Rice Cakes (Tteok)
Chewy rice cakes used in tteokbokki, soups, and skewered street food. Available frozen, fresh, or shelf-stable.
Korean rice cakes (tteok) come in two main shapes: cylinders for tteokbokki and stir-fries, and thin oval slices for soups like tteokguk. Both are made from glutinous rice flour and have a distinctive chewy texture. Frozen rice cakes are the most practical option — they keep for months and cook in minutes after soaking in water. Fresh ones from Korean bakeries are softer but need to be used within days. The key to cooking rice cakes is timing: they go from perfectly chewy to mushy in just a few minutes of overcooking. Always add them near the end of cooking.
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Guides & Tips
Best Rice Cakes for Tteokbokki — Frozen vs Fresh and What to Buy
Guide to buying rice cakes for tteokbokki. Covers frozen vs fresh, cylinder vs sliced, top brands, and cooking tips to avoid mushy or hard rice cakes.
Korean Pantry for Beginners — The 7 Ingredients You Actually Need
Stock your kitchen with these 7 Korean pantry essentials and you can make dozens of authentic dishes. No specialty store required.
