[Korean Cuisine – Vegetarian Edition] Hotteok Pancakes

In slight contrast to the healthy vegetarian Korean cuisine that I have been introducing you to so far (jeon, jook, and bibimbap), today’s vegetarian Korean food may not be the most nutritious but it is most definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!

Hotteok  is an iconic winter snack and a popular street food in Korea. Made from chewy rice flour dough with sugar filling in the center, the pancake like mixture is cooked over a nonstick skillet with generous amounts of oil.

The warm, sugar-filled pancake that dissolves in your mouth is a real treat during the freezing months of winter. Its golden crust with a gooey center makes this an irresistible guilty pleasure.

Hotteok is known to have originated from Chinese merchants who visited Korea in the 19th century.  Since then, it has gone through several adaptations to fit the modern Korean taste.

Now, Hottoek comes with an endless number of variations of what you could put inside the pancake – ranging from vegetables, cheese, nuts and even shaved ice! A fun modern version of hotteok you could easily make at home consists of heating up a pan of tortillas in the oven and grilling them on a non-stick pan with sugary injeolmi (azuki bean rice cake) inside.

By Hajin Lily Yi