“This dish, a mainstay of Korean street food, begins with cylinders of tender, chewy rice cakes (think mochi or gnocchi) cooked in a spicy-umami, savory and sweet sauce….”
(update summer 2022: its been MIA for awhile (NYC)
I confess when I saw these for the first time in the frozen Asian food section at Trader Joe’s recently I got a little excited. Because Tteok Bok Ki is a Korean dish that I really love. I have eaten plenty of these in restaurants. In case you’re not familiar with it already, Korean “Tteok Bok Ki” (sounds like TokeBokeKee) is a hugely popular typically Korean dish, comprised of soft, very chewy rice cakes in tube shape that are cooked in an addictive spicy, sweet red sauce of Gochugang (Korean red pepper paste), brown sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds plus other seasonings. It has lots of Umami.
I had to try Trader Joe’s version. It at least says “Product of Korea”. Having now tried it while I can’t say of course that it’s the best I ever had still it’s fairly decent. Tasty enough to recommend you give it a try.
We had it for dinner and really enjoyed it, especially as I fixed it up a bit with a few ingredients (see below). Inside the package are two bags, one containing white rice cakes and bag of sauce which the instructions tell you to thin with a cup of water. I made them in the “Traditional Preparation” style written on the package. I don’t see the point of making the “crispy” style as they will be covered with sauce and not crispy after that.
TIPS: I found that the recommended 1 cup water they say to add seems like it’s too much. When I added a cup of water the sauce came out on the thin side. Normally Tokbokki sauce should be pretty thick. So the next time I make these I’ll reduce the water to 3/4 or even 1/2 cup for a thicker sauce. You can always add a few tablespoons of water if too thick. Also be sure to stir quite a bit as it cooks, as this also thickens the sauce from starch released by the rice cakes.
Another TIP: To make it more authentic I added a some things to the dish. I suggest you should add some things. At the very least add a few hard boiled eggs which is the way it’s typically served in Korea. Add cooked peeled eggs to the sauce so they cook for about 5 minutes and get a bit imbued with the sauce (cut them in half when you serve). Also, in Korea the dish might have thin “fish cakes” in it. If you have an H-Mart near you, you can get these type of thin fish cakes or other add-ins. As I didn’t have any, I improvised with something I had in the fridge which was some TJ “Baked Tofu”. That kind of worked for texture and added additional protein. I sliced the tofu thinly in the style of those aforementioned fish cakes. I also threw in a bit of fresh cilantro and that worked well too for flavor and color. I also gave the dish a drizzle of Sesame Oil just before serving, typically Korean taste. Chopped scallions are very typical as well so add some. If you happen to have a box of Gochugang in the fridge, adding in a tablespoon or two during cooking couldn’t hurt for maximum authentic Korean flavors.
The final dish turned out quite tasty and made a nice dinner for two of us along with some good Kimchi – or just make a salad. It was not very spicy. If you add a few things (even just a few hard boiled eggs and chopped scallions) it turns this basic package from a side dish into a lunch or dinner. The TJ package goes for only $3.79 (1 lb). If you get Tteok Bok Ki in a Korean restaurant it could easily cost triple that price, though of course the one you get at a restaurant is likely be better. However if you fix this up a wee bit this can turn out pretty decent. So given how convenient this frozen TJ version is, I will surely buy this again (update: we have already) It’s a real treat of Korean textures and flavors. In future I may get those fish cakes at H-Mart which are optional but will really make this into a more authentic Tteok Bok Ki. I love that Trader Joe’s is carrying more and more Korean foods. Now if Trader Joe’s could only improve their source of the mediocre meh KIMCHI they carry (sigh, its better than nothing). H-Mart has great Kimchi. Just sayin’!
AS-IS the package is GLUTEN FREE and VEGAN.
Optional TJ list for shopping: eggs, cilantro, scallions, toasted sesame oil, baked tofu…
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/tteok-bok-ki-071551
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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