After living in Ithaca, New York for 5 years, I developed a love for Korean food. Since the majority of restaurants in collegetown, our downtown area, were not good, I often went to Koko’s, one of the few delicious restaurants. The ubokki (udon + tteokbokki) at Koko’s is outstanding, so I took it upon myself to try and make it. This recipe was adapted from Korean bapsang’s recipe for Tteokbokki.
Spicy Stir-Fried Rice Cakes with Udon (Ubokki)
Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
4 heads of Shanghai bok choy, cut finely and separated into leaves and stem
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
14-ounces of instant udon noodles
3 cups of broth or water
2 tbsp Korean red chili pepper paste gochujang
1 – 2 tsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 pound tteokbokki rice cakes (see Note 1)
How to Make It
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp oil. Add stems of bok choy, cook until softening, about 2-3 minutes. Add onion, cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add leaves of bok choy and garlic, cook leaves until wilted and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Set aside.
- Cover udon with 6 cups of boiling water. Let sit for 1 minute, stirring to break noodles apart, then drain. Set aside.
- Add broth or water to a large pot. Stir in gochujang, soy sauce, red chili flakes, and sugar. Bring to boil over medium high heat until combined.
- Add rice cakes. Boil until rice cakes become soft and sauce has thickened, about 8 – 10 minutes.
- Add bok choy, onion, and udon. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for an additional 2 – 3 minutes. Add more broth or water as necessary. Serve immediately.
Note 1: Tteokbokki rice cakes are often found fresh, in the refrigerator, or in the frozen section of a Korean market. I pick up my rice cakes from H mart.
