Miso Rice Cakes With Spinach and Peas

Updated April 28, 2025

Miso Rice Cakes With Spinach and Peas
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(253)
Comments
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Tteok (oval rice cakes) partner up with spring’s abundance of greens to produce an easy, lightning-fast weeknight dinner. The firm, precooked rice cakes often found in soups and stews become amazingly absorbent after a quick soak, drinking in the surrounding miso sauce, becoming glossy and rich with umami. Spring offers ample opportunity for substitutions: Fragrant green garlic can swap in for the usual garlic cloves, magenta spring onions for red onions, fresh peas instead of frozen,  and twirly pea shoots for baby spinach. This dish welcomes scallions, chives, parsley or any tender herbs that may need to be used up. Quick-cooking or already-cooked proteins such as shrimp, white beans or tofu are happily accommodated here, if a protein boost is desired to top off this very vegetable-forward vegan meal.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • cups/6 ounces frozen green peas (no need to thaw)
  • 4cups/1 pound refrigerated, shelf-stable or frozen oval tteok (Korean rice cakes)
  • ½red onion, minced
  • 2tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3tablespoons white miso
  • 1tablespoon soy sauce
  • ¼cup olive oil
  • 3garlic cloves or 2 green garlic stalks (pale green and white green part), thinly sliced
  • 5ounces baby spinach 
  • 1tablespoon sesame oil, plus more to taste
  • 1cup mixed herbs, such as mint, dill and cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • Salt
  • Chile oil or chile crisp (optional), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

671 calories; 21 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 106 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 917 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pull the peas from the freezer to bring them to room temperature. (No need to thaw completely.) Put the rice cakes in a medium bowl and fill with enough cool tap water to cover. Run your fingers through the rice cakes to loosen any pieces that may be stuck together and allow them to soften for at least 20 minutes. (Rice cakes can be soaked up to 8 hours ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.) Meanwhile, place the other ingredients so that they’re easily accessible near the stovetop, as the next few steps are quick.

  2. Step 2

    In a small bowl, cover 3 tablespoons of the minced onion with the vinegar.

  3. Step 3

    In a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup, mix together 1 cup water with the miso and soy sauce with a small whisk or fork.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (preferably a deep one) over medium-high until shimmering. Add the garlic and the remaining onion, and cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Drain the rice cakes: Use your hands to prevent the rice cakes from falling out of the bowl and pour the water out into the sink. Add the rice cakes to the skillet. Add the miso mixture and allow the sauce to come to a boil, turning the rice cakes occasionally with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the sauce has reduced and the rice cakes are soft, glossy and well coated, about 5 minutes. (If the sauce becomes too thick, add splashes of water to loosen.)

  6. Step 6

    Turn off the heat and add the spinach and peas, stirring until well combined. Stir in the sesame oil and about half of the herbs. Season with more salt or sesame oil to taste.

  7. Step 7

    Divide among shallow bowls. Top with remaining herbs and drizzle with pickled onion mixture and chile oil, if using. Serve immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
253 user ratings
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Comments

Trader Joe’s has these rice cakes!

This is my new favorite recipe. The flavor is so balanced and multi-dimensional: the sweetness of the peas, the umami of the miso & soy, the bright fresh flavors of the herbs, etc. I skipped added salt, but then added it another way by topping with chili crisp instead of chili oil.

@Maria The rice cakes are Korean staples. They can be found in any Asian grocery stores.

I cooked some soy chorizo in the pan first before cooking the onion and garlic. Took the soy chorizo out once done and added it back into the pot at the end. It was delicious!

I really wanted to like this and to try something new. But while the flavors were good, we found the rice cakes just too chewy for our taste.

Five stars aren’t enough to rate this recipe. This was such an excellent combination of textures and flavors - pickled, umami, fresh, sweet, green, spicy. No leftovers at this table! Thanks!

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