Korean street food! There’s nothing like a warm, sweet pancake from K-town to restore your strength during fun-filled evenings of soju-fueled ballads at karaoke (okay maybe that’s just me). Even on a quieter occasion, as we in NYC finally got some decent snow, hotteok (pronounced “hoe dduk”) are the perfect choice hot off the griddle. They’re basically a yeasted pancake stuffed with brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon. In other words, they’re an act of bravery, a solid force of triumph against the cold, making you forget to shiver for blocks at a time as you devour them. These oozing, decadent treats are only lightly fried on the outside so that in each bite you’ll crunch through a crispy golden crust, then through a chewy dough, and finally into a sweet, melted brown sugar and chopped almond-filled gooey center.
I work very close to Koreatown and over the years have come to really love everything about it. I like climbing 3 staircases of a shady building only to enter a nondescript doorway, behind which lies a really crowded and sometimes trendy restaurant serving anything from Korean fried chicken (the best!) to traditional meals and hot soups like Soondubu-jjigae 순두부찌개, my hands-down absolute winter fave. Years ago I discovered a little market where I could find all of the ingredients I’d need to make some of my favorites and when winter comes around, I inevitably start to crave Korean food. It feels like a deprivation not to indulge that craving on the crowded streets of Koreatown and short of that, in my own kitchen. This week, I’m opting for both. Make these. They’re unique and delicious and will definitely be a recurring theme in my kitchen on the weekends.
Stay warm and enjoy!
HOTTEOK 호떡 - KOREAN SUGAR PANCAKES
Recipe from Globetrotter Diaries
INGREDIENTS:
For the Dough
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons of yeast
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
For the Filling
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of any nuts, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS:
For the Dough:
Mix water, yeast, sugar, salt and oil together until dissolved. Add in the flour and mix with a spatula just until incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel, and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size. While you wait for your dough to rise, make the filling.
When the dough has risen, punch it down using your hands or a spatula and let it rest again for another 20 minutes.
For the Filling:
Mix the sugar, chopped nuts and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.
Note: If your brown sugar has fossilized like mine, there’s a simple solution. Put it in the microwave for 25 to 30 seconds covered with a wet paper towel. Don’t get over-zealous with the timing, as it will eventually melt into a puddle (lesson learned). Sometimes less is more.
Assemble:
Pour the sticky dough onto a floured surface and knead for a while with well floured hands until the dough comes together.
Roll into a ball and cut in half and then cut each half into four smaller pieces, so you’ll end up with 8 pieces of dough.
Again with floured hands take each ball of dough and pat it flat with your hand and fill the middle with a heaping spoonful of the sugar mixture.
Slightly push with the back of a spoon so the sugar sits nicely in the dough.
Fold each end up and pinch slightly together so it seals shut.
In a well oiled cast iron skillet/griddle (or any pan if you don’t have one) pour in a little vegetable oil so there is a thin coating and heat on medium flame.
Put the ball of dough pinched side down and cook for about 30 seconds until browned.
Flip over and carefully push the ball down into a flat pancake with the back of your spatula and cook for another minute. If it seems like you can’t flatten the ball anymore, then don’t force it – you might have put in too much filling and the sugar will just burst out.
Flip again and cover with a lid and cook for a minute until the sugar is nice and melted.
Keep repeating the cooking steps until all the dough-balls are cooked. Stack them in a plate and serve right away.
Those are wonderful Amanda, They look delicious and are pretty easy to make. I bet you can vary the filling too. Also really great tutorial.
Thank you! Yes they’re easy to make, but require just a little patience. You can vary the filing. Any nut will do or red beam paste, matcha, you name it. I just stuck with tradition. I’m obsessed. Thanks for your comment as always!
gawd if i worked near Ktown i don’t know what i would do! i would just eat out all the time!
i’m not a huge fan of asian desserts, in that regard i’m more western. would this work savory, filling with meats instead, and making it more like a handpie/pastie?
Yes! You could probably fill it with meat or veggies for sure and it would taste good. This is the traditional street method but these lend themselves to adaptation very well. I love ktown. I’m in a little bit of a ktown streak. Hello bubble tea just as a break from work 😉
Lan and Amanda, to really belatedly jump in on this conversation… they do also sell savory hotteok as street food in Seoul!
The savory kind I’ve seen most often is stuffed with japchae noodles/veggies, sealed up, and then deep fried rather than pan fried (but it’s still called “hotteok”; and I’m sure you could pan fry it instead if you wanted). I keep meaning to make that kind myself, but have only made a sweet version so far.
(Also, I’m with Lan — if I worked near Ktown… now let me go spend all day daydreaming about what that would be like…) 🙂
Omg that sounds amazing. I try to limit ktown to like twice a month. Toooo good! Thanks fly the info Allison!
This looks amazing, I’m definitely trying this out! Maybe even with nutella haha
Thanks so much! It’s not hard, just takes patience. OMG nutella would be so good in these! Enjoy! Thx for your comment!
you got me there, my son and I are such pancake lovers for breakfast! I´ll definitely try these, they sound amazing. CAn Imagine they sweetened your walks around the blocks on these cold, harsh winter days you must go through there in NYC (as I learned in the news)!
Ha! Thanks, Sabine! I won’t let a little/lot of snow slow me down. These things are really good. The yeast adds a little something to it that makes it more like a bun than a pancake and I just love them! So great to hear from you as always.
Right back to you!
I’m sold – I was born on Mardi Gras – Pancake Day 😉
Really, MD?! Then this is totally up your alley! Very cool. I think you should make it your goal to try pancakes or pancake-like items from every country 🙂 Good to see you. Hope you’re well.
Yes, Mardi Gras, late at night – no wonder that I love food, drink and staying up late!
