Crispy Rice Cakes With Halloumi Cheese and Gochujang Brown Butter

This crispy-salty-spicy rice cake dish frequently makes an appearance on the menu at chef Susan Kim’s Korean food pop-up, Doshi. She blisters Korean rice cakes, or tteok, until they’re toasty and crisp with chewy insides, then pairs them with seared, melty Halloumi cheese. The combination of nutty brown butter and spicy-sweet gochujang will have you dragging your rice cakes across the plate to mop up every last bit of sauce. You can find prepackaged Korean rice cakes in the refrigerated section at any Korean market or well-stocked Asian grocer. You might find they come in all shapes and sizes, from long cylinders to thin ovals. Any shape will work in this recipe, but it’s especially delicious prepared with rice cakes that come in 2"–3"-long cylinders, which excel at achieving a crispy exterior while staying chewy and soft on the inside. If you have any brown-butter-gochujang sauce left over, spoon it over fried eggs and yogurt the next morning—one of Kim’s favorite breakfasts.