Rice cake is stubborn under a knife: firm, sticky, quick to crack. A couple of small moves fix all of it.
Soften it first
Firm or refrigerated tteok needs to come back to life. Soak it in warm water until it bends without snapping, or it will crack and stick as you cut.
Wet the blade
A damp knife glides through tteok where a dry one gums up. Wipe and re-wet between cuts, or rub the blade with a little oil.
Cut for the dish
Angled coins for tteokguk so they cook evenly and look right; short logs for tteokbokki. Garae-tteok, the cylinder, is the one you slice on the bias.
Eric’s tip
Cut tteok dries out fast. Keep it covered or lightly oiled until it goes into the pot, or the edges turn hard.