These cakes look so interesting and fun to eat. I will definitely have to try them. I am not that familiar with Korean foods and what I do know of them, I would never suspect sweet pancakes. Your photos are very helpful.
Thanks, Jovina. I really didn’t either until I discovered Korea town and it helps that my office-mate of 9 years is Korean and has been very willing to share. He usually accompanies me on these trips to the grocery store and will help fill up my grocery basket. The sad part is I usually don’t have leftovers to bring! These are really delicious though.
You know I would never intrude on this site. It is a wonderful post and recipe, as they all are.
I agree with morestomach and would love you to bring some over filled with lean chopped turkey,scallions and various vegetables of your liking.
I leave you all the love I have… Except some for Sodom Aerin
Thanks, Dad. So nice to see you here. I hope you and mom are having fun with the baby. Thanks for commenting instead of it usual text. You’d like these pancakes. I’ll make them for you! Kiss Sofia for me! xo
sofia
Thanks for the “new to me” food introduction, Amanda…these sound fabulous with that delicious sweetened stuffing! Great photos, too.
Thanks so much. These are fantastic. The sweet stuffing is so warm and yummy!
Yum Amanda these sound delicious. Stayed near Korea Town on my trip to NYC and had my first Korean meal. Korean food is only just taking off in Australia and I haven’t seen anything like these pancakes on menus yet. Will give them a try.
Hearing reports of very bad weather on the east coast, hope you are safe and warm.
Thanks, Anna! I think the storm was overblown. It really was just a heavy storm, but nothing like the “Worst blizzard ever!” Boston got it worse, but even that wasn’t the worst we’ve seen. All is okay here. Korean food isn’t hugely popular outside of LA and NY, but it’s distinct from its Asian counterparts and really good. One of my faves. I’m planning on posting another more popular dish soon since I’m obsessing.
Amanda! Did you get a new website?! So amazing! And these pancakes look so amazing! I literally just made brown sugar pancakes for breakfast on the snow day. My fave <3
I did get a new site! Well, I designed it myself and I’m self-hosting. I wanted more creative control. I’ve had it for about a month. I’m really loving it. And these pancakes…sooo good. I have no doubt that your sugar pancakes were amazing. The yeast makes the difference. So so good! Thanks as always for your comments. I love hearing from you.
Nice to be so close to so many fun and exotic ethnic foods! Love that you’re bringing it home. The pancakes don’t look all that complicated to make. But hoo boy, they look divine to eat 🙂
Thanks, Liz. I love hearing from you. They’re not hard at all. They just take a little me patience than regular pancakes and they are so worth it. Hope you’re staying warm out west 😉
These are really tempting! I love pancakes but I have never tried the Korean version. I love the thickness and the addition of nuts!
Thanks, Francesca. Yes, they eat these as street food. I’m obsessing about all foods Korean these days. It just warms me up. This is one hell of a pancake. Stay warm!
These are my favourite thing to buy when I pass through Ktown in Toronto. Now I can make them myself! Thanks to you for that.
That’s awesome. You may be the first one to comment who has seen them before! Now you know 🙂 enjoy!
🙂
Oh, how I love Korean food. I haven’t had those, though. Must remedy that! (Had to laugh about the snow or lack thereof. For some reason, we’ve been stuck in NY several times during what turned out to be similar non-events. However, we were there, and stuck for many extra days, during Snowmageddon, so now we know that sometimes it’s for real!)
Lol. Oh yes. I’ve been through both. Events and non events. Korean food is so good. You have to try these! It’s definite cold enough! Xo
Wow, these are simply fantastic! I have never heard of them, but surely give those a try. Brown sugar & nut filled pancakes, my idea of heaven. N xx
Ha! I know right. Nice to see you, Nicole. These are some amazing snacks. If you spend any time in a Korean neighborhood you’re bound to see them. Sooo good. Have a great weekend! Xo
Good morning, Amanda, have a great weekend, too. I am printing as we ‘speak’, we’ll have some a Korean weekend soon (planning a little Kimchi production here) and those pancakes are certainly going to be consumed on the day. Nicole xx
Oh how cool. Wait till next week. I’ve got one more Korean recipe coming up! It’s a little more involved, but easy. Work is sending me to Mexico tomorrow so I’m trying to pull together my post now so when I’m working like a dog (as usual, but in another country this time) I don’t have to miss my first love, the blog.
OK, I’ll definitely wait and am happy to say, that I found a Korean market here, so special ingredients shouldn’t be such a problem. Have fun in Mexico! You know, I am envious, have a Margharita in balmy weather on me. N xx
Wow, Amanda, this looks amazing. You are the second friend-blogger to share a recipe for hotteok this week, and I had already bookmarked my friend’s recipe, but now I am also bookmarking yours, which is a bit different. I’ll definitely be trying this some day, it looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you, Darya! That’s so funny that someone else made it too! I was inspired to keep going with Korean food for this week too. These were really so good. Xo
How carefully and beautifully you’ve described the recipe and the method step by step! You are one hell of a passionate and dedicated blogger-cook 🙂 Your nut-filling just killing me! I must try this pancake ASAP 🙂
Thank you so much, nusrat. What a kind comment. It really is true. I love doing this. It feeds me to learn and i love sharing that. I can’t see anyone not liking this pancake. They’re so good! Xo
korean food,…
are you from korea?
I’m not, but I’m obsessed with Korean food! I love that you’re all over my blog. I really want to learn Indonesian cooking too. I’m just caught in Korean food right now 🙂
and ….what your know about food from indonesian
im sorry if my language english very bad,because im still learning 🙂
I know that I love the spices and the rice and the shrimp toast and all of the little side dishes.
Ahhhh these look so good! Beautiful photos. 🙂