google radicchio and don’t know jack about radish, leeks, parsnips, and so on. Veggies are filling for their calorie count but intimidating to many Americans. Understanding how to use them, especially together, would be great.

[@mkryu]

You know the saying “bacon/butter makes everything better”? Koreans say “tteok” (rice cakes) make everything better.

[@RemixedVoice]

The hottest food I've ever eaten was this dish in a little place in Seoul that was known for making it very spicy. I was hallucinating after finishing it. Best pain ever

[@Rotundo1138]

Outstanding stuff! Please make more Korean food, it's always so tasty!

[@altrogeruvah]

Me and my Japanese wife have been doing the same for some years now, but with mochi we make ourselves instead, which is basically the same thing. I had no idea this was a thing in South Korea. We use gochujang, togarashi, katsuobushi, soy sauce and honey.

[@keilnirby]

When sold on the streets of Korea, this usually includes the option of twigim, or a variety of deep fried foods. If you wanted some protein and some crunch you could always add ojingeo twigim (deep fried squid) and we know Ethan likes to deep fry!

[@Sizzlor1337]

It also includes blood sausage and beef lungs in the streets of Korea

[@waking00one]

@@Sizzlor1337 best combo, doubles up as a beautiful sauce for the meats

[@michaelinmotion]

Maangchi!! Love her! …and always giving props to other chefs is so awesome of you.

[@plaidsquatch]

Maangchi is a treasure ❤

[@IvanDraganchev]

on the very day you uploaded the video where you first mentioned the tteokbokki recipe, i tried it, loved it and have been making it at least twice a week with a slight modification - I used broccoli instead of asparagus because that's what I had at the time lol thanks for the content as usual!

[@bvrmnlol]

Nice video! Your healthy version reminds me of another traditional form of tteokbokki called gungjung ("palace") tteokbokki, in case you were interested. Tteokbokki is one of the dishes i always hear different pronunciations for, but the second O isnt emphasized as much as it would seem. The best tip i can think of at the moment is that it should sound vaguely like "tupperware" when you say tteokbokki 😂

[@sunnyfilms_2959]

I love how Ethan tries cooking from all over the world without prejudice 🌎

[@ashvinvaidyanathan7239]

I'm surprised that y'all don't call him out for cultural appropriation or some other leftist scam

[@fusionxtras]

There is prejudice, it must taste good

[@aidancollins1591]

@@ashvinvaidyanathan7239 Probably because the exaggerated versions of leftists you see on the internet do not represent the vast majority of left-wing people. Same goes for right-wing people. Who could've guessed that people are complex and typically are not one-dimensional caricatures.

[@AudreysKitchen]

@@ashvinvaidyanathan7239 notice the only person talking about cultural appropriation here is YOU. You've become your own strawman 😂

[@disconnected7737]

@@aidancollins1591 fucking incredible really

[@obsidianwing]

Gochugaru and Gochujang have become staples in my daily cooking , esp Gouchugaru everything tastes better with this. Since im found out how healthy and heartly the korean cruisine is in cant stop make dishes from it. Also authentic Chinese Cruisne. And Garlic .... garlic baby ich can live with Garlic /Ginger Mix anymore , makes everything better to gigest and improved my bloodresults also my daily dose auf toasted Seasme seed Oil

[@xXfireflyyXx]

For a quicker version of dashi, you can also purchase dashi in a tea bag form or hondashi in a powder form and just put it in your water

[@babyhuey6342]

@4:19 you say "just empty carbs" as if they're not filling the emptiness inside me

[@pomidorek101]

pls tell me, he has already uploaded tteokbokki video once before, or am I going mad

[@kenzaghodbane5890]

I thought I was going insane as well but turns out he did make it in his what I eat in a day video (I think that was it)

[@BestgirlJordanfish]

Tteokbokki has been the bane of my diet haha. It's easily one of my favorite foods and I make it all the time. Glad it's getting some love here!

[@Saturn49YT]

Ethan invents Korean Hamburger Helper. :)

[@sDeezyeazy]

Definitely going to try making this soon, my Korean friends keep telling me I need to try it

[@youraveragepasser-by7367]

You need to work on your pronunciation man😂😂 great video regardless

[@HoldMeForever]

I'll be honest, I'd love to eat it, but I can't even get myself to make an egg to begin with.

