Being vegan in Korea has never been easier thanks to the Vegan Festa! While some challenges remain, a trip to the Vegan Festa will allow you to see just how far the vegan community and vegan brands have come in Korea.
What is the Vegan Festa?
The Vegan Festa is hosted by Excom and sponsored by The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, SBA, Energy Economics newspaper and National Geographic. This year was the 7th annual fair and it featured 180 exhibitors, 300 booths and 35,000 visitors. If you missed it this year, don’t worry – you can always go next year!
The purpose of the fair is to provide content related to vegan brands and products, promote sustainability and environmental friendliness, and help popularise the vegan lifestyle. Certainly, after visiting we felt like being vegan in Korea would be much less of a struggle compared to in the past.
Since many more brands are available, you wouldn’t feel like you were missing out on many things that were impossible to find previously. There was vegan tuna, vegan bagels, vegan butter… everything!
If you’re interested in hearing more from the professionals, they have you covered on that too! From 1pm~5pm on the Friday there were speakers who covered topics like veganism from a UK to a global perspective, vegan trends, Amazon US vegan trends, and know how seminars.
One of the most impressive things about this year’s Vegan Festa was the range of brands and products. Naturally we think of vegan food when we think of “vegan”, but there were many other vegan products such as shoes and handbags, cleaning products and personal hygiene products.
There was even vegan pet food!
However, it has to be said that we were most interested in all the food! We were able to try a great selection of vegan food, including ice cream, coconut milk, jjajangmyeon, nut butter, coffee, tea, biscuits and many more.
Let’s talk about the food/drink!
Let’s take a look at some of the food/drink brands we would like to highlight.
Who doesn’t love a good bagel, especially with a nice spread like nut butter? Well, you’re in luck even if you’re not vegan because brands Western Bagel and Nutterious have you covered!
Western Bagel “has been a leading bagel company for over 70 years offering the best New York-style bagels with a West Coast twist, healthy and protein-rich.” Certainly, it’s easy to see why Western Bagel have remained so popular. They are DELICIOUS!
Add to these bagels nut butter from Nutterious and you’ve got yourself an incredible breakfast or cheeky snack. We got to try out the original nut butter which contains macademia nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashew nuts and peanuts.
It was probably the best nut butter I’ve ever had!
Moving onto dumplings – we got to try vegan kimchi dumplings. My friend was especially happy about the dumplings because she doesn’t eat pork but it’s so hard to find dumplings that don’t contain pork. Finally this was her chance!
The dumplings were great – I really enjoyed eating them with soy sauce for that salty tang!
Finally, let me share with you some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had – salted caramel & choclate flake ice cream from Nice Kekki. I’ve honestly been dreaming about this ice cream. As soon as I had the first bite I went “wow!” and the lovely staff members at the booth burst out laughing.
But I couldn’t help it – it was just that good!
In conclusion…
I’m so glad that we got to experience this year’s Vegan Festa. It was great to see how many vegan brands there are in Korea now and try out some delicious food and drink. Even though I’m not vegan, I really think the vegan lifestyle is great and I’m happy to support and promote the initiative.
I hope that the festa is also encouraging for those who want to be vegan in Korea but worry that it would be too difficult.
Are you vegan or have you ever considered being vegan? Let us know your experiences!
Every culture has bizarre food. South Korea is no exception. Here is a comprehensive list of the most notably bizarre and controversial Korean dishes. Try them if you dare!
Gaebul (Live Spoon Worms)
First, we know Asian culture specializes in seafood. This includes cooked, smoked, and unfortunately raw. The first dish on our menu is Gaebul or live spoon worms. Spoon worms are found more often than not in Korean fish markets. They look like this:
Served as bite-sized pieces Gaebul wiggles around the dish just waiting to be eaten. Most likely served with sesame oil, the flavors of Gaebul are similar to those of clams. I found that it tasted like a chewy tube full of saltwater—fun fact: spoon worms are aphrodisiacs.
Sannakji (Live Octopus)
Secondly, another bizarre seafood option on this list, are you surprised? Sannakji is one of the most famous controversial and bizarre seafood delicacies on the planet. Sannakji means live octopus:
The most common way to eat this food is in bite-sized pieces, but only the truly brave swallow them whole.
Due to the fact, the octopus is live; there is a certain amount of danger with consumption. The suckers, even when cut, continue to function. The sesame oil and sauces served with the dish help prevent them from sticking to your throat. However, around five cases every year reveal people choking on the octopus.
