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Sticky Korean Rice Cakes and Tofu

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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

SAUCE

  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tbsp gochujang (korean pepper paste) if you can’t handle spice, only use 1/2-1 tbsp
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp mirin (japanese/korean cooking wine), optional
  • 1 tbsp fresh garlic, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 onion, finely grated

OTHER

  • 300g firm tofu
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch (cornflour in Australia)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 350g fresh korean rice cakes (tteok/dduk/ddeok/떡)
  • oil, for frying

Instructions
 

  • If you’re using refrigerated or frozen tteok, you might like to cook them first for a few minutes. But be sure to drain very very well and let the tteok ‘dry’ for a 15-30 minutes otherwise they won’t fry properly and you’ll have a gluey sticky mess instead. If you’re using fresh tteok, don’t worry about this step!
  • In a small saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients. Heat sauce on low heat, stirring frequently, for just a few minutes just until completely heated through and bubbling. Set aside.
  • Drain the tofu and pat dry. Cut tofu into thick rectangles. To prepare tteok, simply separate the pieces so they are not stuck together. Don’t soak them in water because they’ll be too wet and gluey to fry properly.
  • Into a reusable lunch-type container, mix the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add the tofu into the container and SHAKE! Shake well until all the tofu pieces are covered in a layer of cornstarch.
  • In a large non-stick frypan, heat 2 Tbsp of oil. Fry all the tofu pieces on low-medium heat for a 1-2 minutes on each side until crispy, then set aside. This takes a while and a bit of patience so sit tight! You may want to add another Tbsp of oil halfway through frying the tofu too - not enough oil can make your tofu burn.
  • Heat another 2 tbsp of oil in the frypan and fry the tteok for a few minutes until crispy, try not to let all the tteok touch, as they will get stuck together. The rice cakes don’t necessarily have to be golden, they are crispy when you can see a scratchy texture forming. Turn them so that all sides can get a little crisp. When all the tteok is cooked through and you’re satisfied with how crispy they are, turn the heat right down and add the tofu back into the pan, as well as the sauce. Toss to coat everything in sauce!
  • Serve sprinkled with toasted sesame and freshly chopped spring onions!
Keyword Vegan
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