Ddeokbokki 떡볶이 - Spicy Korean Rice Cakes

ddeokbokki is a popular snack food that is commonly sold by street vendors in korea. i've tried them a couple of times in korea but didn't really like it coz i find it kinda bland and not sweet enough for my liking. i like mine really sweet and generously doused with lotsa sesame oil and sesame seeds, something which i find lacking from the ones in korea so i love making this at home coz its so easy and i can tweak it according to my own preference. the authentic recipe uses cabbage and spring onion/scallions but i didn't hv both so i omitted.

this is the ssal ddeok (rice cake) i used. fresh tube-shaped rice cakes are preferred when making ddeokbokki whereas the thinly-sliced ones are usually used for making soup.

they're really good and satisfying on their own and some ppl like to add it to korean ramyeon (instant noodles) and they call it 'rabokki' which is ramyeon + ddeokbokki combined. cute. but i find the combination strange coz its like eating double carbs. then again, wouldn't know until i tried it.

also, if you reside in singapore and love shopping for korean groceries like i do, you may like to check out harin mart, a korean grocery supplier in singapore. they're not a supermarket but a warehouse located at marsiling industrial estate. i checked it out some weeks ago and the main attraction is that their prices are alot cheaper compared to korean supermarkets like solmart. the rice cakes are $3.80 a 600g pack whereas solmart is selling $6.80, the shin ramyeon is $1.20 per pack and gochugaru (korean chilli powder) is amazingly cheap at 1kg for $12 whereas i used to buy it from solmart at $14 for 200g! they also hv lotsa fresh produce and deliver islandwide, so check it out! and no, i'm not advertising for them, i just think no one should pay for overpriced korean groceries from now on :p

recipe for the ddeokbokki can be found here.