Journal #15

One of my most favorite foods is Korean spicy rice cake, we call it Ddeok-Bok-Ee. It is one of the cheapest and most popular snack in Korea. Although yougsters eat often it, I still eat it for regular meal at least once a week. It is sold at almost everywhere in Korea such as snack bars arround of shools, snack stalls nearby bus station, and food courts. Even there is a Ddeok-Bok-Ee town where lots of snack bars sell it in seosul.
It was originally food for a royal table of Chosun which was old name of Korea, and it wasn't so spicy at the moment. At first it was made with rice cake and beef, but nowadays we usually don't use beef for it anymore. Instead, we put red pepper paste(Ko-Chu-Jang), so it is hot and spicy. Korean rice cake is chewy enough to feel good and its taste works up an appetite.
If you were unfamiliar with spicy food, becaful when the first time you would eat it becasue it could be too strong to your tongue. However, after a moment you can find that you are addicted for it.





http://www.recipezaar.com/Korean-Rice-Cake-in-a-Spicy-Sauce-Ddeok-Bok-Ee-221979

Ingredients

· 8 ounces Korean Rice Cakes, tube shaped (ddeok bok ee ddeok)
· 2 tablespoons korean red pepper paste (kochujang)
· 1 tablespoon korean red pepper powder (kochugaru)
· 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
· 2 teaspoons sugar
· 1 teaspoon soy sauce
· pepper, to taste
· 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
· 1/4 napa cabbage, roughly chopped
· 1/4 carrot, sliced
· 1-2 sheet fish cake, cut into bite size
· 4 green onions, sliced on bias
· 1 tablespoon sesame seed, for garnish

Directions
1 Put rice cake in a pot. Add water to cover, bring to a slow boil and cook until soft.
2 Add red pepper paste, red pepper powder, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens a bit.
3 Add onion, cabbage, carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4 Add fish cake and simmer for another 1-2 minutes.
5 Finish with green onion and sesame seeds. Serve hot.