[@dsp6742]

Ah time to relax after a long day with my fav food youtuber. Am I gonna make this recipe? No. But I watch anyway because it's Ethan ✨

[@FeliussRexx]

Thank you for saying addictive vs addicting!! Awesome recipe!

[@steffeeH]

Your take on the dish is interesting, it kind of becomes a crossover with Pad Krapao Moo Sap minus the basil leaf

[@pearlescent1557]

I endlessly appreciate you including healthier versions of these foods. Sometimes I feel like I can't really be an adventurous cook because I care too much about my nutrition, but you always prove me wrong :)

[@Heymanputhisfingersinmetoooah]

I love how in the USA a decade ago these ingredients were considered to exotic for the average supermarket! Now you can find them pretty much everywhere which is amazing. I’d recommend buying them from an Asian grocery shop simply because they will always be available. At my local Target it’s hit and miss frankly. Ethan you are a legend my friend!

[@grannath]

So great to see I'm not the only one experimenting with Tteokbokki! If you run low on those ricecakes, the sauce also works great with any noodles. FYI, the ricecakes are called Tteok, the dish made with the spicy sauce is Tteokbokki. ;)

[@Kermitthebadger]

the way you pronounce Tteokbokki cracks me up lol

[@I.dont.know14]

At least he got a legit brand for his gochujang

[@RaviolistRavioli]

Thank you Ethan, for introducing an uncultured American like myself about all theses diverse culinary options. Also, I appreciate the style of explaining why each ingredient is used and how they all come together to make the dish, instead of just blindly following a recipe.

[@morningstar8187]

I much prefer your meat version. I can’t live off just rice and some sauce, regardless of how tasty it is. Gotta have some meat. I have everything except the rice cakes. I’ll swing by the Asian grocery store tomorrow.

[@milkwhistle]

To make mine slightly more healthy I add a bunch of shredded cabbage and carrot after the rice cakes (and frozen peas if I have them). Also recommend snow peas!

[@calvint678]

"Addictive" thank you

[@lforlight]

The thumbnail says it's addictive. Addiction is bad.

[@robertgouldshaw9292]

Cry about it

[@lisapop5219]

I've never seen that kind of fish cake with this. I like the ones shaped like a flat rectangle. I'm not a fan of the hardboiled egg. It tastes good but is a pain with chopsticks. These were the first street food snacks I ate in Korea and I still love them. There is just something about that spicy chewy snack that I love. Or maybe it's the msg lol.

[@Flippokid]

Eggs a pain with chopsticks? Stabbing them works great for me.

[@yjs1098]

Flat fishcakes are my favorite too

[@ying520]

yeah ive never seen tteokbokki with round fishcakes, and i rarely see it without flat fishcakes at all lol

[@lisapop5219]

@@Flippokid that's what I wind up doing lol

[@corex7125]

Has anyone ever told you that you look like the Australian cricketer David Warner 😂

[@TheAnnoyingnerds]

By the way, a bit nitpciky but I think if you can just make the dashi with dried anchovies and kelp rather than katsuobushi. It's good, but for me the smokyness of the katsuobushi doesn't really fit the tteokpokki. It kinda blow your mind how good it is without the katsuobushi smokiness

[@seraph511]

I've never had beef nor asparagus in tteokbokki but it looks good! What we usually do is a packet of ramen noodles, bean sprouts, onions, fish cakes, and hard-boiled eggs.

[@scofah]

Was good when it started...then the background music 😥.......

[@guilhermepenteado5177]

Love the videos! Is there any use for the leftover Kombu used for dashi?

[@zukokurama]

How would the spicy sauce taste with no sugar added? I want to do the spicy sauce with no sugar and add protein to that

[@milcac3626]

The best selling item in an old Harvest Moon game - finally I know what it is

[@Jaigarful]

Two Things: Whats the point of Lean Ground Beef, cooking it, then immediately adding oil into the pan afterwards to fry the garlic a bit? Second, do you have any other veggie recommendations for this besides asparagus?

