Sometimes I scroll through the rabokki hashtag on Tiktok to see how other people make their rabokki.
Inevitably I get hungry and ask Mike if he’d like to share a bowl so I don’t feel so guilty about eating a huge amount of carbs when most people are in bed. It’s always worth it though!
What is rabokki?
Rabokki is a popular Korean street food which is ramen and tteokbokki in one dish. Ramen and rice cakes are a carb-on-carb action and I’m here for it.
Ramen + tteokbokki = rabokki!
Sometimes it is also called rapokki. It’s a deliciously sweet and spicy, super savory dish that’s perfect for warming up and a quick, satisfying meal.
The combination of instant noodles, Korean rice cakes, and savory sweet-spicy sauce comes together incredibly quickly, so it’s great when you’re craving something spicy, hearty, and delicious. It goes great with beer and late night rabokki is one of my favorite late night treats, especially with cheese. The mouth-watering noodles, chewy rice cakes and spices are a perfect match.
Rabokki is incredibly popular, both as street food and as an easy-to-make meal at home. They even have Costco rabokki!
How to make rabokki from scratch
- Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, mix together gochujang, sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic and some gochugaru.
- Simmer the soup with the rice cakes. Add the rice cake sauce to a pot of water and bring to a boil.
- Cook the ramen. When the rice cakes are soft and chewy, add the ramen and cook it. If you like it, add some Korean fish cakes.
- Top and serve! Serve it all topped with shallots and maybe a boiled egg and some cheese!
How to make instant rabokki
- Prepare the soup. Open the instant seasoning packet and add it to a pot with 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon brown sugar and bring to a boil.
- Make “rice cakes”. Lightly wet a piece of rice paper in warm water and roll it up tightly. Cut it into 2-3 inch pieces. Repeat with another piece of rice paper.
- Cook the noodles. Add the noodles to the soup and cook for 2 minutes. Add your homemade rice cakes and simmer for 1 more minute.
- Enjoy! Top with toasted sesame seeds, shallots and a wedge of cheese and enjoy!
What is the best
It honestly depends on the time of day. For me, after about 10pm, the instant version starts looking damn good. The rest of the time though, I’d have to go with the traditional version with real ingredients.
ingredients
- Instant ramen. You need the noodles from an instant ramen packet, but not the seasoning packet. I like using Shin Ramyun noodles as they are thick and chewy.
- Korean tteokbokki rice cakes. You can find freshly made Korean rice cakes packed in the refrigerated section or frozen in the freezer aisles at a Korean grocery store. If you can’t make it to the Korean grocery store, I have a tteokbokki substitute for you!
- Gochujang. A Korean hot sauce. It is a salty, sweet and spicy thick fermented paste made from chili powder and sticky rice. Adds sweetness and heat and loads of flavor. It traditionally comes in tubs, but these days you can find it in convenient squeeze bottles in the Asian aisle of literally any grocery store.
- Gochugaru. Korean chili flakes. Korean chili flakes are fruity, sweet, smoky, sun-dried bright red flakes. They aren’t too spicy and their heat is delicate and delicious. I always buy coarse gochugaru that looks like sea salt flakes. They usually come labeled with mild, medium, or hot, so you can buy them based on your spice preferences. https://amzn.to/3sMzY6e
- Sugar, garlic, soy sauce. A little sugar makes the sauce sweet, the garlic adds a touch of raw spice, and the soy sauce adds umami and salt.
Is the rabokki spicy?
It really depends on your spice tolerance. I’d say they’re a little spicy, but they’re also a little sweet. If you add cheese, it also helps cut through the spice. They are spicy in an addictive way! If you like spicy and hot foods, they won’t be too spicy for you and you can always adjust the sauce to suit your spice level.
What’s the best instant ramen for rabokki?
You’ll only be using the ramen and not the spice packet (unless you’re making instant rabokki), so the flavor doesn’t really matter, but if you’re going to make the easy version of rabokki, I recommend O Nong Shim Shin Ramyun Black for regular spice or Samyang Buldak if you are a spice fanatic.
Where to buy Korean rice cakes
You can find tteokbokki rice cakes in Korean markets. They usually come fresh from the store, commercially fresh and packaged or frozen. If you can get fresh ones, they’re the best choice, but packaged and frozen ones are fine too.
Substitute for Korean rice cake
If you can’t make it to the Korean supermarket, I have the perfect rice cake hack for you. All you need is Vietnamese rice paper. They sell rice paper in most grocery stores in the Asian aisle. Just dip the rice paper into it, roll it up tightly, wait a minute, and then cut it into rice cake slices. Not the same as tteokbokki but a really good sub!
- Put some hot water in a shallow bowl.
- Lightly dip the rice paper.
- Place the rice paper on a cutting board and roll it up tightly.
- Cut the rolled rice paper into 2-3 inch lengths.
- Use rice wraps in your rabokki.
Rabokki seasonings
Toppings make rabokki! You can keep it simple with just ramen and tteokbokki or you can all the mix-ins and toppings for a super luxurious, filling rabokki.
- Onions – Add some onions to the mix, they add sweetness and onion vibes.
- Cabbage – if you want some healthiness, add sliced kale when you bring it all to a simmer. The crunchiness and softness are perfect with the hot sauce.
- Ravioli – Go wild and add some mandu/Korean dumplings for extra filling rabokki.
- Fish cakes – add the sliced Korean fish cakes while simmering the ramen and tteokbokki.
- Shallot – a sprinkling of sliced shallot adds freshness.
- Egg – hard-boiled or hard-boiled eggs add a little protein and are so good in the sauce.
- Cheese – the melted cheese is AMAZING on the rabokki. Go for a classic American slice or mozzarella, something super melty for cheese tosses.
- Roasted sesame seeds – adds a nice hazelnut
- Seaweed – adds crunchiness and saltiness
I hope you like it! I know what my next meal is…
Rabokki forever, xoxo
steph
Rabokki recipe
ingredients
- 1 table spoon gochujang
- 1 table spoon sugar
- 2 Cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon I am willow
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru
- 8 pieces tteokbokki tteok
- 1 package instant ramen Favorite Korean brand
Instructions
-
In a small bowl, mix the gochujang, sugar, garlic, soy sauce, and gochugaru.
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Add the sauce to a pot with 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Simmer the tteokbokki until tender, about 5 minutes.
-
Add the ramen noodles to the pot and cook according to the time indicated on the package instructions.
-
Collect everything in a bowl and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and shallots. Add other seasonings as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
1 pack of spicy Korean instant ramen
2 pieces of rice paper
In a pot, add the spice packet to 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
While the soup is simmering, prepare the rice cakes. Put some hot water in a shallow bowl and lightly dip the rice paper into it. Place the rice paper on a cutting board and roll it up tightly. Cut the rolled rice paper into 2-3 inch lengths.
When the water boils, add the rice paper rolls and the noodles. Cook the noodles according to package directions.
Collect everything in a bowl and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and shallots. Add other seasonings as desired. Enjoy!
Estimated nutrition does not include instant noodles of choice.
Estimated nutrition
Quantity per serving
Calories from Fat 36
