Orange Romesco on Rice Cakes (Tteok)

This orange romesco recipe with tteok was born of two things that were not invented to go together – and a part of me is still scared to put this on the internet. I want to first be completely respectful to the origins of both parts of this recipe – the Catalonian Romesco and the Korean Tteok – because both heavily contributed to the making of this dish.

But even now as I put it on the blog – I’m like…do these things even go together? Should this even be allowed? Yet I’m trying to shake those thoughts, because together, these two components are delicious. And shouldn’t it be that just by the merit of something tasting good, it can be a recipe of its own?

I guess the long story short here, is that I’m trying not to let my fear of my creativity get in the way of the results of my creativity. And wow, this all came about because of rice cakes. So sorry for the rambling – let’s get into this hot-fire-flames fusion recipe!

What is romesco?

So first let’s start with talking about the sauce – romesco is a tomato-based sauce that is traditionally eaten with seafood. It originates from Tarragona, the Spanish region of Catalonia. It’s typically made from tomatoes, garlic, nuts like pine nuts or almonds, and bell peppers. Occasionally thickeners are added, such as stale bread, but this varies from recipe to recipe and region to region. Most romescos are rich and red in color, but I chose to use a few of summer’s best ingredients to make this version of a romesco bright orange.

What are tteok?

Tteok – and in this instance what you might think of as Tteok-bokki – are korean rice cakes. They are made typically from rice flour, but can also be made from various other grains. The thing about tteok, is that is can be prepared in multiple ways and look vastly different across its variant uses. The tteok I am making in this recipe will look most similar to the recipe Tteokguk, a soup with sliced rice cakes, or Tteok-bokki, where rice cakes are simmered in broth and gochugaru/gochujang until they are glossy with sauce. But tteok can also be used in dessert preparations, as a delicacy, and in numerous other ways.

I find my Tteok at H-mart, but you can also get it at many specialty grocers or on Amazon!

Ingredients for this romesco sauce

Now this romesco might be different in color, but it follows a relatively standard preparation. Here is everything you’ll need:

• 1 medium orange tomato
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper
• 1 medium fresno pepper, seeds removed
• 3 tbsp hazelnuts
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 generous glug of olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp each of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, chili powder, smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional, if you want more heat
• 12 ounces premade tteok (rice cakes) refrigerated or frozen
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish

How to make this orange romesco

This orange romesco starts off this recipe easy. First quarter the tomato, de-seed the peppers and add them skin-side-up to a baking sheet.
Set your oven to broil on high, and broil these vegetables for 5-7 minutes or until the skin is charred. Let them cool completely before removing the skin.
Add these to a blender with the hazelnuts, vinegar, olive oil and spice. Purée until smooth. Set aside.

How to bring this orange romesco and tteok recipe together

After that, it’s all about preparing the tteok – I like to soak then simmer mine.

So soak the rice cakes in a large bowl of cool water for 10 minutes. The drain the water.
Put a pan with a tight fitting lid on medium heat and let it come up to temperature. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan, make sure when it hits it immediately starts to simmer. Add in the rice cakes in an even layer and cover with the lid. Let them steam for 5 minutes to soften.
When the rice cakes are soft but not mushy, remove the lid and turn the heat down to low. Add in the romesco and stir to combine with the rice cakes. The sauce should be thin but cling to the rice cakes. Add a splash of water if you need to thin it out a bit more.
Serve warm with a healthy sprinkle of parsley on top to break up the spice. And enjoy!

Looking for other gluten free dishes?

Here are a few that I absolutely love from the blog:

And that’s it for this orange romesco on rice cakes recipe!

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.