Brown Butter Tteokbokki

There are few things that are better than tteokbokki, and there are few things that brown butter can’t improve, so why not take two of my favorite things and make Brown Butter Tteokbokki, aka the ultimate comfort food?

If you aren’t familiar with tteokbokki, it is a Korean steamed rice cake, and it is everything delicious that a carb can be. It’s chewy, delicious, easy to prepare, and when you coat it in a glossy, spicy, buttery sauce, it is heaven on a plate. This is not traditional tteokbokki, but it is one of my favorite quick meals to whip up in a pinch. It’s also one of my favorite ways to treat myself, whether it’s for a quick weeknight meal or for a cozy weekend dinner. I’ll detail more about traditional tteokbokki below, as well as share how to make this rich, glossy tofu and brown butter tteokbokki.

What is tteokbokki?

Tteokbokki is a common Korean street food and snack. It is a simmered rice cake that is popular in Korea and usually made from cylinder-shaped rice cakes called tteokmyeon. That’s what is used in this recipe! They are commonly referred to as tteok, which is how I have labelled them in the ingredients list. Tteokbokki is most commonly seasoned with either spicy gochujang (chili paste) or non-spicy ganjang. There are many iterations and variations of tteokbokki, and the versions keep growing. I’m happy to add a brown butter tteokbokki to the list!

Ingredients you will need for this brown butter tteokbokki

• 1 lb bag of frozen tteok, you can find these at H-Mart or a Korean grocer
• 12 ounce pack of firm tofu, drained
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
• 3 small shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 1″ knob of ginger, finely grated
• 2 tablespoons gochujang
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups kale, shredded
• 2 stalks scallions, sliced, for serving
• 1 tablespoons white sesame seeds, for serving

How to prepare the brown butter tofu

1. Cube the tofu and pat it dry with a paper towel, you can press it for a longer time if you prefer, but for this quick recipe I just do a quick pat dry.
2. In a large high-sided sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and put the pan on medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter into the pan and let it foam.
3. Sear the tofu in batches, cooking for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and slightly crisp on the edges. The butter will begin to brown, leaving brown flecks on the tofu and letting the tofu absorb the flavor like a sponge.
4. Set the tofu aside.

How to make the tteokbokki

1. Rinse the rice cakes well. Add them to a large bowl and cover with water. Let them sit while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a large measuring cup, whisk together the garlic, ginger, gochujang, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, and water.
3. Turn the heat down on the pan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Let it melt into the already brown butter. Add in the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes, or until the shallots have softened and butter is lightly golden brown.
4. Transfer the rice cakes from the water they are soaking in straight into the sauté pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes to let them get coated in the flecks of brown butter.
5. Pour in the gochujang mixture and turn the heat up to medium. Let the pan come to a simmer and simmer for 5-6 minutes, letting the sauce reduce.
6. When the sauce becomes thick and glossy, add in the shredded kale and mix to let it wilt into the tteok. Add in the tofu and stir so it gets coated in the sauce. Take the pan off the heat.
7. Plate in four bowls and sprinkle with scallions and white sesame seeds. Serve warm!

Substitutions for the ingredients in this brown butter tteokkbokki

These ingredients can easily be swapped and switched – that’s what is so great about simple weeknight meals, you can really riff on it!

For this recipe here are some subs that are great if you are in a pinch:

• If you can’t find this rice cake version (called tteokmyeon), there are flat rice cakes that will work just as well! This recipe will also work with rice noodles.
• No soy sauce? Tamari is a great sub
• If you don’t have maple syrup, a tablespoon of honey, sugar or brown sugar will yield the same result!
• Kale is an easy sub, just swap in any favorite leafy green of yours.
• No sesame seeds? My guilty pleasure is a drizzle of sesame paste (tahini) on top, it really adds to the richness!

FAQ

Looking for other similar recipes?

Here are a few carb comfort foods that I’ve been loving lately:

And that’s it for this brown butter tteokbokki!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.