Korean Rice Cakes 

Sharing similar production processes, they’re  similar to the non-glutinous rice version of mochi — although they can sometimes be made with other grains or glutinous rice depending on the variety.  They are made by steaming and pounding a dough made from rice flour before being formed into a variety of shapes. The result is a distinctively, satisfying chewy ingredient.    

While fresh tteok can be enjoyed with little preparation, frozen tteok must be soaked in water or heated to unlock its full chewy texture.   

Garae-tteok are bite-sized, diagonally-cut tteok that are widely recognized for their role in numerous popular dishes. While there are different kinds of tteok used in both sweet and savory ways, garae-tteok are almost always in savory foods. 

This most famously includes tteokbokki which, at its most basic, is simmered garae-tteok with a sweet-tangy gochujang-y sauce — although most versions will be more complex with fish cakes, green onions, boiled eggs, and at times other ingredients or variations including noodles, meat, or dumplings. 

Aside from the cylindrical shape, garae-tteok can be sliced thinly at a diagonal to create a disc shape. This form of tteok is commonly used for making tteok-guk, or rice cake soup which is a traditional dish eaten during the Korean New Year. 

Uwajimaya carries garae-tteok and instant tteokbokki packs, but we also carry other sweet and savory rice cake-based foods and sweets.