Kids Beg for This! Super Simple 'Addictive Jjajang Tteokbokki' Golden Recipe
Hello! Are you always worrying about what snacks to make every day? For young children who can't handle spicy food, or for those who prefer sweet and savory umami over stimulating flavors, I've prepared a special snack recipe today. It's 'Jjajang Tteokbokki' (Black Bean Rice Cakes), which you can easily make with just jjajang powder. It boasts a deep, rich flavor that is completely different from the red gochujang-based or ketchup tteokbokki sold in stores.
The Innocent Transformation of Tteokbokki! Why Jjajang?
Generally, when we think of tteokbokki, spicy gochujang sauce comes to mind, but it's often pie in the sky for kids with a low tolerance for spice. Soy sauce tteokbokki is a great alternative, but nothing beats jjajang sauce for providing a unique umami and visual delight. Without the hassle of roasting chunjang (black bean paste), anyone can become a chef with just store-bought jjajang powder. The cooking time is also very short, about 15 minutes, so I highly recommend it as a snack for busy weekend afternoons or after school.
Foolproof Jjajang Tteokbokki Ingredient Prep (Generous 4 Servings)
The start of a delicious dish comes from careful ingredient preparation. It's also a great recipe for clearing out the fridge, so prepare without pressure.
- Main Ingredients: 2 cups Tteokbokki tteok (both wheat and rice cakes are fine), 4 sheets fish cake (square fish cakes are easy to cut)
- Sub Ingredients: 1 cup ham or sausage (Vienna sausages recommended), 1/2 onion, 1 handful green onion
- Magic Sauce: 750ml water (about 3-4 paper cups), 2 tbsp sugar (reduce if you don't want it too sweet), 0.5 tbsp minced garlic, 3-4 tbsp jjajang powder (adjust to taste), 1 tbsp sesame oil, a little sesame seeds
Step-by-Step Cooking Guide for Beginners
- Make Garlic Broth
First, pour 750ml (about 3 cups) of water into a pot and turn on the heat. Before the water boils, add half a tablespoon of minced garlic. The garlic deepens the flavor of the sauce and reliably removes any potential off-flavors from the ham or fish cake.
- Prepare Ingredients
To save time while the water is boiling, prepare the sub-ingredients. Slice the onion, and cut the fish cake into triangles or squares that are easy for kids to eat in one bite. Cut the ham or sausage into similar sizes as the rice cakes or score them.
- Boil to Enhance Flavor
When the garlic water starts to boil vigorously, add the onion first to bring out the sweetness. When the onion becomes slightly translucent and its sweetness starts to infuse, add all the sliced fish cakes and sausages and boil together. During this process, the delicious broth from the fish cake and sausage seeps into the soup.
- Add Sweetness
Once the broth has developed some flavor, add 2 tablespoons of sugar. Adding sugar before the salty jjajang powder allows the sweetness to penetrate the ingredients first, making the overall flavor balance excellent.
- Drop the Main Ingredient, Tteok!
When the fish cakes plump up and become soft, add the 2 cups of tteokbokki tteok you prepared. If using frozen tteok, soak them in cold water beforehand to thaw, so they don't crack and maintain their chewiness.
- Mix the Magic Powder
After adding the tteok and the soup boils again, add today's core ingredient: jjajang powder. Don't add it all in one clump; sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons little by little and stir gently to dissolve. Since the powder contains starch, you'll see the soup thicken quickly. Taste it, and if you want a stronger flavor, you can add about 1 more tablespoon.
- Simmer on Low Heat
Now, reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently, stirring slowly with a spatula so it doesn't stick to the bottom, allowing the jjajang sauce to deeply permeate the tteok and ingredients. The key is to simmer until the tteok becomes soft and the sauce coats the ingredients thickly.
- The Finishing Touch: Add Nutty Flavor
When the sauce is perfectly reduced, turn off the heat. Finally, scatter a handful of chopped green onions and drizzle a swirl of sesame oil to add nuttiness. Mix evenly, plate it, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top to complete a visually perfect dish.
Pro Tips to Elevate the Taste!
- Choosing Tteok: Using wheat tteok allows the seasoning to absorb well, giving it a nostalgic snack shop vibe, while rice tteok offers a nutty and chewy texture the more you chew. Choose according to your preference.
- Want it Spicy?: If only adults are eating or you prefer a spicy kick, try adding 1 tablespoon of gochugaru (red pepper flakes) or sliced Cheongyang peppers when adding the jjajang powder. It transforms into an attractive flavor like Sichuan jjajang.
- Harmony of Cheese and Fried Rice: Top the finished jjajang tteokbokki generously with mozzarella cheese and microwave it briefly for double the flavor. And I highly recommend mixing rice or frying it with seaweed flakes in the leftover jjajang sauce! It's a perfect sauce with nothing to throw away.
Wrapping Up
If you're tired of the same old gochujang tteokbokki or worrying about kids who can't eat spicy snacks, take out the jjajang powder from your kitchen cabinet right now. In just 15 short minutes, you'll be able to make an irresistible snack that the whole family will scrape off the bottom of the pot. How about this fantastic encounter of jjajang and tteokbokki for tonight's snack?