Korean Rice Cakes with Spicy Turkey Ragu and Bok Choy

KOREAN RICE CAKES.

You probably thought this was a recipe for a dessert, didn’t you?

Well, until you read the ground turkey ragu and bok choy part, haha

I don’t blame you. When I first saw “Korean rice cakes,” I was like OOOOO!

But then I saw the other ingredients and I was like, “ew?”

Obviously it all made sense in the end.

I first tried this recipe when we used to use Blue Apron. It was when meal delivery kit services first came on the scene and everyone was using them.

We didn’t hate it because it definitely helped us when we were in a pinch (more specifically when I literally had no steam to cook dinner anymore after developing 70 new recipes for my cookbook).

Anyway, so we fell in love with this recipe and we went to the international grocery and bought this 10-pound bag of rice cakes, haha…

You have to make this Korean rice cakes with spicy turkey ragu recipe

The flavors are explosive and the slightly sweet and spicy notes are so perfect.

The sauce coats the rice cakes perfectly!

Korean rice cakes with spicy turkey ragu and bok choy is a unique dish that will expand your taste palette!

What are Korean rice cakes?

They are little rice discs made with rice flour and something glutinous.

What do they taste like?

They’re plain in flavor.

They honestly don’t taste like anything which is why they’re the perfect base to put into extra flavorful dishes like this Korean rice cakes and spicy turkey ragu dish!

What’s the texture of Korean rice cakes?

They’re slippery and chewy!

What if I can’t find Korean rice cakes?

You can substitute with rice noodles or even gnocchi, haha

What is the flavor of Korean ragu?

Omg, it’s like sweet and salty but also a little spicy.

Can I use another ground meat?

Yes.

I mentioned above that we used ground turkey but ground pork or ground chicken would work fabulously in this.

Ground beef, I feel, would make it a bit too heavy but hey – if that’s what you’re going for, then do it!

Korean Rice Cakes with Spicy Turkey Ragu and Bok Choy

These will expand your taste palette with its unique flavor combination!

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 2

Author: Julie Chiou

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Ingredients 

½1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ ¾ pound ground turkey
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 onion, diced
• ▢ 1 piece of ginger, finely chopped
• ▢ 6 bunches bok choy, rinsed and roughly chopped
• ▢ 4 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
• ▢ 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• ▢ 2 tablespoons garlic black bean sauce
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Gochujang paste, (or more depending on your spice tolerance level)
• ▢ ½ cup water
• ▢ 12 ounces Korean rice cakes

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

Equipment

• Meat chopper

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Instructions

• Brown and break up the ground turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat using a wooden spoon or spatula. Add the garlic, onion, and ginger to the pan and saute until fragrant and onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
• In the meantime, bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
• Add the bok choy, soy sauce, heavy cream, garlic black bean sauce, and gochujang paste to the skillet. Cook until bok choy has wilted. Add the water and let mixture thicken then stir to incorporate. Lower the heat to low and let mixture simmer.
• While the mixture is simmering, add rice cakes to the pot of boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.
• Drain the rice cakes well then add it to the turkey ragu mixture. Remove skillet from heat then toss rice cakes in the mixture to incorporate.
• Season with salt and pepper then serve hot.

Recipe Notes

The Asian/Korean section of your local supermarket should have sweet soy sauce, garlic black bean sauce, and Gochujang paste. If not, you can use the Amazon links above to buy them online. If you have a difficult time finding Korean rice cakes, you can easily use regular pasta for the rice cakes and/or white rice. If you cannot find sweet soy sauce, you can add 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar to your regular soy sauce.

Slightly adapted from the original recipe from Blue Apron

NUTRITION FACTS

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 867 kcal | Carbohydrates: 115 g | Protein: 45 g | Fat: 24 g | Fiber: 4 g | Sugar: 16 g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: blue apron recipes

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