Dumpling bakes have been super popular recently, and for good reason. They're all made in one tray, really easy to make, and are so incredibly delicious. This recipe is my dumpling tteokbokki bake (spicy dumpling rice cake bake), inspired by Korean Tteokbokki. It's spicy, silky, and perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
Tteokbokki is one of my favourite Korean dishes. It's a rice cake dish simmered in a spicy sweet sauce made from gochujang, soy sauce, and a handful of other ingredients. The rice cakes are soft and chewy and soak up all the silky spicy sauce.
If you're a fan of Korean food, then check out my Gilgeori Toast recipe, Korean rice balls (jumeokbap) recipe, Korean mandu (dumplings), or one of my favourites; bulgogi fried rice recipe.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Quick: once you've added all of your ingredients to the tray, you just place it in the oven for 20 minutes until the dumplings are cooked and the mozzarella is melted.
Easy: there's minimal chopping involved for this recipe. I've added in minced garlic, ginger, and sliced onion, that's it! But you can totally add some more vegetables like pak choi, broccoli, eggplant (aubergine), or edamame beans for extra nutrients.
One pan: I adore a one pan dish because they just make life easier. We've got a relatively deep-based tray (about 2-3 inches deep) meaning there's barely any washing up!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Chicken stock: this provides the main broth element for our dumpling tray bake. I've used store-bought chicken stock but you can use homemade. If you're looking to make this vegetarian, feel free to use veggie broth. You could alternatively use beef broth or fish stock for a different flavour profile!
Gochujang: this is a wonderful Korean red pepper paste. It's smoky and spicy and slightly sweet. Gochujang is a very unique flavour so there's not much that can be used as a substitute, but if you really can't find it, I'd recommend using a garlic chilli paste or sriracha.
Sugar: this is to balance out the spice from the gochujang. I've used white sugar, but you could use brown sugar, honey, agave, or maple syrup if you'd prefer.
Soy sauce: I've used light soy sauce for this recipe, but you can use dark soy sauce for a richer darker flavour. Make sure to use gluten-free soy sauce if you're intolerant to gluten.
Sesame oil: I love the nuttiness that sesame oil adds to this dish. You can alternatively use any other nut oil if you're allergic to sesame.
Gochugaru flakes: these are Korean red pepper flakes and once again, they've got a wonderful smoky, lightly spiced flavour. Here are some gochugaru substitutes if you can't find them!
Garlic: fresh garlic is best for this recipe, but you can totally use garlic granules if you like. I'd recommend using ¼ teaspoon and you can add more if necessary.
Ginger: fresh ginger is perfect. I'd recommend chopping or mincing it very finely so that you get that pop of freshness throughout the dish but no chunky bites of ginger. If you don't have the fresh stuff, just omit the ginger altogether.
Onion: I'm using white onion, finely sliced for extra flavour and a bit of crunchy texture. You could use shallots instead of onion.
Dumplings: we're using store-bought frozen dumplings for this dumpling bake. I love Bibigo dumplings or Itsu dumplings! Make sure to get veggie ones if you're vegetarian. I've got the most incredible recipe for gluten-free dumplings in my cookbook if you'd like to check that out!
Rice cakes: these refer to the "tteok" element of the dish. They're these wonderful chewy rice cakes made from glutinous and non-glutinous rice flour, shaped into cylindrical or flat circular bites. If you can't find these, feel free to sub them out for gnocchi or noodles.
Mozzarella cheese: this actually helps reduce the spice levels in the dish and also adds a nice cheesy element. You can remove this if you fancy or use a vegan alternative for plant-based people!
For garnish: we're using a combination of spring onions (scallions), sesame seeds, and chives. This dish would also be delicious with soft boiled eggs!
Find the full quantities and recipe list in the recipe card further down this blog. I haven't tested the recipe with the substitutes suggested, they're just my recommendations, so adjust the recipe how you see fit!
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180C fan / 390F.
In a 11x9 inch, 2 inch deep baking tray, combine the chicken stock, gochujang, sugar, soy sauce, gochugaru flakes, and sesame oil with a whisk until well combined. Then add in the sliced onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Mix thoroughly.
Step 2: Add the rice cakes into the mixture and nestle the frozen dumplings into the tray with the tops of the dumpling poking above surface. Top with mozzarella and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then optionally grill for a further 5 minutes until the cheese is golden and the tips of the dumplings go crispy.
Step 3: Once the cheese is golden and the tips of the dumplings are crispy, remove from the oven.
Step 4: Garnish with spring onions (scallions), sesame seeds, and chives. Serve up into 2 bowls, and enjoy, my friends!!
Top Tips!
- If you don't have the rice cakes or you can't find them in your local supermarket, sub them out for noodles. Add them into your traybake with the rest of your ingredients and cook them as you would the rice cakes.
- The majority of these ingredients you'll be able to find at your local Asian supermarket! Or buy them online!
- If you'd rather not have crispy tips on your dumplings, cover the tray with aluminium foil for the duration of the baking process, and skip the grilling step.
What To Do with Leftovers
Storage: leave the dumpling tteokbokki traybake to cool, then store in airtight containers for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Reheating: this recipe is super easy to heat up in the microwave. Leave the lid of the Tupperware slightly ajar, and heat in the microwave for a few minutes until piping hot. Sprinkle with some more garnishes and enjoy!
FAQs
I'd recommend going for a Chinese, Japanese, or Korean-style dumpling. Whether that's potstickers, jiaozi, mandu, or gyoza. The flavour profiles will go best with these!
For sure! Sub out the chicken stock for veggie stock. Then use a vegan mozzarella or omit it altogether. For the dumplings, pick out some vegan ones from your local Asian supermarket.
Honestly, I can just eat this as is, but a bowl of noodles on the side would be delicious!
I love adding chopped pak choi, mushrooms, broccoli, edamame beans, or spinach!
More recipes you might enjoy!
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Dumpling Tteokbokki Bake (Spicy Dumpling Rice Cake Bake)
Ingredients
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 3 tablespoon gochujang scroll further up this blog for substitutes
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon gochugaru flakes scroll further up this blog for substitutes
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ inch ginger minced
- 1 white onion thinly sliced
- 16 frozen dumplings
- 150 g rice cakes
- 125 g mozzarella cheese
For garnish
- 3 spring onions (scallions) finely sliced
- 5 g chives finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C fan / 390F.
- In a 11x9 inch, 2-inch deep baking tray, combine the chicken stock, gochujang, sugar, soy sauce, gochugaru flakes, and sesame oil with a whisk until well combined. Then add in the sliced onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Mix thoroughly.
- Add in the rice cakes and nestle the frozen dumplings into the mixture with the tops of the dumpling poking above surface. Top with mozzarella and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then optionally grill for a further 5 minutes until the cheese is golden and the tips of the dumplings go crispy.
- Once the cheese is golden and the tips of the dumplings are crispy, remove from the oven.
- Garnish with spring onions (scallions), sesame seeds, and chives. Serve up into 2 bowls, and enjoy, my friends!!
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