Soondae (Blood Sausage)
Thirdly, just like England, is home to black pudding, Korea is home to blood sausage or Soondae. The main ingredients of Soondae are Dangmyeon, rice, and pig’s blood. Add-ons are barley, squid, or dried pollock.
You can find Soondae all over markets and at street carts. The sauce served with Soondae makes the dish quite spicy. Each region of Korea makes it differently, but they are always chewy and soft. If you enjoy this delicacy after trying it, the next step has it in a stew. Soondae-guk is Soondae and innards in a spicy broth.
Hongeo (Fermented Skate)
Next, this seafood dish is more bizarre based on smell rather than appearance. Skate is a type of fish, looks similar to a ray that naturally secretes uric acid through their skin.
In other words, by fermenting the skate, the uric acid turns into ammonia that activates human gag relaxes. To avoid gagging, we recommend you breathe through your mouth. So, try hongeo with some Makgeolli and kimchi.
Bokjili (Blowfish Soup)
To clarify, Neurotoxic pufferfish is an expensive delicacy. You can find pufferfish in Korea as well as countries like Japan. However, unlike the license needed in Japan to cook and prepare Fugu, Korea’s Bokjili has much fewer rules. Also, it has a less expensive price tag.
The most common way you will eat Bokjili is in a broth with blowfish meat, herbs, and peppers. The blowfish is light in texture and is compared by many as a “cotton candy” like puffiness.
Gejang (Raw Crabs)
Next, another raw seafood option! Gejang is such a popular dish in Korea that the Ganjang Gejang Alley in Seoul dedicates itself to the delicacy. As of today, there are two types of Gejang:
Ganjang Gejang (soy sauce crabs)
Photo: SJ Yang
Yangnyeom Gejang (seasoned crabs)
Photo: Samuel Orchard
The crab of choice for making Gejang is softshell baby crab. It is common to see people putting the rice and gravy into the shell when done the meat to finish eating their meal. To clarify, the meal is said to be too spicy, so it’s perfect for people who like a little bit of tang.
Beondaegi (Silkworm pupae)
번데기 (simmered silkworm pupae) by Charles Haynes
Next, the number two most bizarre food on our list is silkworm pupae or Beondaegi in Korean. Beondaegi is a “roasty, juicy, buggy flavor combination” that awakens your body. Often served with alcohol, Beondaegi is steamed silkworm pupae in a cup of silkworm juice. Beondaegi is a street food meal, served by most vendors across Korea. It is available for purchase as cans in local convenience stores.
Before we get to our number one pick, here are some:
Honorable Mentions
Chueotang (Mudfish Soup)
Photo: Mar del Este
Firstly, Chueotang is made by grounding an entire mudfish, bones and all, and cooking it in a broth, most commonly to patients with high blood pressure and obesity issues.
Dalkbal (Chicken Feet)
Photo: avlxyz
Secondly, Dalkbal, or chicken feet, has long been a staple in many world cuisines. The feet are steamed, grilled, boiled, or fried and drowned in a thick, fiery sauce.
Tarakjuk/Uyujuk (Milk Porridge)
Photo: eekim
Thirdly, Tarakjuk, or milk porridge, is a traditional Korean food. Tarakjuk is made by boiling milk and finely ground rice in water.
Finally, our number one choice for the most bizarre and controversial Korean delicacy:
Boshintang (Dog Stew)
The practice of eating boshintang is no longer as widespread as it once was in the past. The number of restaurants serving boshintang goes down each year as awareness spreads. To clarify, most Koreans are appalled by the fact that selling dog meat is still legal, and many animal rights groups are gaining traction to outlawed dog meat consumption in Korea.
Photo: Rhett Sutphin
Therefore, many modern restaurants keep the meal but replace the traditional dog meat with chicken or beef. However, boshintang is still in specialty restaurants around Korea (both the conventional and updated version). In tradition, you eat “Invigorating soup” on “dog days,” or the three hottest days of the lunar calendar. In summary, the taste is like roast beef with a little more grease and fat.
So, there it is, Korea’s most bizarre and controversial Korean delicacies! Have you ever tried one of these bizarre and controversial delicacies in Korea? How about one we didn’t mention? Tell us in the comments below!
