Taking Advantage of Your Surroundings + Vegetable Korean Tteokbokki

Experience what your college town has to offer, especially if you don't have the same opportunities at home. Plus, a healthful recipe that will have you exploring your shopping options!

Moving into college is a transitionary period in life. Separating from your parents, living with new people, and making new friends are just the beginning of the many changes that come with going to college. But change is also opportunity; and moving to a different place gives you the opportunity to explore all the great different places and experiences that your new town has to offer.

My hometown differs greatly from Syracuse, NY where I attend Syracuse University. SU has that college campus feel but is centrally located in the city of Syracuse. My college town relocation (where I now live for ¾ of the year) gives me the best of both worlds: city life and the natural beauty of upstate NY.

So here it is: How to explore your college town (and how it led me to cooking today’s dish: Korean Tteokbokki plus veg).

1.     Transportation.

Are you in a city? An isolated campus? Or even a more rural college setting? I, luckily, have my own car. I get around blasting tunes on my way to weekend grocery runs, friends’ houses, and nature walks. But, if you don’t have a car, get to know your public transport. Subway or bus systems, or even your college’s weekend events and trips are worthwhile to research.

2.     Google likely suspects.

Looking for a cool cultural experience? Google ‘museums near me’! Your local art museum is a great place to visit with friends or to take a date.

Search for nature spots. Getting outside of your campus bubble, or just enjoying the outdoors is extremely important when you’re feeling stressed about school. Nature reserves, walks, and parks are refreshing and perfect for a little exercise, with or without friends (I frequently go by myself to enjoy some me time).

3.     We all need to eat.

Ask your favorite professor for restaurant recommendations! My freshman year, one of my professors talked about his favorite restaurant, which also happened to be a favorite haunt of the East Asian international students at my school. Sure enough, the restaurant is now one of my favs with delicious food and great atmosphere (and takeout!).

Ask upperclassman. Find all the go-to student spots for different occasions. This includes nicer places you can impress your parents with on parents’ weekend. Seasonal spots, like apple orchards and pumpkin patches, are also really fun group or pair activities.

Explore different types of food. Don’t have Dominican food in your hometown? Give it a try! My city, Syracuse, has a large immigrant population from many different nations. It gives me a chance to try things I would never get to at home. Just Googling ‘market Syracuse’ produces a local food hall and market with local vendors and the local farmers market with fresh produce.

4.     Groceries.

Seeing as this is a cooking blog, I am someone who frequents grocery stores. We can’t always eat convince store ramen or canned soup as college kids, so making sure you know the best grocery store for you is key.  

Aside from normal grocery stores, ‘ethnic’ grocery stores are a great way for you to branch out into cooking different cuisines. Asia Food Market is one of my favorite places in Syracuse. Seriously. At specialty grocery stores like this, you can get ingredients for recipes of your dreams. And you can get even better ramen.

In fact, Asia Food Market led me to the recipe for today: Korean tteokbokki (plus vegetables). I’ve always loved to make East Asian food, and I am constantly watching food videos about it. But, in my hometown there isn’t an Asian grocery supply for at least 40 minutes in any direction. I simply can’t buy tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes), gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flakes), or gochujang (Korean chili paste)—all necessary for this dish and staples of Korean cuisine—at my grocery store at home. So, let’s get into the dish.

Ingredients:

1 white onion

4 green onions

1 ½ cups bok choi tips (or just bok choi chopped smaller)

1 ½ cups shiitake mushrooms

1.2 lbs (545 grams) tteokbokki

2 cups water (for cooking)

2-3 hard-boiled eggs

Sauce:

2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)

2.5 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)

1.5 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp mirin

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp water

Pepper to taste.

Cooking Instructions:

Note: If your tteokbokki are frozen, soak them in cold to room-temperature water for around 40 minutes.

1.     Dice onion, chop green onion into 3.5 inch pieces, chop bok choi tips into 1 inch pieces, chop shiitake mushrooms into quarters. Set aside.

2.     Prepare the sauce! Add all sauce ingredients (gochujang, gochugaru, sugar, oyster sauce, mirin, fish sauce, garlic, cornstarch, water, and pepper) into a small bowl and mix until combined.

3.     Cooking time. Add 2 cups water to a wok (or a wide/deep pot like a Le Creuset) at medium-high heat. Add vegetables, tteokbokki, and sauce. Stir to coat everything in the sauce. Add the hard-boiled eggs and coat them in the sauce, too. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes (cook for 5-10 minutes longer if your onions still need to soften and become translucent).

4.     Serve and enjoy!

Afterword

I got into cooking Korean cuisine after discovering my local Asian grocer in my college town. I would never have been able to cook this dish if I was still living in my hometown. This is just one example of how taking advantage of your surroundings and local offerings can help you learn and grow (both as a chef and person). So, be brave and explore. You will come away feeling more sure and knowledgeable of places that make you happy to help get you through your college years.

This blog post is part of a trilogy, entitled “College Student Cooks.” The collection of three blog posts shares recipes, techniques, and difficulties of cooking meals and trying to eat and maintain wellness as a college student with a busy schedule.