Move Over, Kimchi: Tteokbokki is my Favorite Korean Food.

 Does that look delicious? It may seem a bit dangerous - strange unknown round things in a thick red sauce. But I assure you - if you can take the heat - it's the best dish Korea has to offer.

Tteokbokki is mainly considered to be a snack food in Korea, made from chewy rice cake, fish cake, and a sweet chili sauce. Additional ingredients are added depending on the chef - the dish above was almost exclusively rice cake and chili sauce, plus the hard-boiled egg. Most commonly, I see it with chunks of different kinds of meat (usually sausage) and vegetables (usually of the green variety).

The round rice cakes (usually made of flour these days) are chewy and relatively flavorless, but the bulk of the dish. The other solid ingredients add a bit of additional flavor and texture, but the best part is the sauce. It is usually very spicy, and what makes the dish special.

It's easy to find all over Seoul as it's the most popular street food. It's also found in various other forms, such as on skewers. The spicy chicken I had on my first trip was covered with tteokbokki sauce, and in restaurants it can be found with cheese or fried pork cutlets. On the street, a fairly filling serving will run around 2500-4000 won ($2.50-$4.00) but some places sell it as cheap as 1000 won ($1).