Video: How tteokbokki becomes an appetizer, kind of

This video (link) is a demo for making 떡꼬치 tteokkochi — not 떡볶이 tteokbokki. The names are similar because both are made with 가래떡 garaetteok, or cylindrical rice cakes, and are marinated in a spicy 고추장 gochujang-based sauce.

Tteokkochi are garaetteok skewered with wooden sticks, grilled then smothered in a sweet and spicy sauce starring gochujang.

Tteokbokki is iconic Korean street food. It's a stew made with garaetteok, 오뎅 odeng (fish cake) and green onions, all cooked in a spicy gochujang-based sauce.

Today's tteokbokki with the fiery sauce and fish cakes is a modern, simplified version of 궁중 떡볶이 gungjung tteokbokki. A staple of Chosun royal cuisine, gungjung tteokbokki is cooked in a soy sauce-based broth, and mushrooms and beef gives the meal its protein structure.