For my birthday last year, deputy food editor Hana Asbrink made me a large pot of rosé tteokbokki, a cream-soaked version of Korea’s popular rice cake. Hana’s frying pan was filled with cylindrical rice cakes, pinkie-sized hot dogs, and boiled eggs. I screamed. I promised Hana that I would pack some deli containers and take them home to share with my partner. In reality, I (very reluctantly) only sacrificed him a few spoonfuls and half an egg. No one could come between me and my birthday boy. I am completely disillusioned.
Rosé tteokbokki’s popularity during the pandemic was fueled by a social media firestorm obsessed with rosé versions of various foods. Rosé sauce is considered a spicy, gochujang-filled take on tomato cream sauce, itself an inspired (some would say corrupted) variation on Italian marinara. To me, it is a fascinating symbol of how food travels around the world and transforms into new traditions. When I started making it for myself (sadly, because I couldn’t convince Hana to move), I started thinking about what I could use in place of tteok, an ingredient that both my colleague and I love. You won’t necessarily find it in every grocery store.
It turns out that vacuum-packed, shelf-stable potato gnocchi are a great substitute for Korean rice cakes. The dough is thicker and denser than freshly made gnocchi, but in this case that’s a good thing. As the gnocchi cooks, the starch in the gnocchi gently thickens the reddish-brown sauce, all the while holding its shape and softening into a pleasant bite. I like to think of this as a slightly erratic, but full-circle moment, a return to Rosé Toppogi’s vaguely Italian roots.
Don’t miss out on hot dogs.it’s lively Juice de hot dogThis is achieved as the liquid comes to a brisk boil, laying the foundation for a gutsy flavor. 10 oz. A bag of frozen broccoli florets is a quick and convenient alternative to fresh broccoli, with only a small sacrifice in texture.
