As someone who follows a strict, plant-based diet with Korean heritage, when my family cooks sometimes I feel a little left out. So, I have taken over most the ingredient purchasing for family gatherings — as most Korean dishes that don’t contain meat can be easily made vegan by substituting fish oil or brother for one that is veggie based.

I decided the inaugural post for this blog should be one of my favorite Korean foods, 떡볶이 (also known as: teokbokki, ddeokbokki, topokki, and dukboki).

Ingredients:

Garlic [1 clove]

Rice Cakes (떡)

You can order these online, but they seem to be a tad expensive compared to what you’d find in any Asian market.

You can order these online, but they seem to be a tad expensive compared to what you’d find in any Asian market. Gochujang (고추장) [1/2 cup]

Vegetable Broth [2 cups]

Vegetable Oil [2 tbsp]

Water [1/2 cup]

Green Onion [1/4 cup]

Optional: Additional Vegetables (Cabbage, Bok Choy, Asparagus are my favorites)

Instructions:

Dice or mince garlic, set aside. Dice or cut green onions in lengths, set aside. Place rice cakes in sauce pan with water and vegetable oil, turn heat to medium. Stir and coat rice cakes in water and oil as the sauce pan heats up. Pour vegetable broth and gochujang into sauce pan, mix well. Add minced garlic into sauce pan, keep stirring. As the mixture comes to a boil, add your green vegetables. (Today, I used asparagus. Normally, I use cabbage or bok choy.) When the mixture starts to be more saucelike and less souplike, add your green onions. When the sauce reaches the desired thickness, the topokki is finished! As the good chef you are, make sure to taste test one of the rice cakes for maximum mushy-and-tasty-ness.