Hotteok
호떡 · Busan-style seed hotteok: chewy fried pancakes filled with cinnamon brown sugar and nuts
Hotteok (호떡) are chewy, yeasted pancakes filled with brown sugar and cinnamon that melt into a hot syrup as they fry. They are a winter street snack all over Korea, but Busan is known for ssiat hotteok (씨앗호떡), where the fried pancake is slit open and stuffed with a handful of toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Glutinous rice flour in the dough makes it soft and stretchy. Be careful with the first bite, as the filling is very hot. This dough uses milk, so it is vegetarian; use water instead for a dairy-free version. Chef's tip: rest the dough until it has properly doubled and is full of bubbles, and keep your hands oiled. A sticky, well-risen dough gives the chewy, stretchy texture.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 9 oz plain flour
- 1 ¾ oz glutinous rice flour
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup milklukewarm
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
For the filling
- 2 ⅞ oz dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 oz roasted peanutsfinely chopped
For the Busan seed topping
- 1 oz sunflower seeds
- 1 oz pumpkin seeds
For frying
- 4 tbsp neutral oil
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz plain flour, 1 ¾ oz glutinous rice flour, 1 tsp instant yeast, 1 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Add 1 cup milk and 1 tbsp neutral oil and stir with a spatula into a soft, very sticky dough; it should be wetter than bread dough.
Step 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 30–40 minutes, until doubled in size and bubbly. Knock it back with an oiled spatula.
35 minStep 3: While the dough rises, mix 2 ⅞ oz dark brown sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 oz roasted peanuts for the filling.
Step 4: Toast 1 oz sunflower seeds and 1 oz pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3 minutes until they smell nutty and start to pop. Tip into a bowl.
3 minStep 5: Oil your hands well. Take an eighth of the dough, flatten it in your palm, put 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle and pinch the edges together over the top to seal it completely. Put it seam side down on an oiled plate and make the rest.
Step 6: Heat a third of the 1 ¼ tbsp neutral oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add 3 balls, seam side down, and fry for 1 minute until golden underneath.
1 minStep 7: Turn them over and press each one flat with an oiled spatula or the base of a cup to about 1 cm thick. Fry for 2 minutes, then turn the heat to low and cook for 2–3 minutes more on each side, until deep golden and puffed and the sugar inside has melted. If they brown before the sugar melts, turn the heat down; the dough needs time to cook through.
6 minStep 8: Fry the rest in batches with the rest of the 2 ¾ tbsp neutral oil.
14 minStep 9: For the Busan style, cut a slit into the side of each hot pancake with scissors, open it into a pocket and spoon in some of the toasted seeds. Serve hot, in a paper cup or folded napkin.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hotteok take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Baklava
The famous layered pastry: crisp sheets of buttered fillo sandwich a filling of almonds, pistachios and cashews spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and saffron. After baking, the hot baklava is soaked in a syrup of sugar, honey, lemon, rose and cardamom and decorated with almond and pistachio flakes. Cut into 40 diamonds; serve with fresh cream or ice cream.
Tteokbokki
Tteokbokki (떡볶이) is Korea's best-loved street snack: chewy cylinders of rice cake simmered in a thick, glossy, sweet and spicy red sauce. It became a classic in Seoul, where it is sold from street stalls and snack bars in every neighbourhood. Street versions use anchovy stock and fish cakes; this vegan version uses a quick kelp and shiitake stock with cabbage and spring onions, and has all the same punch. Eat it hot, while the rice cakes are soft and stretchy. Chef's tip: keep stirring and scrape the bottom; the rice cakes release starch that thickens the sauce but also catches. The sauce is right when it clings to the spoon in a glossy coat.
Tteokgalbi
Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.