Ddeokbokki - Stir Fried Rice cake with Gochujang Sauce

What is the difference between 'Ddeok' and 'Nian Gao'?  'Ddeok' is of Korean origin and 'Nian Gao' is chinese(Shanghainese).  The only similarity is that they are both Rice Cake, the shapes might defer but the texture of the cake is the same - bland and chewy.  You might be surprised to hear that ddeokbokki (Korean) originated from the royal palace in the Chosun dynasty. At that time they used soya sauce instead of gochujang paste, and the King had this Gungjung Ddeokbokki on New Year's day. Gungjung means “palace” in English.  The chinese too serve this 'Nian Gao' on New Year's day, is this coincidental or what?????.  There you go!


This Ddeokbokki that i am sharing will probably taste a bit different from the ones you may have tasted before but you should definitely give this a try. It has a very clean, spicy and sweet taste that’s quite addictive.  Be prepared to have alot of jaw exercise and my apologies to all who have partials.

Ingredients:

300 g fresh rice cake
1/2 lb si rlion beef - sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 an onion - sliced
4 shitake mushrooms - soaked and sliced
1/2 lb green leafy vegetables(i use shanghai bok choy) - washed and cut to bite size
3 tbsp cooking oil
1/3 cup water

Seasoning sauce (mix these in a bowl well) :

2 tbsp Gochujang
1 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp sugar (I used dark brown sugar),
1/2 tsp Chili powder 
1 tsp garlic chopped



Garnishes


Chopped spring onion
Cilantro
Sesame oil

Method:

Separate the rice cakes with your hands and soak in water.
Heat wok until shimmering hot, add in 2 tbsp cooking oil.

Add in sliced beef, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Brown the beef.  Remove and set aside.

Add in the remaining oil and saute the sliced onions, then add in the sliced shitake mushrooms.  When shitake mushrooms aare caramelized, add in the leafy vegetables.  Cook until vegetables are limp - semi cooked so as to retain some crunch.

Drain the rice cakes and add them into the wok together with the seasonings and the water.  Cook until rice cakes are heated through.

Add in the cooked beef and mix to combine.

Garnish with chopped spring onions and sprinkle with sesame oil before serving.