A popular street food in Seoul, South Korea is “baked cheese,” aka cheese tteok-kocchi (literally meaning "cheese and rice cake skewers"). I was introduced to them through YouTube star and cookbook author Maangchi, who griddles together garaetteok (cylindrical rice cakes) and similarly shaped mozzarella cheese sticks, then drizzles them with sweetened condensed milk. I decided to try my hand at making this street food at home—and I failed miserably.
Even with moderate heat and following Maangchi’s instructions carefully, everything melted together in a sad goopy mess. Instead of giving up, I leaned into the failure, and who doesn't love to experiment with cheese and rice cakes? I let the mozzarella coat all of the rice cakes and fried them together without skewers in a pan, resulting in a dish that more so resembles another Korean street-food classic, tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes, which are typically made with gochujang and various toppings).
Upon first making this dish, I immediately tasted the flavors and textures of a perfect grilled cheese sandwich, with a crisp, carby exterior and a melty cheese inside. You really can't go wrong with a combination like that. When frying the garaetteok and cheese, I use ghee to achieve a higher smoke point (meaning, more crispy cheesiness without burning) with an infusion of buttery flavor, but you can also use butter if you watch the heat, or a neutral oil instead. Without the butter, though, it won’t taste as much like grilled cheese. And, come on, what’s the fun in that? —Alyse Whitney
The brilliance of this recipe is also in the simplicity: All one needs is rice cakes, ghee, and melty mozzarella cheese to make this cheesy, one-pan wonder. Using rice cakes creates a fluffy yet crisp result that pairs deliciously with gooey fresh mozzarella cheese. Part street food tteokbokki, part grilled cheese, a cheese pull moment is definitely on the menu with this dish. —Food52
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