[@EthanChlebowski]

Since it's so lean I need a little oil for the garlic to help transport the flavors. It's still less total fat than if I had used say 80/20 or 73/27 ground beef. Anything vegetable that works for sauteing. Broccoli, asparagus, grean beans, cauliflower, carrots!

[@eliasbiditza]

never cooked that, but maybe green beans, carrots, pac choi or peas could work

[@azharhadiqa]

I have been absolutely ADDICTED to this dish since your last video. THANK YOU for introducing this to me.

[@taylorh3097]

I just made it! I combined both methods, using the recipe from the first and adding beef and veggies and it was amazing. And easy. Spent about $30 but got enough to make it 3 more times (minus the beef and veggies) with about 3 servings each time. So it was $30 for like, 12 servings. Not bad!

[@StrawberryDreemurr]

Words cannot describe how much I appreciate your videos, Ethan. They’re so addictive and they’ve levelled up my cooking tenfold over the past year (or two? has it been that long?). Great job, and keep it up.

[@zacwebb5738]

I love this dish. When I’m feeling lazy I just add a Tbsp of dashi flakes to the pot and forgettaboudit. If you add a whole package, you might want to strain it out to avoid bitter after taste.

[@Pop-pv4xt]

I love tteokbokki❤❤

[@Nozarks1]

This has become my family’s favorite. Thanks for introducing us to new dishes.

[@ayeshas5976]

I love eating dubokki but I can’t bring myself to believe that it’s healthy. Definitely feels more of an indulgence!

[@DoctorStrange01]

tteokbokki*, and it's healthy until you add the sauce, cause that thing has A LOT of sodium, and often sugar as well :D

[@Soupcan13]

Super Cool! I've never heard of these before. I love mouth feel in cooking so I'll defined be trying this out

[@nele9555]

Tteokbokki is the only dish that I crave daily without ever having tried it! Thanks for the video :D

[@DeepTerror46]

Tteokbokki is really dang good, and I just wanted to mention that with a bit more effort, you could make your own rice cakes if you have any leftover rice paper lying around! Thanks for the recipe

[@g.anthonybenjamin281]

Duck-bucky! I love this stuff! I add Morningstar Veggie Sausage Patties, broccoli, fish cakes, and top it with a sunny side up fried egg -

[@Tr0ll321]

Absolute cringe to use lean ground beef, to later replace the perfectly fine saturated fats with vegetable oils.

[@Vence.]

Fav cooking channel on YT

[@aprilbox3766]

The first time I had tteokbokki was from my sunbasket food subscription and I fell in love. I'm so glad you reminded me of them, I will be making some as soon as I can find them.

[@Karo27007]

It's like gnoccis but with rice and spicy! Awesome! 😋

[@wolfingitdown2047]

I have these in my fridge right now 👹

[@DMSProduktions]

Yummo! LIKE the idea of adding meat & veg to it!

[@BlueJACKPOTS]

Is it too spicy? Can’t it spicy food much. Is there no spicy version of this dish?

[@delyar]

Our pal babish - ;-)

[@soohyunashleylee8662]

Thanks Ethan! I am Korean so I had all the ingredients in my refridgerator. Made your healthishy version and it turns out great! Thanks for sharing :)

[@I.dont.know14]

I'm curious what Ethan's weekly rotation looks like because damn it's a diverse one

[@mugensamurai]

The whole video is Ethan discovering flavor for the first time.

[@jakobtanner2523]

This looks delicious! Do you have a measurement (in grams or ounces) of what you consider 1 serving? Thank you :)

[@chongli297]

Ethan I think you're missing the point a little bit here. Tteokbokki is Korean junk food. It's not meant to be a healthy meal, it's a quick snack you grab at a street food stall after a night of drinking with your buddies!

[@jeff4son]

Squid game!!!

[@Erik-kim-8964]

Homemade tteokbokki always awful Too much gochujang and water

[@bsol510]

ironically, tteokbokki is actually eaten with a fork despite being a korean dish

[@InspirationLabs-ff8vf]

I love Tteokbokki! You can also add other proteins, vegetables, my favorite is adding sweet potatoes. I can't wait for an episode on Korean bbq!