Finally, we hope we sparked an interest in your adventurous diet! Then, head over to Kworld Now’s Culture Blog for more exciting articles on Korean food or watch the video below about delicious Korean street food that you should never miss!
Have you ever tried spicy Korean fire noodles? Or sweet Pepero? Together, let’s take a look at four fun Korean snacks you’ll want to try!
Introduction to Korean Snacks
From interesting flavors to well-known brands, Korean snacks sure have quite the reputation! When it comes to flavors, Korea has a range of both salty and sweet snacks. Some companies and brands create unique snacks that really make Korean snacks shine in the spotlight. Lotte, for instance, is a company that sells a variety of snacks, like chips, cookies, and crackers.
Korea is known to be quite trendy, especially when it comes to fashion, Kpop, and Kdramas. But it’s also very popular for its food! With snacks, many Korean companies often change up the flavors of different snacks, which can be new and exciting. Compared to the U.S., Korea definitely steps up their game by combining existing flavors and creating new ones.
In America, many of the snacks are usually plain and have basic flavors. For potato chips, many of the flavors include salted, barbeque, or cheese. Of course, these snacks are still delicious, but sometimes incorporating new kinds of flavors to these original flavors can reinvent the snack!
And that is exactly what Korea does! They create new snacks by experimenting with new textures and different flavors. Interesting flavors, like Nongshim’s shrimp crackers are a fun Korean snack that combine the crispiness of fries and chips with a savory shrimp flavor.
Think you can handle these noodles? Well, they’re truly next-level spicy and may even cause mouth fires! These Korean fire noodles are most notably from the brand, Samyang Foods, Inc., which come in a variety of flavors. The original package comes with dry noodles, the extremely spicy sauce, and the seaweed and sesame seed topping. A couple years ago, it became a ~hot~ trend to eat these in either one sitting, or without any kind of beverage for relief. This challenge was so popular, many people from other countries began doing it too!
Flavors of Korean Fire Noodles
This Korean snack also comes in a variety of flavors, including 2x spicy, cheese, curry, carbo, and many other flavors. But, the original flavor is definitely one you won’t want to miss out on! You can even try including different sides, like meat and vegetables to create a more hearty meal. Also check out this video from Aaron and Claire below!
The Korean fire noodles are definitely a favorite to many—so much that other brands have also begun making their own fire noodles! Nevertheless, this fun Korean snack is one you’ll certainly want to try if you’re into eating spicy food!
Where to find this snack
Unless you live near an Asian or Korean supermarket, these Korean fire noodles may seem out of reach. So where can you find this snack? There are options online to buy these delicious Korean fire noodles, which includes Amazon and Weee!
I’ll admit, these noodles definitely have a kick to them! If you’re eating them for the first time, you might even go, “this isn’t so bad,” but after a few moments, you’ll regret saying so!
This fun Korean snack is well-known not only in Korea, but also in the U.S. It originated from the snack, Moon Pies, but has become popular among Asian countries. In South Korea, there are two main brands that sell these Choco Pies: Orion and Lotte. So, what is this amazing snack really about?
Choco Pies are two flat yellow cakes with a soft marshmallow filling, which is dipped in a layer of chocolate. This sweet treat often comes in a box of 12 individually wrapped cakes—ones that are great for sharing with your friends and family!
Choco Pies have even made an appearance in the Korean drama, Still 17. When a very excited Woo Seo Ri (Shin Hye Sun) decides to eat her beloved Choco Pie, something distracts her from eating it. And well, there’s a shocking twist afterwards! You can watch this hilarious K-drama scene below, featuring the sweet snack.
Besides the original Choco Pie with the chocolate-covered yellow cake and a marshmallow filling, there are plenty of flavors that are definitely worth trying! Lotte has two other flavors, including green tea, cacao, and banana, but they also have limited edition flavors like strawberry. These different flavors replace the yellow cake, but the marshmallow and the chocolate coating stay the same.
Where to find this snack
This delicious, chocolate-dipped snack is one that will make your mouth water! So once again, where can you find it? These Choco Pies can be found on Amazon and Weee! In the original and other flavors.
If you’re craving a crunchy and savory snack, Nongshim’s shrimp crackers may be the perfect snack for you! These fry-shaped crackers are one of the oldest, most beloved snacks in South Korea. Fun fact, it’s been around for 50 years as of 2021, and is known as one of Korea’s highest-selling snacks!
