Vegan Tteokbokki 비건 떡볶이 Recipes

VEGAN TTEOKBOKKI (떡볶이) WITH VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Add the vegetable broth to a deep pan or pot and bring to a simmer over high heat. Add the cabbage, white parts of the green onions, carrot, and garlic; reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in the gochujang (paste), gochugaru (flakes), tamari, and sugar. Add the mushrooms and simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the rice cakes to the pan/pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The rice cakes will soften and grow a larger, while the sauce will decrease and thicken.
• Turn the heat off and stir in the green onions and sesame oil (optional). Top with sesame seeds, then serve warm.

VEGAN TTEOKBOKKI (비건 떡볶이)

Steps:

• If your TTeok (korean rice cakes) are frozen and stuck together, add them into a large bowl with cold water to separate them for about 5-10 minutes before using them.
• Begin making your vegan Tteokbokki by adding water in a large wok or pot. Instead of water, you could also use a low or no-sodium vegetable broth instead.
• Because traditional Tteokbokki sometimes use anchovies to flavour the broth, we're adding kelp powder instead to get a similar taste. Use a whisk to mix and bring to a boil on medium-high heat to create an instant broth. If you only have dry kelp instead of kelp powder, you'll have to boil the dry kelp pieces in the water for around 15-20 minutes to flavour the broth. After 20 minutes, you can take out the kelp pieces or leave them in.
• Next, add chopped cabbage and sliced onion into the pot and bring to a boil. Optionally, you could add chopped carrots as well as which is often found in Tteokbokki.
• Start mixing your sauce ingredients by adding into a bowl: gochujang (use more or less depending on your level of spice preference), gochugaru, soy sauce (or soy-free alternative), agave nectar (or maply syrup) and minced garlic. Mix until you get a smooth sauce.
• By this point, your TTeok (Korean rice cakes) should be separated in the cold water. Now add the TTeok (Korean rice cakes) into the broth. Optionally, you can add puffed tofu / tofu puffs in as well which will absorb the delicious sauce and flavours. Traditional, fish cakes are added into Tteokbokki so these fried puffed tofu pieces are a great vegan alternative.
• Next, add in your sauce mixture and stir. Optionally, you can add sake into the pot (my mother's secret ingredient). to enhance the taste. Mix well and bring to a boil.
• Once the mixture comes to a boil, add in half the green onions. Turn the heat down to a medium-low and let it cook for around 15-20 minutes or until the rice cakes become soft to chew and the sauce has thickened. The sauce will be a bit soupy at first but over time as the ingredients absorb, the sauce will thicken more and more.
• When ready to serve, top with the rest of the green onions and sesame seeds (optional) and enjoy hot (I prefer to eat it a few hours after making it, because the flavours really soak in)! If you are serving this later, make sure to heat it up completely until the rice cakes are very soft and chewy again.