Diving into the diversity of Tteokbokki in Korea
A lot of Korean food lovers like Tteokbokki, but did you know there are many variation to them? You can enjoy from spicy to non-spicy and also find a vegan-friendly versions. Let’s take a look at each of them!
🏡 Market Tteokbokki (시장 떡볶이)
#Traditional #Nostalgic #Original
This is the original and traditional type of Tteokbokki. It is often referred as “nostalgic flavor” and “the food made by grandma” by Koreans. This is because a lot of Koreans as kids would run to get Tteokbokki after school with friends. In modern days, Tteokbokki has tranformed into many different types — therefore, the original Tteokbokki is called “Market Tteokbokki (시장떡볶이)” or “Old School Tteokbokki (옛날 떡볶이)”.
🔥 Instant Tteokbokki (즉석 떡볶이)
#Customize #Cheese-lover #Group-friendly
You get to see the Tteokbokki get cooked right in front of you! This is why it is named “Instant Tteokbokki”. The charm of Instant Tteokbokki is that you can customize the ingredients that go in. For example, if you are a cheese lover, you can add extra cheese. If you are a noodle lover, you can add extra noodles of your choice such as glass noodles, ramyun noodles or udon noodles.
🟠 Rose Tteokbokki (로제 떡볶이)
#Milder #Creamy #Corndogs
Rose Tteokbokki is one of the latest variations featuring chewy rice cakes with spicy, sweet and creamy sauce. Unlike the traditional recipe, Rose Tteokbokki offers a milder, creamier flavor profile that can be enjoyed by those who prefer a less spicy taste. It is a perfect choice for a Hanriver picnic, and you can enjoy it twice more by dipping corn dogs into the sauce.
👑 Royal Tteokbokki (궁중 떡볶이)
#Non-spicy #Soy sauce #Royal dish
Good news for people who don’t like spicy food! You can also enjoy Tteokbboki :) Unlike typical Tteokbokki, Gungjung Tteokbokki is not spicy but rather savoury. Because it’s cooked with soy sauce base, people call it Ganjang(soy sauce) Tteokbokki. Gungjung means “palace or royal court” in English, so Gungjung Tteokbokki is a Korean royal court cuisine that originated from the royal palace in the Joseon dynasty.
🔴 Oil Tteokbokki (기름 떡볶이)
#Vegan-friendly #Tongin market #Fried
Oil Tteokbokki is fried with oil, unlike how traditional Tteokbokki is made with watery sauce. This is a great recipe for vegans, as it does not contain broth made of meat nor fish cakes that usually go into Tteokbokki. You can find Oil Tteokbokki in Tongin Market where it is well-known for. Also, you can easily make it at home by following the famous Baekjongwon recipe (백종원 레시피)!
🟤 Black Bean Sauce Tteokbokki (짜장떡볶이)
#Non-spicy #Kids snack #Black-bean sauce
Another option for non-spicy lover. It looks like a Gungjung Tteokbokki, but it’s different! Jjajang tteokbokki is a popular Korean dish that combines jjajang sauce (black bean sauce) and tteokbokki. It features tteokbokki cooked in a savory black bean sauce made from fermented black bean paste. It’s often enjoyed as a children’s snack because it’s not spicy.
🧡 Are you curious where the best places for these Tteokbokki are? Follow us for information of Korean food from local Koreans.