Even popular Korean celebrities, like Lee Jong Suk, did a brand endorsement with Nongshim in 2013! Watch the adorable commercial for these Nongshim Shrimp Crackers below.
There isn’t much variety when it comes to the different flavors of these shrimp crackers. But, three main flavors you’ll definitely want to try are original, spicy, and gochujang. With the different types of seasonings in each bag, you’ll find yourself craving for more! If you’re into a subtle seafood or shellfish flavor, this is a great everyday snack, whether you’re at school, work, or at home. If you’re feeling a bit daring, try the spicy or gochujang flavors!
Where to find this snack
Since this fun Korean snack has been around for 50 years now, it is sold in most Asian supermarkets. However, they are also available on a handful of online stores, like Amazon, Weee!, and on Just Asian Food.
Pepero
If you’re looking for another sweet snack, then Lotte Pepero is a great go-to! This Korean snack comes in a package of thin cookie sticks that are usually coated with different flavors. Although Pepero may seem like a simple, yet enjoyable snack, it’s much more than that! It even has its own holiday on 11/11, which is right around the corner. On this exciting day, many Koreans like to purchase this inexpensive snack to offer it to their friends and coworkers.
To learn more about this adorable holiday, watch the video below!
From fruity to chocolatey flavors, Pepero has it all! The original flavor is known to be chocolate, but there are still many amazing flavors out there to try. Ones like strawberry, tiramisu, green tea, cookies and cream, peanut butter, and almond are among the popular flavors. Whether it’s for the upcoming Pepero holiday on 11/11 or just for fun, try these sweet flavors—it’s definitely worth it!
Where to find this snack
Pepero is quite popular not only because of its simplicity, but also for it’s fun holiday. If you’d like to celebrate Pepero day on November 11th, then you can find an assortment of flavors on Amazon, Weee!, and Just Asian Food.
Fun Korean Snacks
Now that you’ve learned more about these four fun Korean snacks, which one would you want to try first? If you’re feeling brave, maybe the Korean fire noodles could be a fun and interesting snack to try. But if you have a sweet tooth, a Choco Pie may be the perfect way to satisfy your craving!
South Korea has a strong drinking culture. People in Korea enjoy drinking all kinds of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. You will find different varieties of Korean beverages and drinking culture here is characterized by more social drinking than sitting alone at home. If you want to know various types of beverages in Korea, here are 5 Korean beverages you must try.
1. Soju – Korean beverages
Soju is a clear and colorless distilled alcoholic beverage of Korea. The alcohol content varies from 16.8% to 53% by volume and is usually consumed neat. It is the most famous Korean beverage and even popular in other countries. That is why it has been listed under top 5 Korean beverages.
Basic Ingredients
Traditional soju is made from a blend of rice and grains. Modern producers replace rice with other starches like potato and sweet potato.
Why do people love this beverage?
People love this beverage because it has a sweet taste as compared to other vodkas. The main purpose of this beverage is to chill with your friends and family. It comes in different kinds and tastes, with many fruity flavours.
Where to buy this beverage?
You will find Soju everywhere from all the convenient stores, shops and restaurants in Korea at cheap price. People who are living in other countries can buy Soju online at https://www.nanuko.de/SOJU/en. It is also available on amazon website.
Food to eat with Soju
Samgyupsal, Instant ramen and seafoods are best paired with Soju. You can also try fried chicken with pickled radishes while having Soju.
How casual/formal is this beverage?
You can have soju with family and friends as well as with your colleagues. But there are some etiquettes you should know while having alcohol. Seniors should do the honor of pouring the first glass and afterwards the youngest person in the group should refill the empty glasses. One should pour this beverage with two hands, one hand to hold the bottle and place the other on their elbow. When receiving the beverage, hold the glass with both hands. Younger one should turn away and cover their mouth when drinking.
Are there any health benefits?
Though soju is an alcoholic beverage, but it has many health benefits. It treats earwax building, hearing loss and dizziness. Also treats cold, dampness and relieves vomiting.
Omija tea or magnolia berry is a traditional Korean tea. The word ‘omija’ means ‘five flavors’- which are sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness and pungency. It is one of the most popular drinks in Korea and that is why it has been listed under 5 Korean beverages.
What are the ingredients?
This magnolia berry tea is made from dried magnolia berries. It is made by boiling dried magnolia berries in water on low heat and then adding honey or sugar. Peel the Asian pear and carve the pear flesh into flower shape and add them in the tea.
