Korean spicy rice cakes, toppoki (Tteokbokki / Ddeokbokki,) is probably the most well-known Korean street snack in Korea. You can see mini vans or carts that sell it on the street very easily. Today I made easy Toppoki/Korean Rice Cake Stir Fry. There are many ways to make these spicy rice cakes, however today’s recipe is the most basic way of cooking it with minimalistic ingredients. So I am calling it “Easy Korean Spicy Rice Cakes!”.
While strolling the streets of San Francisco one day, we stepped into this hole in a wall place thinking we could have some ramen. What we were introduced was these korean rice cake smothered in sauce. We were addicted. Ordered a second serving and got to talk to the chef about how much I loved it. I was immediately reminded of something I grew up eating, called the Ammani Kozhukkatai. In Southern part of India we make rice cakes in the form of small balls, they are stir fried with simple tempering and enjoyed with some chutney. Made for special occasions, it’s exactly the same method that is used to make toppoki….