[@JoshBetty-e8c]

Rodriguez Anthony Thomas Kenneth Lewis Michelle

[@nomadfoodandtravel9179]

I heard that Westerners don't like the texture of rice cakes. I guess it depends on the person. Ethan's new tteokbokki recipe looks healthy and delicious. I'll try making it next time. from S.Korea

[@masonmason22]

I would love to see more korean home cooking recipes (please).

[@massiminitrains]

At this point I feel like you have recommended so many things in a weekly rotation that I'm eating 30 meals a week

[@leela4051]

I absolutely love your spin on the traditional recipe! Can't wait to give this a try. Can you put the uncooked rice cakes in the freezer?

[@infxtv2646]

Hey Leela! I make this regularly and if I don't use all the rice cakes in the bag then I do freeze the rest. When you take them out later to cook them just make sure to soak them for a bit in room temp water so they can de-thaw a bit before cooking. I just soak them while I'm preparing the broth/sauce so it doesn't really take any additional time :)

[@MrTheWaterbear]

You can’t just put hondashi in tteokbokki… ysh! That’s not Korean style anymore :(

[@benwhite3703]

Rodriguez Donna Thomas Maria Allen Mark

[@ShayanGivehchian]

When are you going to do a poke bowl episode ?

[@EthanChlebowski]

Hmm good question...it's on the idea list!

[@majoroldladyakamom6948]

@@EthanChlebowski Shayan has a great point. Much love and respect from a huge fan and major fellow foodie somewhere near Seattle. ⚘🙏❤🙏⚘

[@sancsky]

Ty Ethan, now my stomach is burning and i cant feel my mouth.....but oh boy....I CANT STOP EATING THIS

[@TheSludgeMan]

how many weeknights do you have in a typical week bro, 87?

[@Quickhanf]

I'm usually not a big commenter but I feel compelled to write this PSA: If you don't like REALLY spicy meals, DO NOT ADD IN THE GOCHUGARU right away (you still can in the end). I literally had to throw my meal away because I couldn't eat it. And yes, I'm not a big spicelord but I also don't mind a little burn. I tried it again ONLY with the gochujang (same brand as in the video) in case my supplementing gochugaru with chili was tainting the recipe, and it still blew my head off, barely eatable for me. Which is a shame bc I think I really liked the taste (my brain was kinda busy processing the 1000 knifes in my mouth :D ) and texture, reminded me a bit of our German Schupfnudeln :) I might try it again with less chili paste since it really seems tasty and convenient once you balance the spice level

[@EdenTyrone-g5t]

Anderson Frank Wilson Maria Smith Kimberly

[@AndiDemirie]

Rodriguez Frank Anderson George Jackson Steven

[@Phayezorix]

i HIGHLY Recommend adding some tomato paste, if you want extra tang, or cant handle the spice! just adjust accordingly! ill usually add oil > Tomato Paste+Gochujang in the oil and fry it off before adding the stock!

[@leelee4496]

Right now, November 2021. Christina and CardiB very look alike.

[@lollokopter11]

Quick question: once you made the healthier version of those; do they freeze well? I see myself buying the Gochujang, use it once or twice and then forget about it for too long. If the meal freezes well though, I'll just make a giant batch and freeze it 😅

[@Loj84]

Like he said, gochujang lasts pretty much indefinitely in the fridge. First of all, it's a chili paste. Second of all, it's fermented. Fermented chilis are basically never going to go bad.

[@ying520]

i think freezing cooked tteok will ruin the soft chewy texture, or at least worsen the texture, so i would avoid doing that. but the gochujang lasts extremely long, and i think the meal is so fast to make its probably not worth sacrificing the texture for a little more time haha. they can keep in the fridge tho

[@DMTHOTH]

if you wanted healthier version of it, you could just cook gungjung(royal) Teokbokki. Also plz stop putting japanese name on korean cuisine. They tried to eradicate korean language while they were occupying korea between ww1 and ww2.

[@joejoiner2780]

The pepper paste: GOCHUJANG My brain: Gucci gang