Narutteok 🍥 Vegan

This is not narutomaki, that fish cake often seen in ramen, but then what is it? I scoured the internet for a fish-free narutomaki recipe and my search yielded no results. This was quite shocking as there seems to be a vegan alternative for almost anything. I tried making it with common fish substitutes and each recipe was trash. My aha moment came when I recalled seeing a recipe for tteok, an Asian rice cake. I knew I could adapt that to make a vegan narutomaki-like cake.

What is Narutomaki?

Narutomaki, often simply referred to as “naruto,” is a beloved ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Narutomaki is a popular garnish in ramen dishes. This fish cake is distinctive for its eye-catching pink or white spiral pattern in the center, reminiscent of the whirlpools found in the Naruto Strait between Awaji Island and Shikoku in Japan, which inspired its name.

To craft narutomaki, a blend of fish paste, is mixed with starch, sugar, and a blend of seasonings. Part of the fish paste is then mixed with red dye. It is then formed into a cylinder shape and cooked through steaming.

Narutomaki boasts a mild seafood flavor with a touch of sweetness. It enhances the visual appeal of a dish. Typically, narutomaki is thinly sliced into rounds and added to a dish as a decorative component.

What is Tteok? 

Tteok is a traditional Korean rice cake made from rice flour. It’s a staple in Korean cuisine and comes in various shapes, sizes, and textures. Tteok can be enjoyed in both sweet and savory preparations. In addition, many recipes are naturally plant-based!

How I Married the Two: 

Inspired by @CafeMaddy’s recipe for cylinder-shaped tteok and Travel Food Atlas’s recipe for narutomaki, I fused the two traditions and birthed ‘narutteok’. These cakes are crafted from sweet rice flour but elevated with the addition of mirin, a common flavoring in narutomaki. To infuse a hint of umami and fish-like notes, I incorporated dashi in the recipe. The cakes are shaped and dyed in the same fashion as narutomaki giving it a gorgeous spiral pattern. The narutteok has a chewy texture, the same as the tteok in tteokbokki. 

In conclusion, by combining elements of both traditional Korean tteok and Japanese narutomaki, narutteok was created. Offering a unique and delicious fusion of flavors and cultural influences.

Narutteok 🍥 Vegan

Recipe by Dakota OvdanCuisine: Japanese inspired, Korean inspiredDifficulty: easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Total time

50

minutes

By combining elements of both traditional Korean tteok and Japanese narutomaki, narutteok was created. These chewy rice cakes taste similar to tteok with a bit more flavor and flare. Pair with your favorite Asian sauce, bento box, or soup.

Ingredients

• 10 grams of dried kombu (roughly 4” x 8.5  “ piece)

• 4 cups of water

• 1 cup of sweet white rice flour

• 4 tsp of mirin

• 2.5 tbsp of beet juice

• 2 tsp of sesame oil

• salt

Directions

• Prepare Dashi: In a pot, soak the kombu in four cups of water for 10 minutes or longer if you have the time. Bring the pot to a simmer and make sure to remove the kombu before the water boils to prevent bitterness. Turn off the heat.
• Prepare White Dough: In a bowl, combine 3/4 cup of flour, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 3 tsp of mirin. Heat 1/3 cup of dashi in the microwave until boiling, then mix it into the dough. Knead the dough in your palms about 20 times.
• Prepare Pink Dough: In a separate bowl, mix 1/3 cup of flour, 1/8 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of mirin. Heat 2.5 tbsp of beet juice in the microwave until boiling, then incorporate it into the dough. Knead the dough in your palms about 20 times.
• Prepare Work Surface: Cover a cutting board with plastic wrap, securing the ends underneath to hold it in place.
• Shape the Dough: Flatten the white dough into a long rectangle approximately 1/2” thick, using your hands or a rolling pin. Shape the pink dough into a long rectangle about 1/4” thick, matching the size of the white dough but leaving a 1/4” white border along the top and bottom. Place the pink layer on top of the white dough and gently press down or use a rolling pin to combine the layers.
• Roll the Dough: With the assistance of the plastic wrap, roll the dough lengthwise into a log. Apply gentle pressure while rolling to eliminate air pockets. Optionally, roll the dough log between your hands to achieve the desired size.
• Chill the Dough (optional): Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes to firm it up. Then, slice it into 1/2”-1/3” rounds. Option to use the dull side of a knife to create jagged edges. 
• Cook the Narutteok: Bring the dashi to a boil in a small pot. Place the dough pieces into the boiling dashi. Remove them as soon as the cakes float to the surface.
• If you’re not immediately placing the narutteok in a soup or sauce, it is recommended to give the cakes a cold water bath and then coat them with sesame oil to prevent them from sticking together.

Notes

• These rice cakes are best fresh but will last refrigerated for two days. 
• Save the dashi, it can be reused in another recipe and will last refrigerated for two days, option to freeze.
• This recipe utilizes a quick soak method to make the dashi, for the best flavor you can do a long cold soak. Simply place the kombu in a bowl filled with 4 cups of water in the fridge and let it soak overnight or up to 12 hours then remove the kombu.