Step 1

Soak the rice cakes for about 20 minutes if hardened or refrigerated.

Step 2

Clean the shrimp (saving the shells if peeling) and squid, and cut the squid into small pieces. Cut the cabbage and scallions into about 2-inch long pieces.

Step 3

Add 2 cups of water, dashima, and shrimp shells, if available, to a pan. Bring it to a boil, and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Remove the dashima and shrimp shells. Preheat the oven broiler if you want to use it to melt the cheese.

Step 4

Stir in the sauce ingredients. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sauce mix. Add the rice cakes. Boil until the rice cakes become very soft and the sauce is thickened, about 8 - 10 minutes. Stir frequently so the rice cakes don't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Step 5

Add the cabbage. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 2 - 4 minutes. Taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Step 6

Mix in the seafood and scallion, and continue to cook, stirring, until the seafood is almost cooked.

Step 7

Add the cheese on top. You can melt the cheese over the stove top, covered, or in the microwave, or under the oven broiler.