Food - Drink
Sotteok Sotteok: A Korean Street Food Favorite
By VANESSA NIX ANTHONY
While Korea has a long list of delicious street foods, among the favorites are tteokbokki or saucy rice cakes, soondae or Korean sausage, and kkochi, meaning skewered foods. Thus, the evolution of sotteok sotteok, a street food combining these three beloved elements, comes as no surprise.
History of Sotteok Sotteok
Sotteok sotteok is credited to Lee Young-ja, a Korean comedian and tv host, who mentioned the concoction during a cooking show appearance. The food alternates “tteokbokki” rice cakes and “soondae” sausage on a skewer, and is aptly named, combining “so” and “tteok” in alternating patterns like the food it describes.
What’s in Sotteok Sotteok?
As the name implies, sotteok sotteok combines alternating "tteok" rice cakes and mini “so” sausages, which are doused in a sticky and spicy gochujang-ketchup sauce. Eaters are encouraged to experiment with their sauces and toppings, like trying honey mustard, spicy barbecue sauce, or opting for melted cheese.
How to Make It
The biggest obstacle to making sotteok sotteok at home is locating the ingredients, like garaetteok and gochujang, which can be bought in Asian markets or from online retailers. Once you have your ingredients, rehydrate your tteok and score your mini sausages, then skewer them, baste with a sauce, and pan-fry until crispy.