Korean Tteokbokki with Spicy Mini Sausages and Twisted Peppers

Korean street vendor style rice cake sticks!

     Tteokbokki are rice cake sticks that are as long as a finger.  Tteokbokki are easy to make from scratch, but they are also available pre-made at asian markets or Korean markets.  Many times, I settle for convenience when shopping, because I am a full time food writer and a full time student.  I will post a home made tteokbokki rice cake sticks recipe sometime in the near future.

     Spicy mini sausages are also available at Korean markets.  This type of spicy mini sausage flavor is quite different than American "Little Smokies" sausages.  The spicy mini sausage meat is ground finer and it seasoned with asian spices.  Any spicy tiny sausages can be used for this recipe, if no Korean spicy mini sausages can be found.

     Many Korean food items are on the spicy side.  Korean street vendor food can be very spicy!  Korean street vendor stands do good business with the foot traffic near tourist attractions, temples and points of interest.  Street vendor food is usually finger food, but saucy entrees on paper plates are offered.  Tteokbokki is cheap to make, it is filling and it sells at a low price.  That makes tteokbokki a very attractive street vendor offering!

     Korean Tteokbokki with Spicy Mini Sausages and Twisted Peppers Recipe:

     Boil 1/2 gallon of water in a pot over high heat.

     Add 2 handfuls of tteokbokki rice cake sticks.  (Tteokbokki are available pre-made in Korean markets.)

     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.

     Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

     Add 1 tiny handful of thin julienne sliced onion.

     Add 4 to 5 ounces of spicy mini sausages.  (Spicy mini sausages are available in asian and Korean markets.)

     Add 5 or 6 whole hybrid twisted shishito peppers that have the stem ends cut off.

     Saute till the sausages are lightly browned and till the vegetables start to become tender.

     Add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic.

     Add 1 teaspoon of minced ginger.

     Add 1 tablespoon of minced green onion.

     Saute till the garlic and ginger become aromatic.  (About 20 seconds)

     Add 1 tablespoon of thin soy sauce.

     Toss the ingredients together.

     Add 1/2 cup of light beef broth.

     Add sea salt and white pepper.

     Add 1/2 tablespoon of Korean chile powder or Chinese chile powder.

     Add 1/2 cup of Korean red serrano chile pepper and garlic puree sauce.

     Reduce the temperature to low heat.

     Stir the sauce.

     Drain the water off of the tteokbokki rice sticks.

     Add the tteokbokki to the sauce.

     Toss the ingredients together.

     

     Presentation:

     Garnish a plate with 3 large perilla leaves.

     Place small bunches of radish sprouts between the perilla leaves.

     Mound the Korean Tteokbokki with Spicy Mini Sausages and Twisted Peppers on the center of the plate. 

     Quick spicy delicious Korean street vendor tteokbokki!  The sauce and ingredients can be cooked in the same amount of time that it takes to cook the tteokbokki.  Perilla leaves have many flavors and the are used to garnish many Korean entrees.  Radish sprouts have a crisp zesty flavor.  Tteokbokki is a nice snack or light meal.  Yum!  ...  Shawna