Mokbar Tteokbokki

Name: Mokbar Tteokbokki
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup Sessy Gochujang; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 tablespoon Sessy Sesame Oil; 1 tablespoon Sessy Soy Sauce; 2 teaspoons lemon juice; 1 teaspoon garlic, minced; ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced; 4 strips bacon (about 3 ounces), thinly sliced crosswise; 4 ounces ground pork; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 cups (about 1 pound) fresh or frozen tteok; Fried or poached eggs (1 per person); ¼ cup kimchi; 2 scallions, thinly sliced; Gim; Toasted sesame seeds

This crispy tteokbokki is one of Mokbar’s most popular dishes, and it’s all about texture. Unlike the traditional version, where rice cakes are simmered soft in sauce, this one is inspired by the skewered street-food style: the tteok is fried until crisp outside and chewy inside, then coated with just enough sticky, spicy sauce for flavor without going soggy.

Ingredients

Gochujang Sauce

¼ cup Sessy Gochujang
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Sessy Sesame Oil
1 tablespoon Sessy Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

Pork and Tteok

4 strips bacon (about 3 ounces), thinly sliced crosswise
4 ounces ground pork
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups (about 1 pound) fresh or frozen tteok

To Serve (optional)

Fried or poached eggs (1 per person)
¼ cup kimchi
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Gim
Toasted sesame seeds

Time to Make (30 min)

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Instructions

Step One

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together all the sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute, then remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Step Two

Cook the bacon in a cold large (12-inch) nonstick skillet over medium heat until nearly–but not completely–crisp, about 5 minutes. Scoop out the bacon and transfer to a bowl.

Step Three

Add the pork to the bacon fat and cook, breaking it into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Scoop out the pork and transfer to the bowl with the bacon.

Step Four

Heat the same skillet over medium heat and add the butter to the bacon/pork fat. When the butter is not quite melted, add the tteok and let it start to crisp as the butter browns, about 5 minutes.

Step Five

Stir in the ground pork and bacon and let everything get crispy and hot together, 8 to 10 more minutes. The tteok pieces will not caramelize, but if you tap a spoon against a piece, it should feel crisp on the outside. Turn off the heat and let the tteok cool for a minute.

Step Six

Stir in half the sauce and taste, then add a little more or all the rest, depending on how spicy you want the dish.

Step Seven

Spoon the tteokbokki into bowls and top with any or all of the following: fried or poached eggs, kimchi, scallions, gim, and/or sesame seeds.

Products Used

Uses Gochujang Uses Sesame Oil Uses soy sauce

Tip

Serve with a side of baek (white) kimchi or cucumber kimchi to cool everything down