Rabokki (Ramyun + Tteokbokki)

I had intended this to be a sort of fridge clean-out dinner. Sadly my fried tofu had gone off, so the protein was a little lacking. And I forgot to boil the egg in advance, so the everything else was bit overcooked by the time the egg was ready to go. It was still tasty, but it would've been improved by better planning and organization.

Rabokki

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. gochugaru
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. ramyun powder
• 2 Tbsp. gochujang
• 2 Tbsp. corn syrup
• 1 Tbsp. light (regular) soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mirin
• 1/2 Tbsp. dashida (or beef stock concentrate)
• black pepper, to taste
• 200g rice cakes
• 2 Korean fish cakes (or fried tofu), cut into bite-sized pieces, divided
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 3 c. water
• 1 c. cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 hard-boiled egg(s)
• 1 package ramyun (soup kind)
• 2 slices cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Combine gochugaru, sugar, and 1/2 Tbsp. of powder from the ramyun.
2. Add gochujang, corn syrup, soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, dashida/beef stock, and pepper and stir to combine.
3. For best results, cover and chill overnight.
4. If using frozen rice cakes, soak them in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain.
5. Add rice cakes, half the fish cakes, half the onion, and half the green onions to a pot along with the water.
6. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
7. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Reduce heat to low.
9. Andd the remining fish cakes, onion, and green onions.
10. Add the cabbage, egg(s), ramyun noodles, and falkes/dried veggies from the ramyun package.
11. If desired, top with cheese, sesame seeds, and more green onions.
12. Cook until noodles are done (2-3 minutes).
13. Serve with fried dumplings for dipping in the sauce.

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Variations

Vegetarian Version

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. gochugaru
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. ramyun powder
• 2 Tbsp. gochujang
• 2 Tbsp. corn syrup
• 1 Tbsp. light (regular) soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mirin
• 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable stock concentrate
• black pepper, to taste
• 200g rice cakes
• 2 fried tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces/slices, divided
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 3 c. water
• 1 c. cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 hard-boiled egg(s)
• 1 package ramyun (soup kind)
• 2 slices cheese (optional)

Vegan Version

• 2 Tbsp. gochugaru
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. raw sugar or 5 1/2 tsp. agave syrup
• 1/2 Tbsp. ramyun powder
• 2 Tbsp. gochujang
• 2 Tbsp. corn syrup
• 1 Tbsp. light (regular) soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mirin
• 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable stock concentrate
• black pepper, to taste
• 200g rice cakes
• 2 fried tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces/slices, divided
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 3 c. water
• 1 c. cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 package ramyun (soup kind)
• 2 slices non-dairy cheese (optional)

I had something else planned for dinner tonight, but then I couldn't get a bunch of the ingredients, so I had to come up with something else. My most recent trip to the Asian grocery store resulted in me coming home with a bag of frozen Korean-style rice cakes, so I decided to try one of Aaron and Claire's tteokbokki recipes. I was going to try to make the "classic" dish with the gochujiang sauce, but the Kidlet wasn't feeling up for anything spicy today, so I opted for this non-spicy soy sauce rendition instead. And then, because I wanted to turn it into a one-pot meal, I upped the protein a little bit and added a bunch of extra veggies.

Soy Sauce Tteokbokki

Adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce (or Korean regular soy sauce)
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 150g ground beef (or Beyond Meat)
• pepper, to taste
• 3 large shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 1 carrot, minced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 250g Korean-style rice cakes
• 1 c. green peas (optional)
• 2 or 3 baby bok choy, chopped (optional)
• 1 c. water
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce (optional)
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds

Directions

1. If you're using frozen tteokbokki, soak them in cold water for ~20 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
2. Mix sugar, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, garlic, and sesame oil in a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat.
4. Add the beef and stir-fry. Season to taste with pepper.
5. Add the mushroom, carrot, green onions, and rice cakes and stir-fry for ~1 minute.
6. Add the peas and bok choy (if using) and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
7. Add the water and sauce, bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Stir in dark soy sauce for a darker colour if desired.
9. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.

Fried Nian Gao

This one was a bit of a learning experience. The instructions (found in the Wok This Way thread on Something Awful) were a little vague and I made a few mistakes due to inexperience as well. Now that I've seen how nian gao behave when cooked, I think I could do a much better job next time.

Fried Nian Gao
1 pkg. frozen nian gao
6 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. garlic paste
1 Tbsp. ginger paste
*2 Tbsp. Sichuan bean paste
dash of white pepper
2 tsp. ground cumin
500g-700g thinly sliced lamb
227g sliced cremini mushrooms
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
6-12 whole dried chiles
*1 c. stock (vegetable, chicken, beef, pork)
8-12 napa cabbage leaves, shredded
3 carrots, cut into thin coins
4 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine
2 Tbsp. black vinegar
2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
Laoganma (optional)

1. Place the nian gao in water for a couple of hours to thaw.
2. Do all the chopping and slicing and mincing and mix the sauce (wine, vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar).
3. Heat up the wok and add 2 Tbsp. of oil. Add the onion and stir-fry for a minute. Add the pastes, cumin, and pepper and stir-fry for another minute. Add the lamb and stir-fry for a few more minutes until it's just cooked.
4. Remove the lamb from the wok and add more oil if necessary. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until desired doneness.
5. Remove the mushrooms from the wok and add a couple more Tbsp. of oil. Add the minced garlic and chiles and fry until aromatic but not burnt.
6. Add the (drained) nian gao and keep them moving! After 30 seconds or so add ~1/4 c. of stock and keep stirring. Cook until nian gao are softened and some begin to brown slightly around the edges adding more stock as needed during cooking.
7. Add the vegetables to the wok and stir-fry until cabbage is wilted.
8. Return the mushrooms and meat to the wok and stir to combine.
9. Stir in the sauce.
10. Serve garnished with Laoganma if desired.

The ingredients marked with asterisks are ones that I didn't include this time around but would like to try out next time. I just used water for cooking the nian gao this time and they came out tasty, but I think they would've been even better cooked in some nice vegetable stock!

I only put six chiles in this time around because, once again, I was trying to make sure it was mild enough for the froglet. It came out pretty mild though and I think I'd use at least 12 chiles next time and still consider it baby-appropriate. (The froglet is a trooper and seems to be good with moderately spicy dishes so far.) Along similar lines, I'd like to experiment with adding a bit of Sichuan bean paste or Laoganma when cooking the meat. Maybe a bit of soy sauce too. I felt it could've used a bit more spice and a bit more salt.

I put 8 napa cabbage leaves into the wok this time and it was good, but I think 10 or 12 would've been better. The cabbage really cooks down and it kind of ended up getting lost amongst the other ingredients. I had the opposite problem with the lamb. It came in a 700g package, so I just tossed all of it in. I really think that was too much though. I think more cabbage and less meat would make for better proportions the next time I'm making this.

Even with my minor mistakes (like not letting the nian gao cook for long enough before adding the veg and adding too much water) this was still pretty good. I think it has the potential to go from good to excellent if done right though. Maybe I'll give it a try again sometime soon and see if I can nudge it up to the next level of delicious.