Essential Rice Cakes & Fish Cakes for Korean Home Cooking
Introduction
A Korean freezer is not complete without a few ingredients that can quickly turn into a comforting meal.
Tteokguk tteok, tteokbokki tteok, and eomuk are three practical ingredients that can be used in soups, stews, stir-fries, hot pots, and some of Korea's most popular dishes.
Although the two types of rice cakes are made from similar ingredients, their different shapes make them better suited to different dishes.
Tteokguk tteok is thinly sliced and cooks quickly, making it perfect for soups and dishes where you want a softer, lighter texture.
Tteokbokki tteok is thicker and chewier, making it ideal for absorbing rich sauces.
Eomuk, or Korean fish cake, adds savory flavor and can be used in everything from street-food-style skewers to soups, stews, and stir-fries.
The easiest way to remember their roles is:
Tteokguk Tteok → Thin, Soft & Quick-Cooking
Tteokbokki Tteok → Thick, Chewy & Perfect for Sauces
Eomuk → Savory, Versatile & Full of Umami
In this guide, you'll learn how these three Korean freezer staples are commonly used and how to choose the right one for your cooking.
Featured Korean Freezer Essentials
1. Tteokguk Tteok
Tteokguk tteok is thinly sliced Korean rice cake traditionally used to make tteokguk, Korean rice cake soup.
Its thin, oval shape allows it to cook relatively quickly and gives it a soft, pleasantly chewy texture.
While tteokguk is the dish most closely associated with this rice cake, tteokguk tteok is much more versatile than its name suggests.
It can also be added to dumpling soup, soups, stews, hot pots, and even stir-fried dishes.
Because the pieces are thin and easy to portion, you can take out only what you need and quickly add them to a meal.
Best for:
- Tteokguk
- Tteok Mandu Guk
- Soups
- Stews
- Stir-Fried Dishes
- Hot Pot
Shopping Tip
Choose pre-sliced tteokguk tteok for convenience.
The thin slices cook quickly and are easy to portion, making them especially useful for quick soups and everyday meals.
Depending on the specific product, some rice cakes can be rinsed and cooked directly, while others may benefit from soaking if they are very firm. Always check the package instructions for the best results.
Quick Tip
If the rice cakes are frozen together, separate only the amount you need. Rinse them briefly before cooking if recommended on the package.
Avoid overcooking them, as rice cakes can become overly soft if left in hot broth for too long.
2. Tteokbokki Tteok
Tteokbokki tteok is the thick, cylindrical rice cake best known as the key ingredient in tteokbokki, one of Korea's most popular street foods.
Compared with thinly sliced tteokguk tteok, this style has a thicker and chewier texture.
Its shape allows it to hold up well during cooking and absorb flavorful sauces, making it perfect for classic spicy tteokbokki, rosΓ© tteokbokki, cheese tteokbokki, and other sauce-based dishes.
But tteokbokki tteok is not limited to tteokbokki.
It can also be added to stir-fries, soups, stews, and hot pots when you want a satisfying chewy texture.
Best for:
- Tteokbokki
- RosΓ© Tteokbokki
- Cheese Tteokbokki
- Stir-Fries
- Soups & Stews
- Hot Pot
Shopping Tip
Keep a bag of tteokbokki tteok in the freezer if you enjoy making Korean comfort food at home.
It is the easiest way to have the main ingredient for tteokbokki ready whenever you need it.
Choose a size and thickness that matches the texture you prefer. Thicker rice cakes generally provide a chewier bite, while thinner styles may cook more quickly.
Quick Tip
Cooking preparation can vary depending on the product.
Some rice cakes can be rinsed and cooked directly, while very firm or deeply frozen rice cakes may need a short soak before cooking.
Always check the package instructions and cook only until the rice cakes become soft and pleasantly chewy.
3. Eomuk
Eomuk is Korean fish cake and one of the most versatile ingredients in Korean home cooking.
It has a savory flavor and a slightly chewy texture that works well in many different dishes.
Eomuk is commonly simmered in broth for eomuk guk or odeng tang, folded onto skewers for Korean street-food-style eomuk, added to tteokbokki, or stir-fried with vegetables and seasoning.
It can also be sliced into different shapes and added to stews, hot pots, and noodle soups.
