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 teokbokki, 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 teokbokki, but it is one of my favorite quick meals to whip up in a pinch. And 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.
Table of contents
What is tteokbokki?
Tteok-bokki is a common Korean street food and snack. It is a simmered rice cake, is a popular in Korea and usually made from small-sized long, white, cylinder-shaped rice cakes called tteokmyeon. That’s what is used in this recipe! They are commonly referred to as tteokbokki-tteok, which is how I have lableled 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 tteokbokki tteok, you can find these at H-Mart or a Korean grocer
- 12 ounce pack of firm tofu, drained
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp salted butter, separated
- 3 small shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1 1″ knob of ginger, finely grated
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups kale shredded
- 2 stalks scallions sliced, for serving
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds, for serving
How to prepare the brown butter tofu
- 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.
- In a large high-sided sauté pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and put the pan on medium heat. Melt 2 tbsp of butter into the pan and let it foam.
- 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.
- Set the tofu aside.
How to make the tteokbokki
- 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.
- In a large cup, whisk together the garlic, ginger, gochjang, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar and water.
- Turn the heat down on the pan and add the remaining 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.
- Scoop the rice cakes from the water they are soaking in and put them straight into the sauté pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes to let them get coated in the flecks of brown butter.
- Pour in the gochujang mixture and turn the heat up to medium. Let the pan come to a soft simmer and let the sauce reduce, stirring occasionally. This will take about 5-6 minutes.
- When the sauce becomes thick and glossy, add in the shredded kale and mix to let is wilt into the tteok. Add in the tofu and stir so it gets coated in the sauce. Take the pan off the heat.
- 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
Absolutely – I’ve found some vegan butters are great for “browning” – they won’t give you the same result as brown butter, but it’s pretty close! It’s perfect for making this dish as a vegan option.
I like to store this recipe fully made in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last about 5-6 days in the fridge, and up to 5 months in the freezer. Although I don’t recommend it as a freezer meal.
I like to reheat this recipe in a pan on medium heat. Add a splash of water to help the sauce get glossy and smooth again, adding more as needed. Serve warm!
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.
Brown Butter Tteok-Bokki
Ingredients
- 1 lb bag of frozen tteokbokki tteok you can find these at H-Mart or a Korean grocer
- 12 ounce pack of firm tofu drained
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp salted butter separated
- 3 small shallots thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic finely grated
- 1 1" knob of ginger finely grated
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups kale shredded
- 2 stalks scallions sliced, for serving
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds for serving
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- In a large high-sided sauté pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and put the pan on medium heat. Melt 2 tbsp of butter into the pan and let it foam.
- 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.
- Set the tofu aside.
- In a large cup, whisk together the garlic, ginger, gochjang, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar and water.
- Turn the heat down on the pan and add the remaining 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.
- Scoop the rice cakes from the water they are soaking in and put them straight into the sauté pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes to let them get coated in the flecks of brown butter.
- Pour in the gochujang mixture and turn the heat up to medium. Let the pan come to a soft simmer and let the sauce reduce, stirring occasionally. This will take about 5-6 minutes.
- When the sauce becomes thick and glossy, add in the shredded kale and mix to let is wilt into the tteok. Add in the tofu and stir so it gets coated in the sauce. Take the pan off the heat.
- Plate in four bowls and sprinkle with scallions and white sesame seeds. Serve warm!
