Literally translated as “stir-fried rice cake,” tteokbokki — pronounced tuk-bow-kee — is a popular Korean dish (tteok means “rice cake” and bokki translates to “stir-fried food”). This well-known Korean street food is made from cylinder-shaped rice cakes and the finished dish often includes fish cakes, scallions and boiled eggs. These spicy rice cakes are exceedingly popular — they were voted as one of the top comfort foods in South Korea during the outbreak of COVID-19, and they even appear in drama-thrillers like Squid Games.

Tteokbokki is known for its combination of spicy, sweet and savory flavors, along with the chewy texture from the rice cakes. If you’ve never tried this dish before, its consistency is similar to that of potato gnocchi or chewy mochi.

Early versions of tteokbokki originated during the Joseon Dynasty period, as cuisine of the royal court. At that time, the dish included meat, eggs, seasonings and sliced rice cakes, and was known as tteok jjim. This original version was brown, since Gochujang (chile paste) hadn’t been introduced yet.

The red, spicy tteokbokki we’re familiar with originated in Seoul in the 1950s — once the Korean War ended — as an affordable, comforting snack. Tteokbokki is often spicy, thanks to the inclusion of Gochujang, but nonspicy, soy sauce-based versions also exist.

Tteokbokki is increasingly popular because it’s simple to make at home. First off, you’ll need those signature cylinder-shaped white rice cakes (made with short grain rice). These rice cakes often come in various shapes and sizes, and they can be found in the refrigerated or frozen sections of Asian grocery stores like Don Quijote and H Mart.

You can also find tteokbokki at many Korean eateries around the island, such as Ireh Restaurant and recently opened BB.Q Chicken. Ireh is known for its tteokbokki and features several different versions: Regular ($13.95) with rice cake, fish cake, vegetables and boiled egg; cheese ($14.95) with rice cake, fish cake and cheese; and spicy pork ($17.95). While BB.Q Chicken specializes in fried chicken wings, the eatery offers tteokbokki as a side dish. The regular version ($10.99) features the restaurant’s secret chile sauce; cheese ($11.99), cream ($13.99) and “The Works” tteokbokki ($14.99) — the latter has sausages, Spam, ramen noodles and mandoo — are also available.

Simple tteokbokki recipes often include scallions and green cabbage, along with garlic and fish cake. However, these dishes have evolved over time; more elaborate versions now include everything from boiled eggs and cheese to seafood and dumplings. One of the best things about tteokbokki is that it’s versatile and customizable to fit your preferences. Today, you can even find rice cakes — originally only made with rice — that are stuffed with different fillings.

To make the tteokbokki sauce, the most common ingredients include shoyu, sugar and Gochujang (Korean red chile pepper paste) and either water or anchovy broth. The benefit of making your own tteokbokki is that it’s versatile. You can make it vegetarian by using a vegetable broth or water instead of anchovy sauce, and by using mushrooms or fried tofu instead of fishcake as an add-in. To make it spicier, just add Gochugaru, or Korean red chile pepper flakes. Conversely, if you want a sweeter tteokbokki, simply increase the amount of sugar used.

“If you’re not a fan of spicy food, you can switch things up with a shoyu-based sauce,” says Mina Kim, manager at Ireh Restaurant. “Tteokbokki is such a simple dish with endless combinations to satisfy your cravings. That’s what makes it unique.”