[Updated 2 June 2021]
There are plenty of things we love about Korea and one of them is food - more specifically, street food ? In places like Myeongdong and Gwangjang, you’ll see a seemingly endless street that’s filled with vendors serving all kinds of delicious treats and snacks. From tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and hotteok (stuffed pancakes) to gyrenbbang (egg bread) and odeng (fish cakes), it’s truly a foodie heaven. Since travelling to Korea isn’t in the cards right now, we’re here to share a few halal Korean street food recipes that’ll surely satisfy any K-cravings you may have at the moment.
1. Hotteok
For those with a sweet tooth, nothing will bring more joy than treating yourself to some hotteok. Known as Korean sweet pancakes, this popular street food is typically eaten in the winter. Crispy on the outside with a gooey filling on the inside, it’s the perfect treat to have on a rainy day!
With less than 10 ingredients for the recipe, there's no reason you shouldn't try making hotteok at home. To help you out with the process, here's a video recipe that'll have you serving yourself delicious Korean pancakes in no time.
P.S. Here's another 10 easy Korean recipes you can make at home!
2. Kimbap
As one of the most well-loved snacks in Korea, kimbap (or gimbap) should be on the list of everyone’s go-to light meal. Using basic ingredients like rice, dried seaweed, sesame oil, eggs, carrot and cucumber, it’s a really easy street food to make. Plus, the process of putting it together and rolling the kimbap is fun, so you can get your whole family to create this snack with you ?
Once you've mixed your cooked rice with sesame oil and salt, and sliced your cucumber, carrots and eggs into thin strips, gather all the ingredients at your 'kimbap rolling station' and prepare to assemble your kimbap. Not sure how to roll one? This video tutorial will show you how!
#HHWTTip: If you don't have a bamboo mat, you can use a tea towel and lay a plastic wrap on top instead.
3. Pajeon
Literally translating to ‘green onion pancakes’, pajeon is what you should turn to whenever you need a quick bite and don’t want to spend too much time whipping up a light meal or a snack. It’s also a great dish to make if you have any leftover vegetables and don’t want to let them go to waste.
We love Maangchi's take on this recipe - it's simple, clear and enjoyable to watch! Plus, she has a few great tips throughout the video on how you can achieve a great pajeon ?
If you love easy recipes just as much as we do, then this article is right up your alley:
4. Gyren-bbang
Gyren means egg while bbang means bread. That’s right - this highly popular Korean street food simply means egg bread and it’s exactly what you think it is. But as simple as it sounds, a freshly baked gyrenbbang will ultimately have you falling in love with its fantastic mesh of sweet and savoury flavours.
Seonkyung Longest has many Korean recipes on her YouTube channel including gyren-bbang and it's one that you should definitely try at home. With her recipe, you won't be disappointed with the end result! In fact, you'll probably find yourself coming back to it over and over again ?
5. Tteokbokki
It wouldn’t be a true list of Korean street food if we didn’t include tteokbokki. Featured in plenty of dramas and films, spicy rice cakes are an absolute favourite among the locals. So, treat yourself to a wonderfully delicious bowl of tteokbokki while you catch up on your favourite Korean shows. Hospital Playlist, anyone? ?
While you can keep your tteokbokki nice and simple like how this recipe shows, feel free to add in other ingredients like eggs, cabbage and even fish cake. You can also garnish it with some sesame seeds and finely chopped green onion for a final touch.
6. Gilgeori toast
One can never get enough of comfort food, which is why we've got gilgeori toast (street toast) in this list! Made with eggs and vegetables, this is a popular grab and go type of breakfast among Koreans. But of course, we think that this amazing toast can be eaten at anytime of the day (yes, including supper).
Gilgeori toast is truly far from your average sandwich and Seonkyung's recipe proves that! Take your sandwich making to the next level and don't ever look back again ?
P.S. Interested in making your own bread? Check out this full list.
7. Chapssal doughnuts
Have you been dreaming of yummy desserts and sweet treats lately? Well, look no further than chapssal doughnuts - Korean doughnuts that are made with glutinous rice. Typically filled with sweetened red bean paste, this confection will pull you in with its crunchy exterior and soft, chewy interior.
While a red bean paste is traditionally used for chapssal doughnuts, you can always get creative by switching it up with other things like nutella. It's also something that you'll find at the vendors in Korea, so why not try it for yourself?
With these easy street food recipes in mind, treat yourself to some Korean fare this weekend and enjoy all the wonderful flavours it has to offer from the comfort of your home ?