Tteokkochi (Korean rice cake skewers)

Definitely a crowd pleaser and so easy to make. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and coated with a sauce that’s spicy, tangy, and slightly sweet. Props to @chefchrischo for the original inspo!

Ingredients:

• Fresh cylindrical rice cakes, garaetteok (thicker ones will make it easier for you to skewer)
• Neutral cooking oil (I use avocado)
• Skewers

For the sauce (for ~50 pieces of rice cakes):

• 3 tbsp gochujang
• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1.5 tbsp of honey
• 2 tsp ketchup or rice vinegar
• garnish: roasted white sesame seeds
• optional: brown sugar (if using additional sugar, be extra careful to keep the temp to med-low when heating up the sauce so you don’t burn it)

Directions:

• Rinse the rice cakes with cold water
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil the rice cakes for ~1 minute
• Place the rice cakes into a bowl of cold water
• In a pan, combine together gochujang, ketchup, soy sauce, and honey over medium-low heat. Simmer for about a minute, constantly stirring the sauce. Adjust sauce to taste. Turn off heat and let the sauce cool for a few minutes before brushing; I find this creates a thicker glaze that gives a more glossy look when you brush it on the rice cakes.
• Skewer your rice cakes, the number you add per skewer is totally up to you and also depends on the length of your skewers. Pat rice cakes dry to minimize oil splatter
• Add oil to a nonstick pan over medium heat and grill the rice cake until lightly crispy and parts of it are a light golden brown ~1-2 minutes. Flip and repeat with the other side, adding more oil to the pan if the rice cakes stick. Repeat in batches until you’ve grilled them all
• Brush sauce on one side of the skewer and top with roasted sesame seeds. You can brush both sides if you prefer more sauciness!