Because eomuk is already flavorful, it can add both texture and savory depth to a simple dish with very little preparation.
Best for:
- Eomuk Guk
- Odeng Tang
- Eomuk Skewers
- Tteokbokki
- Stir-Fried Eomuk
- Korean Stews
- Noodle Soup
Shopping Tip
Choose a large bag of eomuk if you use it frequently in soups, stews, and tteokbokki.
Flat sheets are especially versatile because they can be sliced into strips, cut into pieces, folded onto skewers, or rolled depending on the dish.
Keep the package frozen and take out only what you need.
Quick Tip
For some dishes, briefly rinsing or blanching eomuk can help remove excess surface oil. However, preparation varies by product and recipe, so use the method that best fits the dish you are making.
What's the Difference?
These three ingredients may often appear in similar Korean dishes, but each one brings something different to the meal.
Tteokguk Tteok
Thinly sliced rice cakes with a soft and chewy texture.
Their thin shape makes them especially useful for soups and quick-cooking dishes.
Best choice for: Tteokguk and soups
Tteokbokki Tteok
Thicker rice cakes with a more substantial, chewy texture.
They hold up well in rich sauces and are the essential ingredient for tteokbokki.
Best choice for: Tteokbokki and sauce-based dishes
Eomuk
A savory Korean fish cake that adds flavor, texture, and versatility.
It works in soups, stews, skewers, stir-fries, and tteokbokki.
Best choice for: Adding savory flavor to many different dishes
The easiest way to remember the difference is:
Tteokguk Tteok → Soups
Tteokbokki Tteok → Sauces
Eomuk → Savory Flavor
Why Keep These in Your Freezer?
These three ingredients work especially well together because they can be used across many different Korean meals.
With tteokguk tteok, you can quickly prepare tteokguk or add a handful of rice cakes to a soup or hot pot.
With tteokbokki tteok, you already have the main ingredient for classic tteokbokki, rosΓ© tteokbokki, and other chewy rice cake dishes.
With eomuk, you can make a quick soup, prepare a simple stir-fried side dish, add more flavor to tteokbokki, or create a comforting bowl of fish cake broth.
You can also combine them.
Tteokguk tteok + Mandu → Tteok Mandu Guk
Tteokbokki tteok + Eomuk → Classic Tteokbokki
Eomuk + Broth → Quick Eomuk Soup
This is what makes these ingredients so useful: they can stand alone, complement other freezer staples, or become part of a complete meal.
Which Ones Should You Buy?
If you frequently make Korean soups, start with tteokguk tteok.
If you love tteokbokki and spicy Korean comfort food, choose tteokbokki tteok.
If you want the most versatile ingredient for soups, stir-fries, stews, and street-food-style dishes, keep eomuk in your freezer.
For a well-rounded Korean freezer, keeping all three gives you a wide range of options.
But you do not need to buy everything at once.
Choose the ingredients that match the dishes you actually cook most often.
Storage Tips
Storage instructions can vary depending on the specific product, so always check the package first.
In general:
- Keep frozen products frozen until needed.
- Take out only the amount you plan to use.
- Reseal the package tightly after opening.
- Return the remaining product to the freezer promptly.
- Avoid repeatedly thawing and refreezing the entire package.
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions for thawing, rinsing, soaking, and cooking.
Rice cakes can become dry or develop freezer burn if they are not sealed properly, so keeping the package airtight is especially important.
Final Thoughts
Tteokguk tteok, tteokbokki tteok, and eomuk are three simple ingredients that can open the door to many different Korean meals.
Tteokguk tteok is thin, soft, and perfect for comforting soups.
Tteokbokki tteok is thick, chewy, and made for flavorful sauces.
Eomuk adds savory flavor and works in everything from soups and skewers to stir-fries and tteokbokki.
Together, they give you the foundation for some of Korea's most familiar comfort foods.
Keep the ingredients you use most often in your freezer, take out only what you need, and combine them with your other pantry and freezer staples.
With just a few basic ingredients ready to go, dishes like tteokguk, tteok mandu guk, tteokbokki, and eomuk soup become much easier to make at home.
Save this guide for your next grocery trip and continue building your Korean freezer one useful staple at a time.