1. Peel the onion and garlic and cut into thin slices or chop finely. Wash and dry the spring onions and cut them into 2 cm long pieces. Set aside.

2. Heat some oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and sauté briefly, then add the garlic and sauté as well – you want the onions to be a bit softer, but avoid browning.

3. Next, add the Gochujang, Gochugaru, soy sauce, and sugar. Mix well and let everything cook for a moment. The chili paste and chili flakes together can be quite spicy – if you can’t tolerate a lot of heat, you should season with smaller amounts only. You can always add more later. Deglaze everything with the water, then add the rice cakes and bring everything to a boil. Let the rice cakes simmer (over slightly reduced heat) for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should start to thicken a little at this point. Next, add the spring onion pieces and let everything simmer for another 5 minutes until the rice cakes are soft, and the sauce is nice and thick.

4. Spoon the Tteokbokki into bowls or onto plates and serve with some additional spring onion rings, black sesame seeds, and boiled eggs (optional) to your liking. We love to serve the rice cakes with some Korean Cucumber Salad.