Ddeokbokki (a.k.a dukbokki or tteokbokki) is a popular Korean rice cake snack dish that is commonly made with fishcakes, onions and gochujang (spicy chili paste). Being a staple Korean dish, it is usually found served up in little street carts all over Korea and Korean eateries all over the U.S. Ddeokbokki can be prepared a hundred different ways and the ddeok (rice cake) comes in different shapes like the cylinder and flat oval designs. You can find ddeok on skewers dripping with hot sauce or on a large plate in front of a hungry lot of drunken friends after a few rounds at the local suljip (Korean bar).

Cafe Village in Koreatown, LA, has taken the dish and vamped it up with a hodgepodge of ingredients such as udon noodles, sausage, cabbage, and mozzarella cheese! Some might say cheese over anything will make it taste 10x better, and this dish is definitely a testament to that. The sweet, melty cheese stringing around the perfectly cooked rice cake and spicy gochujang makes for a sinfully spicy/sweet combination, and the flavors in this dish are so major they have to call it “Mega Ddukbokki.” Once in a while you’ll run into a fish cake or udon noodle and you find yourself shaking your head at how well everything congeals into absolute goodness. We know by now your taste buds have begun to salivate, so get on it, and find your nearest Korean restaurant/cafe for some ddeokbokki!

Caffe Village
3464 West 8th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90005-2518
(213) 388-8818

Head over to Korean Food Gallery for a ddekbokki recipe you can make at home!

[Photo of Ramen Ddukbokki with Cheese at Caffe Village: Audrey Yun-Suong]