Why do people love this beverage?
This tea is highly recommended for tea lovers. People love this drink because of its five flavors and if you bite the seeds you’ll taste the bitterness and spiciness.
Where to buy this beverage?
Omija tea can be bought online on amazon. Ssangkye Tea Company sells Omija Tea packets on amazon.
What food to eat with this beverage?
Yugwa is a sweet tea snack with crispy exterior and chewy interior. It is the best snack to compliment it with Omija tea.
How casual/formal is this beverage?
Omija tea is also a medicinal drink that you can have whenever you feel is the right time, especially with your family members.
Are there any health benefits?
Omija Tea helps in removing harsh toxins and maintains the state of your liver. It also fights stress and boosts immunity. Omija contains Vitamin B that helps in the smooth functioning of the body.
3. Dalgona Coffee – Korean beverages
Dalgona coffee is a whipped, frothy iced coffee drink. It became popular on social media during Covid-19 pandemic especially during lockdown, when people started making whipped coffee at home by hand and without electrical mixers. It is one of the most popular Korean beverages and also has become popular in other countries too. It has been listed under top 5 Korean beverages.
What are the ingredients?
It is made with equal proportions of instant coffee, sugar, water and milk. You can either add hot or cold milk, it is totally up to you.
Why do people love this beverage?
People around the world are in love with this coffee because it is easy to make and secondly because of its sweet taste and also the whip has a very smooth texture. It became the most searched coffee worldwide.
Where to buy this beverage?
You don’t have to go anywhere to have this coffee. It is very easy to make it at home with just 4 simple ingredients – instant coffee, sugar, water and milk.
What food to eat with this beverage?
Well not food, but I would say snacks that can be eaten with Dalgona coffee. Chocolate covered nut bars and breakfast cookies are healthy snacks that are paired best with Dalgona coffee.
How casual/formal is this beverage?
It became popular during pandemic and especially during lockdown, so this drink is completely casual. Have it with friends and family and enjoy the smooth texture of the drink.
Are there any health benefits?
Dalgona coffee can improve your energy levels. It will make you feel less tired and also contains antioxidants and nutrients that will benefit your health.
Makgeolli is a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage made of rice. This rice wine has a slight viscosity that tastes sweet, tangy, bitter and astringent. It contains 6 to 9 percent of alcohol by volume. It is the oldest alcohol beverage in Korea, brewing since three Kingdoms era. That is why it comes in the list of top 5 Korean beverages.
What are the ingredients?
Makgeolli is made from rice using nuruk, a fermentation starter. Sugar, honey or corn syrup, anything can be added depends on how much sweet you want to make.
Why do people love this beverage?
Makgeolli has different types of tastes, you will have a unique taste journey when having this rice wine and because of its unique and complex taste, it is loved by the people of South Korea.
Where to buy this beverage?
You will find this rice wine in all the wine shops in Korea. It can also bought in any convenience store in Korea and you will find it in every Korean restaurant.
You can also buy this wine online, websites like Nanuko, Geonbae and Leiser’s sell different types of Makgeolli.
What food to eat with this beverage?
Crispy beef with chilli garlic sauce and Korean pancakes can be eaten with Makgeolli and it will compliment best with this drink.
How casual/formal is this beverage?
Makgeolli needs to be served in small rounded cups. It be served as a everyday drink but it is mostly consumed on special occasions like weddings. Give it a shake first, then leave it for a minute and then open it.
Are there any health benefits?
Makgeolli contains 80% of water and 6-9% of alcohol, it is very nutritious and contains high levels of lactic acid lactobacillus bacteria, same level found in yoghurt. Makgeolli also contains dietary fibers that aids digestion and improves immune system.
Binggrae company introduced the banana flavoured milk to Koreans in 1974. It was introduced to encourage the people to drink more milk. Banana milk has become a must-have drink in Korea thanks to its popularity in Korean dramas. It is one of the most popular drinks in Korea and have been listed under 5 Korean beverages.
What are the ingredients?
It contains 85% milk, purified water, sugar, 0.32% banana juice concentrate.
Why do people love this beverage?
Korean banana milk is popular among all the ages. Its sweet banana and milky taste makes the people love this drink.
Where to buy this beverage?
It can be purchased at any Korean grocers and H-mart.
