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A pan of rabokki, spicy rice cakes and instant ramyeon noodles in thick red sauce

Rabokki Recipe

A rabokki recipe that builds a real tteokbokki sauce first, then adds ramyeon noodles at the right moment — the timing mistake that ruins most attempts.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 300 g / 10 oz garae-tteok, cylindrical rice cakes Substitute: tteokguk slices, cook 3 minutes less
  • 1 pack instant ramyeon noodles, seasoning packet reserved but not fully used
  • 600 ml / 2.5 cups anchovy-and-kelp broth Substitute: 600 ml water plus 1 tsp anchovy paste
  • 2 tbsp gochujang
  • 1 tbsp gochugaru
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 100 g / 2 sheets eomuk fish cake, sliced
  • 2 scallions, cut into short lengths
  • 1 slice processed cheese, optional
  • 1 egg, optional

Method
 

  1. Soak the rice cakes in cold water for 20 minutes if refrigerated or frozen; skip this if they're fresh and soft.
  2. Whisk the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar and garlic into the hot broth until smooth.
  3. Add the drained rice cakes and simmer over medium heat for 7 minutes, stirring every minute so they don't stick.
  4. Add the fish cake and simmer 3 more minutes, until the sauce has visibly thickened and clings to a lifted rice cake.
  5. Break the ramyeon noodle brick roughly in half and add it to the pan along with about a third of its seasoning packet, to taste.
  6. Cook the noodles for exactly 2 minutes at a hard simmer, no longer, then take the pan off the heat immediately — they keep softening in the residual heat.
  7. Stir in the scallions, lay the cheese slice over the top if using, and crack the egg in whole, letting the retained heat set the white while the yolk stays soft.
  8. Serve straight from the pan within a few minutes, while the noodles still have some bite left.