‘Mara Tteokbokki’ Finally Gets a Taste Review Two Months After Launch

Comparative Analysis with Basic Yeopgi Tteokbokki

Mara is one of the hottest trends heating up South Korea. Not only the basic flavors like Maratang and Marashangguo, but also various menus incorporating mara have been loved and attracted attention from not only the MZ generation but many others. Therefore, curiosity about the Mara Tteokbokki released by Dongdaemun Yeopgi Tteokbokki, which is responsible for the spicy taste of tteokbokki lovers, has also increased. This is the very menu released last July that was hard to order, Dongdaemun Yeopgi Tteokbokki’s Mara Tteokbokki. Due to its hot popularity, it was impossible to taste it immediately because of stock depletion, and it was only after about a month that we could finally try the Mara Tteokbokki. We have brought a vivid and real review of its taste. Seven people with different palates gathered and even prepared cheerful one-line reviews.

To compare with the basic Yeopgi Tteokbokki, we ordered Mara Tteokbokki together, and both were prepared with the mild flavor. The mara scent of Mara Tteokbokki is quite strong, almost overpowering the spicy and rich aroma of the basic Yeopgi Tteokbokki. The Mara Tteokbokki has floating Sichuan peppercorns and chili oil that give off a strong mara feeling.

Mara Tteokbokki includes the basic tteokbokki ingredients such as rice cakes, fish cakes, and Vienna sausages, as well as Chinese glass noodles, fenmuza (mung bean jelly), thinly sliced beef brisket, and whole fried tofu as standard toppings. There are two options: original flavor and mild flavor, and it is sold for 16,000 won without basic toppings. Along with Mara Tteokbokki, Guobaorou, which is indispensable when thinking of mara, was also released and prepared together.

Mara Tteokbokki’s appearance and the tingling scent that pierced the nose suggested a strong mara flavor, but the actual mara taste was somewhat mild. Among reviews of Mara Tteokbokki on the internet and YouTube, the most common comment is “jeombajeom” (short for “branch by branch”), meaning there is a taste difference depending on the branch. For those who usually enjoy mara as spicy and numbing, it might have been somewhat disappointing.

The addictive scent of Mara Tteokbokki offers a spicy, salty, and truly stimulating taste. The seasoning is well absorbed into the tofu, giving a strong feeling of eating the tofu found in Maratang or Marashangguo. When you take a bite of the tofu, the stimulating mara fills your mouth. Thanks to the diverse toppings such as thinly sliced beef brisket, plump fenmuza, and chewy Chinese glass noodles, you can enjoy the fun of picking and choosing.

The sweet and sour sauce of Guobaorou is perfect for neutralizing the fiery mara flavor. Made with pork loin, Guobaorou boasts a thick appearance and is very chewy. Unless you eat Guobaorou freshly made at the store, you probably won’t feel the crispiness. Also, although the sour scent strongly pierced the nose, the taste was somewhat lacking, possibly due to the small amount of sauce, which was disappointing. Guobaorou is sold in packs of five for 5,900 won.

Here are the one-line reviews from seven editors with different tastes.

▲ A, who doesn’t know much about Dongdaemun Yeopgi Tteokbokki and mara: “It’s more edible than I thought!”

▲ B, whose soul food is tteokbokki: “As expected, tteokbokki is the best!”

▲ C, who likes spicy food but has only tried Dongdaemun Yeopgi Tteokbokki once: “I usually hate the mara scent, and as expected, I can’t eat it!”

▲ D, who likes mara but can’t handle spicy food well: “Too spicy! It’s delicious, but too spicy!”

▲ E, who loves Dongdaemun Yeopgi Tteokbokki and mara: “The taste difference between branches of Mara Tteokbokki is too big.”

▲ F, who usually cares about health: “Mara is surprisingly not bad at all?”

▲ G, who is sensitive to trends: “Once was enough.”

* The presence of toppings may vary by seller, and these are subjective opinions of the editors.

Photo by Yoon Eun-ae