Tteokbokki

Immediately after taking my first bite of DUC food, I was already starting to miss my mother’s Korean cooking.  Don’t get me wrong; the food at the DUC is not bad at all.  The hospitality and variety of foods are not things that you find in normal cafeterias.  But, having lived eighteen years eating primarily the same style of food, the desire, or sometimes even slight hallucinations, of eating Korean food is unending. 

Source: http://ask.nate.com/qna/view.html?n=8756189

One of the most popular, which also happens to be my favorite, Korean dish is tteokbokki.  Tteokbokki is a hot and spicy stir-fry dish that typically has sliced rice cake and odeng (fish cake; it tastes better than it sounds).   Other ingredients include various meats, green onions, carrots, eggs, mushrooms, and onions. 

This dish was originally only for the Korean royal court and wealthy individuals.  Traditionally, the dish was more pungent and less spicy.  The modern version of tteokbokki uses a sweet and spicy sauce called gochujang. 

There are also several variations to this dish.  One of my favorites is adding noodles, or ramen, to the dish.  Even replacing the rice cakes for the noodles can be a delicious change.  It also makes the meal more filling, as it is normally considered a snack. 

Source: http://nomadichimee.blogspot.com/2010/10/duk-bok-ki-spicy-rice-cake.html

Tteokbokki is commonly sold in street carts in Korea.  If you ever have the chance to go to Korea and sample some of the cuisine, you will most likely come across these vendors all over the country.  The authenticity of street cart food cannot be questioned; however, sanitation is a problem due to the lack of running water in these street carts.  Personally, I’d say it is worth the risk, but just to convince some of you out there, chili peppers are actually known to have an antibacterial attribute.  Good luck with all the other types of street cart food though.