Garaetteok Recipe: How to Make Korean Rice Cakes

Garaetteok (also spelled “garae-tteok” and “garaeddeok”) is a Korean rice cake made from steamed, pounded rice grains. Cooks shape the mixture into long ropes, then cut them further into short cylindrical segments or thick coins.

Though these gluten-free and vegan rice cakes have a soft, chewy texture like Japanese mochi or sticky rice, they use regular, non-glutinous rice flour—sometimes labeled as short-grain rice flour—finely ground from sushi rice–sized grains. Learn more about regular rice flour vs. glutinous rice flour.

Garaetteok is a traditional ingredient found throughout Korean cuisine. Here are some of the most common ways to enjoy these tender rice cakes.

1. 1. Cheese tteok-kkochi: This popular street food features segments of garaetteok grilled with cheese sticks and drizzled with sweetened condensed milk.
   
2. 2. Kimchi jjigae: Sliced garaetteok are a popular addition to kimchi stew. Learn how to make spicy, tangy kimchi jjigae at home.
3. 3. Tteokbokki: Tteokbokki (also spelled ddeokbokki or topokki) is a side dish featuring segments of garaetteok tossed in a spicy sauce made with gochujang, a fermented chili paste, and dried gochugaru chili powder. Servings of these spicy rice cakes can include various add-ins, like fish cakes, fresh cabbage, and hard-boiled eggs. Gungjung tteokbokki is one of the oldest variations on the traditional dish, featuring a sweet and savory soy sauce–based glaze. Try this tteokbokki recipe at home.
4. 4. Tteokbokki ramyun: “Rabokki,” a combination of the terms “ramyun” and “tteokbokki,” combines spicy rice cakes with Korean instant ramen noodles (known as ramyun) for added texture and flavor.
5. 5. Tteokguk: In Korea, tteokguk (or ddukguk), rice cake soup, is traditional fare at Seollal (New Year). To make the soup, slice the garaetteok on the bias into thick coins and serve in a clear, savory broth.

You can find stir-fry-ready garaetteok in the frozen section of most Asian grocery stores, but they’re even better homemade. Here is what you need to know about making this staple food.

1. 1. Choose between a steamer or the microwave. There are two ways to make garaetteok: Steam the flour and water together in a double boiler on the stovetop or use a partially covered bowl in the microwave.
2. 2. Adjust for the humidity in your kitchen. Depending on the time of year and moisture content in your cooking space, you may need to adjust the amount of boiling water you use to make the garaetteok dough. Adjust with more flour or water as needed; the dough should be smooth and slightly tacky but not gummy or hard.
3. 3. Use garaetteok when fresh. Garaetteok tastes best the day you make it, but if you plan to make extra, store the ropes in a sealed container in the refrigerator. To use the garaetteok in rice cake soup, let the ropes dry out slightly at room temperature, then slice them into coins.