Pesto Cream Tteokbokki

I’m slightly embarrassed (and proud!) to admit that my YouTube search history is filled with mukbang — a type of food-forward eating content that’s popular in Korea. I particularly enjoy watching a specific kind of mukbang where people try new trendy food items in Korea, from spicy Thai-flavored chicken wings from one of the most well-known Korean fried chicken chains to Burger King’s latest burger that features “smoky sauce” on its classic Whopper. 

But there’s one food in particular that gave me a thrill: basil cream tteokbokki, a savory, herbaceous twist on a classic Korean street food. It’s creamy, saucy, and packs a punch (thanks to the addition of both jalapeño pepper and red pepper flakes). And even though I wasn’t able to taste this dish firsthand, the version I recreated in my own kitchen is supremely satisfying and flavorful — every bite is guaranteed to keep you coming back for more. 

Tteokbokki is a popular Korean dish that’s traditionally made with chewy, long cylindrical rice cakes (also known as tteok) cooked in a sweet and spicy gochujang-forward sauce. Because tteokbokki is strongly associated with that signature bubbling red sauce (it’s basically an unspoken rule that all tteokbokki should be red), it’s pretty controversial to see a green tteokbokki.

My approach to recreating this dish was to make a delicious, creamy basil sauce that was reminiscent of pasta sauce but with lots of heat. I started the sauce by cooking bacon, then sautéing garlic, onion, tomatoes, and jalapeño peppers in the rendered fat. I added in heavy cream and basil pesto (either homemade or store-bought works great), and let it simmer. Thanks to tteok’s residual starch, adding the drained rice cakes to the sauce as it simmers will naturally thicken it while helping the tteok absorb all of the flavor.

To finish, I topped the tteokbokki with a layer of shredded cheese (which gets melty from the heat) and fresh basil leaves. The sauce itself is so flavorful that I could eat it with a spoon. To create the ultimate Italian Korean fusion food, you could add short pasta like rigatoni or bowtie, but for now I will enjoy this vibrant dish as is. 

• Don’t be shy about making the dish spicy. Tteokbokki became one of Korea’s beloved street foods due to its spicy-and-sweet sauce. Jalapeño peppers and red pepper flakes introduce a much-needed heat that balances the ultra-creamy sauce. The heavy cream does mellow the heat, but you can increase the heat to your liking.
• Add different types of protein to make it hearty. Adding shrimp, chicken breast, or even steak cubes to this tteokbokki will result in a more impressive and substantial dish. I think shrimp would be a fantastic option because it cooks quickly — just sauté them first until they are pink, then add them back in when ready to serve.