What is Tteokbokki Tteok ?
Korean Rice Cakes (Tteok 떡) are made by steaming and kneading the short grain rice dough made by mixing finely ground wet rice flour, salt and boiling water. Then for garaetteok it is shaped into logs that are about 1 inch in diameter.
For Tteokbokki Tteok, the same dough used for Garaetteok is shaped into thinner logs - around 0.5 inch in diameter.
This is for the purpose of making tteokbokki, the most popular snack in Korea.
Not To Be Confused With
Garaetteok or Tteokguk Tteok
Where and What To Buy
As of 2023, Tteokbokki has become so popular in US that Trader Joe's even sells frozen Tteokbokki. Besides Trader Joe's, Korean grocery stores sells Tteokbokki Tteok either as freshly made (if you are lucky) or in the frozen section or in the refrigerated section.
If you can't buy Tteokbokki tteok, you can substitute Tteokguk Tteok (rice cake slices for soup) since they are made from the same dough.
How to Use/Cook
If Tteokbokki tteok are frozen, soak in cold water for a few minutes and then use in cooking. If they are refrigerated or fresh, you can use as is.
One of the annoying thing about Tteokbokki tteok is that sometimes they are all stuck together. You can try to separate them before you cook if they are defrosted. If you don't have time, you can just add frozen tteok (even if they are all stuck together) and cook until they become soft and then it's going to be easier to separate.
How to Clean/Store
Store leftover Tteokbokki tteok in the freezer.
