A: Welcome to “Food Delight”, where we give you culinary tips to make you more creative in the kitchen.

 B: Hello, guys and gals. When talking about food in Korea, one snack that cannot be missed is Tteokbokki, a traditional Korean dish that’s typically sold as a street food. It’s a chewy, pillowy rice cake that’s coated in a sweet red chili sauce.   

A: In Vietnam, Tteokbokki is on the menu at most Korean restaurants. I find myself ordering a version of this dish every time I visit a Korean restaurant. It’s so addictive that, even if my tummy is full, I still have room for these spicy rice cakes.

B: Tteokbokki can be served as a snack or as a quick meal. It’s super quick and easy to make. Joining us on today’s show is Jeon Hyong Jun from South Korea. His Vietnamese name is Tuan Jeon. 

A: Tuan, who has been in Vietnam for 5 months and is now working for VOV5’s Korean channel, will share with us his knowledge of Tteokbokki. 

“The attraction of Tteokbokki is that you can make it using the ingredients you want. It means you can make your own Tteokbokki. First of all you need the most important thing is Tteok rice cake, Odeng Fish cake and Korean traditional spicy sauce Gochujang. In addition, you can add your favorite vegetables, sauces, sea foods, and noodles,” Tuan said.

A: You can find pre-packaged rice cakes to make tteokbokki in almost any supermarket. You can choose fresh, refrigerated, or frozen cakes.

B: Of course, the fresh ones are the best in quality, but refrigerated cakes are fine, too.  If the cakes you buy are refrigerated, you need to soak them in water for 10 to 20 minutes before cooking.

A: The dish’s popularity has steadily grown. Today, people add all sorts of ingredients such as fishcakes, dumplings, eggs, hot dogs, seafood, and even cheese. 

“Usually, I eat Tteokbokki with grilled pork belly. First, you grill the pork belly deliciously. And then mix the Gochujang sauce and olive oil in a frying pan. Then add rice cake and mix well with seasonings. And then add some water and sugar. After that add all the ingredients and boil well. When all boiled, cut the pork belly and put it in Tteokbokki. That’s all. And if you put in Kkaetnip - the sesame leave in Tteokbokki, it smells so good and tastes better. Or if you put sweet potatoes rice cake or cheese rice cake, you can get more flavor and enjoy it,” Tuan said. 

A: Oh, I especially like cheese Tteokbokki. In some Korean restaurants, the cheese is placed on top of a finished tteokbokki. And now let’s move on to the last step…

B: Just kidding. No step left, except to enjoy the result of your efforts. Tteokbokki is best served warm, just a few minutes after cooking. 

Tteokbokki can be served as a snack or as a quick meal. (Photo: korcan50years.com)

A: If there are any leftovers, you can keep them in the refrigerator for up to two days. When you want to reheat it, my advice is to not use the microwave, but put the tteokbokki and some meat stock in a small pan and simmer over low heat. 

B: I hear tteokbokki is often eaten when it’s super cold outside as a way to beat the cold. 

“In Korea, there’s a saying called “'Fight fire with fire”. You have to eat hot food in hot summer to overcome the heat. Actually Tteokbokki is a very delicious food you can eat any time,” said Tuan. 

A: Let’s head to the kitchen and make a bowl of spicy tteokbokki for tonight. Imagine enjoying hot pieces of Tteokbokki while watching a romantic Korean film with your partners. Is your mouth watering yet?

B: We hope you enjoyed hearing about this Korean comfort food. Let us know your thoughts by tagging us at VOV5 English Service, hashtag VOV#FOODDELIGHT#ICANCOOK# Stay in touch by following us on Facebook. Good luck and bon appétit!