Korean Rice Cakes with Honey
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Korean Rice Cakes with Honey is the simplest dish ever with only three ingredients. In this version, the chewy rice cakes are seared with butter until the outsides are crisp before drizzling them with honey.
If you love rice cakes, you will love this recipe. It is so tasty I had to stop myself from gobbling down the whole plate before I even took the photos. And while the sesame seeds topping is optional, I recommend sprinkling some to give extra crunchiness and nuttiness.
Ingredients
- Korean rice cakes. Korean rice cake or known as tteok (떡) is a much-loved traditional dish in Korea. It is usually made with steamed glutinous rice flour, then pounded, shaped, or pan-fried to make rice cake. Normal rice flour can also be used for some kinds of tteok.
- Butter or oil. To make the rice cakes crispy. Use butter if you want to make this dish richer.
- Honey. Since the rice cakes taste plain, you need to add sauce or flavoring to add extra flavor.
- Sesame seeds. To add nuttiness and crunch.
Choosing the Type of Rice Cake for This Recipe
There are various kinds of rice cakes and each has a special meaning, so people make different rice cakes for different events. The rice cakes I used for this recipe is called garaetteok. It is the most common shape and is mainly used for making tteokbokki.
Garaetteok (가래떡) is a long and cylindrical white rice cake made with non-glutinous rice. You can find them in different sizes in Korean grocery stores. Though all rice cakes taste the same, the size and shape dramatically affect the texture and flavor. I use the thin and short type for an easy bite. You can also use the thick ones if preferred, they will be chewier though.
You can find garraetteok sold freshly made, refrigerated, or frozen at Korean grocery stores. I really recommend using freshly made rice cakes because the frozen one tends to be dry, easy to crack, and not chewy.
How to Prepare Rice Cakes
Fresh rice cakes are very pliable, soft, sticky, and chewy because they are mainly made from rice flour. They should be eaten on the same day it was made or the next day at the latest because they have a tendency to harden very quickly and when left out, they become dry and hard.
If the rice cakes are truly freshly made, you can just toss them to cook immediately. However, you need to soak them in warm water for 20-30 minutes if you use the refrigerated rice cakes. The soaking will make them soft and chewy again.
More Korean Recipes
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz (100 gr) fresh or frozen Korean rice cakes
- 1/2 tbsp butter or vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp honey, or more
- toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- If you are using frozen rice cakes, submerge them in warm water for 20-30 minutes or until they soften. If you are using fresh rice cakes, skip this step.
- Separate the rice cakes.
- Preheat a frying pan over low-medium heat. Add butter until fully melted.
- Add rice cakes and cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until light brown in color and crispy on the outside.
- Serve warm with honey drizzle and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
This Korean Rice Cakes with Honey recipe sounds absolutely delightful! I love how something so simple, with just three ingredients, can deliver such a satisfying mix of flavors and textures. The buttery, crispy exterior paired with the chewiness of the rice cakes, all topped with sweet honey—what a perfect combination. It’s an easy, comforting dish that’s sure to hit the spot. Thanks for sharing this gem!
Korean Rice Cakes with Honey sounds like such a simple yet delicious treat! With only three ingredients, it’s amazing how something so easy can be so flavorful. Searing the chewy rice cakes in butter until they’re crisp on the outside must add a perfect balance of texture, and the honey drizzle makes it even more irresistible. I can’t wait to try this quick, satisfying dish—thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe!
10 out of 10! So delicious and the texture is addictive. We ate them with mangoes.
So easy and quick to make!
Thanks Joane
These are such a quick and easy snack! Do try it if you enjoy rice cakes 🙂 Thank you for the recipe, I had some that were needing to be used and this is a nice alternative to spicy recipes.
I saw these in a vlog I was watching and wanted to make it! It’s so good and I love to eat them for breakfast with some fresh fruit.
Was looking for a dessert tteok recipe! So glad I found this!!!
Super love this recipe. So easy and simple to make. Thanks!