Soya sauce Korean rice cakes

I have leftover Korean rice cakes and don't want to eat them as tteokbokki again. Inspired by the following, I decided to make the soya sauce version - Gungjang tteokbokki 궁중떡볶이 which is supposed to originated as royal court food.

Some recipes cook the garaetteok or tteokbokki tteok first and season with soya and oil before stir frying. Then like japchae where it's tossed like a salad, each veg and meat are cooked separately, everything goes into a bowl and tossed with the sauce. Other recipes just soak the garaetteok/tteokbokki tteok for 20 to 30 minutes in cold water, then stir fry with everything. Being lazy, I chose the later method.

Dry fried spicy version 

1. Beyond Kimchee Gireum Tteokbokki using only chilli flakes for spice.

2. Beyond Kimchi - uses onion, cabbage, chives, and gochugaru

Non-spicy

1. A Day in the Kitchen - uses beef, garlic, onion, carrot, cabbage

2. KimchiMari - uses beef, mushroom, onion, carrot. Garnish with honey in addition.

3. Korean Bapsang - uses beef, mushroom, zucchini, carrot

Ingredients for rice cakes

Rice cake sauce

500g rice cakes, cylindrical 가래떡

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp sesame seed oil

Method - cooking rice cakes

1. For dry and frozen rice cakes, soak in room temp water for 30 minutes then drain.

2. For fresh and frozen rice cakes, cook in boiling water until they float. Drain.

3. If cooking in water first, marinate with a bit of the rice cake sauce and sesame oil otherwise the rice cakes will stick together.

4. I decided to cook the rice cakes in the pan (see below).

Ingredients 

Marinade

300 beef, sliced into thin strips

3 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp mirin or cooking wine

1 tbsp sugar (if not using mirin)

1 tbsp sesame seed oil

½ grated Korean pear

1 tsp sesame seeds (garnish)

Dash of pepper

1 grated garlic clove

Handful of brown or oyster mushrooms (any type). 

Rehydrated shitake mushrooms in ⅓ C water (reserve the water)

1 carrot, sliced into matchsticks

1 to 2 zucchini, sliced

¼ napa cabbage, shredded

½ white onion, sliced

For garnish: spring onions, 1 tsp sesame seeds, pine nuts and more sesame seed oil

Method

1. Slice the drained beef into matchsticks. Marinade in 1 tbsp of sauce for minimum 20 minutes or best overnight.

2. Prepare the veg.

3. In a frying pan on medium heat, add oil and sear the beef until ¾ cook. Remove from heat. 

4. Add more oil and fry the vegetables in turn until cooked. Add 1 tbsp of the rice cake marinade and toss. Remove from heat.

5. Add the rice cakes and the mushroom water, and any leftover marinade sauce. Add just enough liquid to allow rice cakes be ¾ submerged so it can cook (if not previously cooked). Turn down heat and allow to cook uncovered for approximately 5 minutes or until the rice cakes are soft, turning the rice cakes occasionally. Most of the liquid should have evaporated.

6. Add back the veg, toss to combine. Add back the beef, toss to combine.

7. Garnish with a drizzle more of honey if desired, pine nuts, sesame seeds and spring onions.