Ottogi yeol tteokbokki noodles

It’s time for another noodle review and today it’s the Korean Ottogi yeol tteokbokki noodles. The combination of noodles and rice cakes makes for a filling lunch and steps these up a notch from the usual. If you’ve not heard of tteokbokki, it’s a popular street food or late night snack in South Korea which is made up of chewy rice cakes and a sweet and spicy sauce. They sell something called tteokbokki in M&S which is most definitely not living up to its namesake but I see it popping up more and more around the UK, so do try it if you can!

To the pot itself

The design screams spicy so I was expecting these to be killer hot (even more than a traditional tteokbokki from a street food trader). They actually aren’t that hot, I’d say a medium spice level. Certainly not as hot as Shin Ramyun, for example. Inside, you get a dried noodle block, rice cakes and three sachets of seasoning.

Cooking & eating

These score well for ease. Just add boiling water upto the line, add the seasonings and let it sit for 4-5 mins. Give it a stir and you’re good to go.. The noodles are chewy which I like and although I found the rice cakes a little firm (maybe a bit longer soaking would have helped) they were a good texture. You defintely get that classic tteokbokki hit but with the added bonus of noodles too. Think of it as a warm hug with a slap – comforting, but it’ll wake you up!

Would I buy again?

Yep. You could take these tteokbokki noodles up another level with some melty cheese if you wanted to. This would also mellow the spice, but honestly, they’re pretty perfect as is.

Scores on the doors

• Flavour – 8/10
• Texture – 7/10
• Ease of making – 9/10

TOTAL: 24/30

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