Chopped Cheese Rice Cakes
What is a Chopped Cheese?
From the always trusty Wikipedia: “Chopped Cheese, also known as “a chop cheese”, is a type of sandwich originating from New York City. Found in bodegas throughout the Bronx and Harlem, it is made on a grill with ground beef, onions, and topped by melted cheese and served with lettuce, tomatoes, and condiments on a hero roll.”
These rice cakes are inspired by the chopped cheese rice cakes I had at Nowon a few weeks back – it’s a relatively new Korean-influenced restaurant that takes a new twist on Korean classics (think: jajang clams instead of jajang myun). Surprisingly, it wasn’t until a week after my Nowon visit that I finally had a chopped cheese from a neighborhood bodega while battling a v solid hangover. This recipe serves ~3-4 people.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 4 cups rice cakes (I prefer tteokbokki style for this)
- 4-5 slices of American cheese
- 10-15 hot + sweet jalapeños (I used the ones from Trader Joe’s)
- also: salt and pepper, 1/2 cup water
Directions:
- Heat up 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a nonstick wok or skillet
- Add onion and cook until translucent over medium heat
- Add in ground beef and brown over low-medium heat, breaking it into smaller chunks with the end of your spatula as it cooks. Season with salt, pepper, and sesame oil
- Add in rice cakes and mix. Add in 1/2 cup of water and cover and cook until rice cakes are soft, ~5-7 minutes, giving them a stir about halfway through
- Turn heat to low and add slices of cheese on top and cover with lid until cheese is melted
- Turn off heat and mix to incorporate the melted cheese along with jalapeños. Add more salt to taste