Gungjung Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes with Soy Sauce and Oyster Mushrooms)

Serves 4

Ingredients

Veg:

• 1 bunch of spring onions (chopped)

• 3 carrots (cut in half long-ways and sliced on the diagonal)

• 1 white onion (sliced into half-rounds)

• 300g chestnut mushrooms (sliced)

• 300g oyster mushrooms (cut or torn to 1 cm strips)

Rice cakes:

• 1kg packet of Tteokbokki (we bought ours at our local Chinese supermarket)

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp of sesame oil.

Marinade

• 4-6 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

• 3 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp Mirin (if you can't find Mirin, use rice vinegar and add a little extra sweetness)

• 3 tbsp honey or Korean corn syrup (we used the corn syrup) could also substitute brown sugar

• Black pepper to taste

To serve: 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, a splash of sesame oil

Method

1. Mix together the marinade ingredients and toss the oyster and chestnut mushrooms through.

2. Cook the rice cakes according to packet instructions. For ours, this was in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until they are soft.

3. Drain the rice cakes, place in a bowl and toss with the soy sauce and sesame oil to prevent sticking.

4. Fry the mushrooms in a hot pan with some sesame oil. Retain the marinade for later. It's a bit of faff, but placing each mushroom slice neatly in the pan and frying on both sides without stirring will produce maximum flavour and browning. But if you are short on time, frying them quickly works too! Place the fried mushrooms in a bowl to one side.

5. In a pan with sesame oil on a medium-high heat, add the white onions and carrots. Fry quickly, turning them to avoid them catching on the pan. The carrots still want a decent crunch.

6. Add the tteokbokki and the mushrooms to the pan with the other veggies to heat up. Pour over the remaining marinade and add the spring onions.

7. Keep on the heat until the marinade reduces to a sticky consistency. Add the toasted sesame seeds and sesame oil. Serve.