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Gungjung Tteokbokki (Royal Court Rice Cake)
4.6 from 243 votes

Gungjung Tteokbokki (Royal Court Rice Cake)

Gungjung Tteokbokki is a savory Korean dish featuring tender rice cakes and lean beef combined with fresh vegetables like zucchini, carrot, onion, and shiitake mushrooms. The rice cakes are boiled until soft yet chewy, then mixed with a balanced soy sauce-based marinade. Stir-frying the marinated beef and vegetables together imparts a harmonious blend of umami and subtle sweetness. This dish is a substantial stir-fry often served as a main or side, showcasing traditional Korean flavors without the typical spicy kick found in other tteokbokki variations.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

  • 1 pound garaetteok about 2-inch long pieces, aka tteokbokki tteok, thin
  • 4 ounces lean beef sirloin, eye round, chuck tender or rib eye
  • 3 shiitake mushroom fresh or soaked if dried, 4 count
  • 1/2 zucchini You can also use garlic chives and/or colorful bell peppers, medium, about 4 ounces
  • 1 carrot cut into thin, 2-inch strips, medium
  • 1/2 onion thinly sliced, medium sweet
  • 1 to 2 scallions cut into 2-inch lengths
  • salt
  • cooking oil for stir-frying
Sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine or mirin
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 2 teaspoons garlic minced
  • pinch black pepper
Optional garnish:
  • ginkgo nuts or pine nuts

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Mix the sauce ingredients well and set aside. Bring water to a boil in a medium size pot. Add the rice cake pieces. Boil until all the pieces float to the top. The time required will vary depending on the condition of rice cakes. The rice cakes will be very soft when cooked, but they will become harder as they cool. Drain them out with a sieve. Do not rinse. Mix with 2 tablespoons of the prepared sauce. Set aside.
  2. Thinly slice the beef into about 2-inch long strips. Cut stems off the mushrooms and slice into thin strips. Place the beef and mushrooms in a bowl, and mix in a tablespoon of the prepared sauce. Marinate while preparing the other ingredients.
  3. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and then thinly slice crosswise and slightly diagonally to make the cuts longer. Generously sprinkle salt over zucchini slices, and set aside for 10 - 15 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid from the zucchini by hand. In a lightly heated and oiled skillet, stir fry the onion, carrot, and zucchini over medium high heat, about 2 minutes. Add the scallion at the end (not in the photo). Transfer to a bowl.
  4. In the same skillet, cook the beef and mushrooms over medium high heat until the meat is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the rice cakes and stir fry for another minute or two. Turn the heat off. 
  5. Add the rice cakes to the bowl with the vegetables, along with the optional ginkgo or pine nuts, and the remaining sauce. Toss well to combine everything well. Adjust the seasoning with additional soy sauce or sugar as necessary. Serve warm.