Hotteok: Popular Korean winter street food
Today we are going to making Hotteok(Korean Sweet Pancake)! Hotteok is one of the most popular winter street food snacks in South-Korea. It features a crispy, chewy dough filled with a sticky cinnamon-brown sugar syrup that oozes out with every bite. It’s warm, sweet, and absolutely perfect for cold winter days.
For today’s recipe, I’ve prepared two flavors. One is the classic cinnamon brown sugar Hotteok, and the other is a Nutella-filled chocolate Hotteok that’s absolutely out of this world. You must try both!
Table of Contents
What Is Hotteok?
It is a traditional Korean street food often eaten in winter. It’s made from a chewy dough of glutinous rice and wheat flour, flattened into a pancake and typically filled with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. The heat caramelizes the sugar into a jam-like filling, creating a deliciously sweet treat.
Varieties Of Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancakes)
In Korea, there are countless variations of hotteok. For example, the most iconic versions include seed-filled hotteok (with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds) and honey hotteok.
More recently, trendy flavors such as mozzarella cheese hotteok and Nutella hotteok have emerged. The possibilities are endless, and each is delicious in its own way!
Too lazy to make your own dough? Try making a quick and tasty Hotteok with tortillas instead! Here’s the recipe for Tortilla Hotteok I made earlier.
The disappearance of Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancakes)
When I was younger, you could find hotteok food trucks everywhere in the winter. But these days, they are harder to find in Korea. Rising costs make it difficult to sell hotteok at the low prices most people remember.
In addition, many people now prefer to buy a Korean hotteok mix and make it at home. Nevertheless, the joy of buying freshly made hotteok on a cold winter day is an irreplaceable experience, and the taste remains unforgettable.
Hotteok Around The World
Hotteok has also gained international popularity. Beyond the classic cinnamon-brown sugar filling, fusion flavors such as bulgogi hotteok and cheese hotteok have captured the hearts of people around the world. While it’s rare to find hotteok in Europe, it’s surprisingly easy to make at home, and its sweetness appeals to foreign palates. My European friends often say that the cinnamon aroma reminds them of the Christmas season. Hotteok is a winter snack that brings back warm, sweet memories for everyone. Shall we make some hotteok together and create new memories?
Hotteok (Korean sweet pancakes) is more than a snack. It’s a taste of home, a symbol of winter, and a treat that brings people together. Enjoy making this Korean recipe at home and sharing it with your loved ones!
Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancakes)
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Spoon
Ingredients
Hotteok Dough
- 100 ml warm water
- 25 ml milk
- 2.5 g yeast
- 15 g sugar
- 2 g baking powder
- 10 g cooking oil
- 8 g melted butter
- 30 g glutinous rice flour
- 150 g bread flour Other flour is fine.
Brown Sugar Filling
- 25 g brown sugar
- 15 g walnuts or peanuts.
- 2 g cinnamon powder
- 4 g flour
Nutella Filling
- 3 tsp Nutella 1.5 tsp Nutella per hotteok
Instructions
Make The Dough
- Mix 100 ml warm water
- with 25 ml milk.
- Add 2.5g yeast,
- 15g sugar,
- 2.5g salt
- and 2g baking powder. Mix well.
- Stir in 10g cooking oil
- and 8g melted butter.
- Add 30g glutinous rice flour
- and 150g bread flour.
- Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
Ferment The Dough
- Place the dough in a bowl, cover.
- Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. (Use lukewarm water, not hot, for rising.)
Make The Brown Sugar Filling
- Mix 25g brown sugar,
- 2g cinnamon powder, 4g flour,
- and 15g chopped nuts.
- Mix well.
Shape The Hotteok
- Divide the fermented dough into 4-5 equal portions.
- Flatten each portion into a round disc.
- Add the filling (either brown sugar filling or 1.5 tsp Nutella)
- Seal the edges.
Cook The Hotteok
- Heat a generous amount of oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat.
- Add the hotteok to the pan and gently press down with a spatula.
- Cook until golden brown and crisp, turning occasionally to ensure even cooking.
- Remove the hotteok from the pan when they are golden brown.
- Enjoy them warm!
Jal meokgetseumnida!
- Hotteok 호떡
- 잘 먹겠습니다!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @blondekimchi_ on Instagram and hashtag it #blondekimchi.
Made these today, and they were both super tasty and so easy to make! The Nutella-filled one was a game-changer. 감사합니다 for the recipe! 😊