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Korean rice cakes need a short soak before cooking if they are frozen or hard, then only a few minutes in sauce or broth until soft and chewy. Fresh rice cakes are soft enough to cook straight away, while chilled and frozen ones firm up and need softening first.
Korean Rice Cakes (Tteok): Which to Buy and How to Cook Them
What tteok is
Tteok is a chewy Korean rice cake made from steamed and pounded rice flour, shaped into cylinders, discs or other forms depending on the dish. The familiar shape in the UK is the cylinder used in tteokbokki, though tteok covers a wide family of shapes and preparations. Cylinders (garaetteok) hold up to stir-frying and skewers, while thin sliced ovals cook quickly in broth.
Which to buy
| Type | Shape | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Cylinder (garaetteok) | Thick, finger-length | Tteokbokki, skewers |
| Sliced ovals | Thin coins | Tteokguk, stir-fries |
- Pure rice against wheat blends. Rice is chewier and naturally gluten free, so check the label if that matters.
- Refrigerated or vacuum packed at room temperature, which changes the shelf life. Vacuum packs should feel firm and evenly packed with no discolouration, and a faintly sour smell on opening a room-temperature pack is normal, disappearing once soaked and cooked.
- Plain cakes against a tteokbokki kit. Kits include a gochujang based sauce packet, handy for a quick meal, while plain cakes let you season your own sauce.
- Pack weight. A standard pack usually serves two to three people for tteokbokki.
How to cook them
- Soak frozen or hard rice cakes in warm water for 10 to 20 minutes, separating any that are stuck together as they soften.
- Simmer in sauce or broth for 3 to 6 minutes until soft right through, as in tteokbokki.
- For soup, add sliced rice cakes near the end, as in tteokguk, so they do not turn mushy.
- Grilled or pan fried, they crisp a little outside and stay chewy within.
Skipping the soak with hardened rice cakes is the most common reason they stay tough in the centre even after cooking.
Tteok and mochi
The two are related but not the same. Mochi is Japanese and usually pounded into a smoother, stickier texture, while tteok tends to be firmer and less sticky.
Where to buy Korean rice cakes in the UK
Korean rice cakes are stocked in most Korean and pan-Asian grocers, and some large UK supermarkets now carry vacuum-packed tteokbokki kits.
Which aisle are Korean rice cakes in?
In supermarkets, look in the world food aisle for vacuum-packed tteokbokki kits. In Asian grocers, rice cakes are in the chilled or frozen section.
Asian supermarkets
A Korean grocer has the widest range, including sliced rice cakes for soup.
Buying it online
Online is a good option for vacuum-packed rice cakes, which keep well in transit.
Cylinder vs sliced in store
Ask specifically for garaetteok (cylinder shape) for tteokbokki or sliced ovals for soup, since both are simply labelled rice cakes and a shop may stock one shape without the other.
How to store Korean rice cakes
Keep chilled packs in the fridge and use within a few days of opening, or freeze for up to three months.
Fresh tteok is best used within a day or two. Refrigerated or vacuum packed versions keep for weeks in the fridge and freeze well for months. Cooked rice cakes firm up once cold, so reheat them gently with a splash of water or sauce to bring the chew back.
Frequently asked questions
Can I freeze Korean rice cakes?
Yes, and soak them in warm water before cooking.
Which shape do I need for tteokbokki?
Cylinder rice cakes, called garaetteok. Sliced ovals are for soup.
Why are my rice cakes hard in the middle?
They were not soaked or simmered long enough. Soak first, and cook until soft all the way through.
Are Korean rice cakes gluten free?
Pure rice versions are, but some contain wheat flour, so check the label.
Why are my rice cakes sticking together?
Separate them while soaking and stir often during the first minute of cooking.
Shop this
- Korean rice cakes. For tteokbokki and tteokguk.
