Boil for 15 minutes over medium high heat without the lid.
Add the 3 cups of water to a shallow pot or pan. Add gochujang hot pepper paste, hot pepper flakes, soya sauce, sesame oil, and sugar.
Add the rice cake, the green onion, and the optional fish cakes and hard boiled eggs. The stock will be about 2½ cups.
Stir gently with a wooden spoon when it starts to boil. Keep stirring until the rice cake turns soft and the sauce thickens and looks shiny, which should take about 10 -15 minutes. If the rice cake is not soft enough, add more water and continue stirring until soften. When you use freshly made rice cake, it takes shorter time. If you use frozen rice cake, thaw it out and soak in cold water to soften it before cooking.
Add ramen (optional) and sesame seeds.
Remove from the heat and serve hot.
