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How to Cook Soupy Gochujang Tteokbokki (Snack-Shop Style in 15 Minutes)
- MyFreshDash
- Aug 12
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Make a light gochujang broth, simmer rice cakes until tender, then add fish cake, scallions, and cabbage, finishing with eggs. You’ll get a bright, spicy, soup-style tteokbokki you can ladle—done in about 15 minutes, not a sticky brick. If you’re chasing that street-stall vibe at home, this walkthrough shows exactly how to cook soupy gochujang tteokbokki—fast. We build a clean, glossy gochujang tteokbokki sauce, let scallions and cabbage sweeten the pot naturally, then finish with fish cakes and eggs. The result: a bright, spicy bowl you can ladle, not a sticky brick.
This version is all about balance—heat that doesn’t bulldoze, broth that clings without turning pasty, and steps tuned to get dinner on the table in 15 minutes. By the end, you’ll know how to cook soupy gochujang tteokbokki that tastes like it simmered all day, minus the wait.
Table of Contents
How to Cook Soupy Gochujang Tteokbokki
Whisk water + soy sauce + gochugaru + gochujang + sugar in a pot → simmer scallions & cabbage 3–4 min → add rice cakes (and wheat tteok) and stir 4–6 min → add eggs, then fish cakes 2–3 min → finish glossy and ladle-able, adjust to taste.
Ingredients
Tteok & add-ins
Rice cakes (oval tteokguk-tteok) 2 cups (200 g)
Wheat tteok 2 cups (200 g) — optional, mix or use one type
Thin square fish cakes 3 sheets (120 g), cut bite-size
Hard-boiled eggs 2
Cabbage 1/4 head (160 g), chunky pieces
Scallions 2–3 stalks (150 g), thick bias slices
Water 550 ml
Seasoning
Gochujang 40 g (about 2 heaping spoons)
Soy sauce 35 g (about 3.5 spoons)
Gochugaru 25 g (about 5 spoons)
Sugar 30 g (about 3 spoons)
(Optional) A small pinch of MSG
Tip: If you have both fine and coarse gochugaru, mix them. If not, use what you’ve got.
Step-by-Step Guide (15 Minutes)
1. Prep (2 min).
Rinse/soak stiff rice cakes; drain. Cut fish cakes. Chop cabbage, slice scallions, peel eggs.
2. Build the base (1 min).
In a medium pot whisk 550 ml water, 35 g soy sauce, 25 g gochugaru, 40 g gochujang, 30 g sugar until smooth.
3. Heat & dissolve (1–2 min).
Set to medium. Stir until evenly red and glossy—no paste clumps.
4. Vegetables first (2–3 min).
Add scallions & cabbage. Simmer until cabbage wilts and the broth tastes lightly sweet.
5. Taste & adjust (30 sec).
Want sweeter? Add ½ spoon sugar. Need salt? A dash of soy. Keep it slightly under for now.
6. Add the tteok (3–4 min).
Bring to a steady boil. Add rice cakes (and wheat tteok if using). Keep at medium, stir often so nothing sticks.
7. Build body (1–2 min).
Starch from the tteok thickens fast; the sauce should turn shiny and lightly clingy.
8. Eggs in (30 sec).
Add 2 hard-boiled eggs whole. Crack lightly so sauce seeps in, or halve in the pot.
9. Fish cakes (1–2 min).
Add fish cakes; simmer until they plump and taste seasoned.
10. Optional add-ins (last 2–3 min).
Ramen: half a brick, 2 minutes.
Mandu (dumplings): 3–4 minutes.
Dangmyeon (glass noodles): soaked; 3–4 minutes.
11. Dial the texture (1 min).
Aim for glossy, slightly thick, still ladle-able. Too thick? Splash hot water. Too thin? Boil 1–2 minutes more.
12. Finish & serve (30 sec).
Optional pinch of MSG. Taste and balance heat/salt/sweet. Ladle into bowls—don’t be shy with the broth.
Why This Works
Clean heat: pairing gochujang + gochugaru keeps flavor bright, not pasty.
Veg-first method: scallions & cabbage infuse sweetness so you don’t need loads of sugar.
Constant stirring: helps tteok absorb sauce while gently thickening the broth.
Pro Tips
Start a touch under-sweet; adjust at the end.
Oval rice cakes stay bouncy; wheat tteok soaks up sauce—both work.
Store leftovers with extra broth; reheat with a splash of water.
Shop the Ingredients
Stock up on the exact pantry items for this recipe—gochujang, gochugaru, fish cakes, and rice cakes (tteok)—at myfreshdash.com. Add ramen, mandu, and glass noodles if you like extra mix-ins.
Final Bite
This is comfort with a kick: a bright, red bowl you can slurp. Now that you know how to cook soupy gochujang tteokbokki in 15 minutes, make it your weeknight go-to. Keep a tub of gochujang, a bag of tteok, and some fish cakes on standby—and you’re never far from a snack-shop classic at home.
Need ingredients? Shop at myfreshdash.com and get everything in one run.
FAQ: Gochujang & Tteokbokki
1. What is gochujang tteokbokki?
Korean spicy rice cakes simmered in a gochujang tteokbokki sauce—gochujang thinned with water or stock and balanced with soy sauce, sugar, and gochugaru. You get a glossy, sweet-spicy broth that clings to the tteok.
2. Gochujang vs. gochugaru in tteokbokki—do I need both?
Best flavor uses both. Gochujang brings body, umami, and mild sweetness; gochugaru adds bright, clean heat. Together you get bold flavor without a heavy finish.
3. Can I make tteokbokki without gochujang?
Not identical, but mix gochugaru + a little miso + sugar + soy sauce with a splash of water. It lands close to classic gochujang tteokbokki.
Recommended from MyFreshDash
• Cream tteokbokki — silky, kid-friendly bacon & milk version.
• Jjajang tteokbokki (3-minute sauce) — glossy black-bean, non-spicy comfort.
• What is gochujang? — quick guide to the base flavor behind this broth.
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