What food to eat with this beverage?
You don’t need any food to eat with Banana milk.
How casual/formal is this beverage?
You can have this drink any day at any time. If you are out alone or hanging out with friends you can just randomly go to stores and buy the product and have it anywhere.
Are there any health benefits?
The homemade banana milk is obviously healthy and very delicious as its made of milk and a peeled banana. The company one is light, but not too sweet. It contains more than 80 percent of natural ingredients and is not processed much.
Why should you try these Korean beverages?
These are top 5 Korean beverages that you must try. You will find varieties of drinks from alcoholic to non-alcoholic ones. The best thing is, many of these drinks can be made easily at home. These Korean beverages can be enjoyed more when you are with your family and friends.
To all my fellow sweet tooth devotees out there, have you been searching for a new dessert to try everywhere? Well, look no further! Here is a place for you. I am going to show you exactly how to make five simple Korean desserts – easy to make but still taste like heaven. Whether you are low on budget or just wanting to do more with your life by trying to bake, this blog might just be what you need.
*for the difficulty level, even the highest (5/5) isn’t hard to make, but just the least simple out of the five.
Imagine you’re walking home in broad daylight in the middle of Summer, the intense sunlight is burning you alive and the sizzling heat is suffocating, you’re sweating so much to the point that you might just melt. To your rescue, a refreshing, brain-freezing bowl of delight is sitting in your fridge, waiting for you to dig in…
Like the name suggested, Bingsu is literally ice. You can add different toppings on the ice to make various ones, depending on your preference. For example, the most popular ones are Kwail Bingsu, serving it with different types of fruit, such as blueberries; Nokcha Bingsu, serving it with matcha powder; Patbingsu, serving it with red beans – which is the most classic and basic one. But the sky’s the limit! Throw in whatever you like.
Bingsu is probably the easiest to make out of all the Korean desserts here. And because for me, I love topping it with crushed chocolate cookies, so the following recipe will be on how to make Korean style shaved ice with my favourite final ingredient.
Time: ~8-10 minutes
Servings: 1
Ingredients:
*=optional
Ice. Duh. – 1cup/128g
Preferably an ice shaver/snow cone machine (If you can’t get those, a strong blender is also fine) – 1 machine
Misugaru – 1tbs/15g (a powder composed of several roasted grains, including sweet rice, soybeans, blackbeans, sorghum, brown rice, barley and Job’s tears. Thus if you’re allergic to any of those, just skip this)
Bingsu tteok – 1.5tbs/7.5g (mini mochi rice cake)
Sweet red beans – 0.25cups/30g
Sweetened condensed milk – 1tbs/0.5oz
*Chocolate chip cookies (or ANY other ingredients you like)
Just freeze water and you get ice. If you’re impatient, you can also pick up ice from any supermarkets or gas station/convenience stores. Then for the ice shaver machine/snow cone machines/blender, you can find them in most electronic appliance stores or some grocery stores. You may also consider getting them online, for example, Amazon.
If you are located in America, Target, Walmart and Mitsuwa Marketplace (Japanese grocery store) would have them.
Then for the add-ons, you can get sweet red beans, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate chip cookies in almost all the grocery stores near you. For Misugaru (roasted grains powder) and Bingsu tteok (rice mochi), they are less common but I am sure you can find them in some Asian market, Asian aisle of your nearby market. Also, you can get it online at Gochujar Global, which is a Korean grocery store. Frozen yogurt shops like Pinkberry would also have Bingsu tteok.
Step-by-Step:
Fill 0.92 cups (218ml) of liquid water in a container of your choice. Put that in the freezer to make ice.
Place however many cookies into a zip top plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy bowl/mug.
Shave ice in a large bowl (either use an ice shaver or food processor like the picture below or a blender)
Put all the toppings on your ice in whatever order. You can sprinkle the misugaru by using a sieve or just fingers is fine too.
Fluffy pancake folded with whipped cream and fruit inside, mmmmm, simple yet divine! It is one of the most popular Korean desserts at the moment, you would know why if you’ve tried it.
How to make it?
Not only is it delicious, it is super easy to make as well.
Put the batter into a piping bag and squeeze them out into little circles on the baking sheet.
Bake for 10 mins without changing the heat level.
Take them out and let it cool for 5 mins.
Image Source
During the wait, whisk the whipping cream with sugar until stiff peaks are formed and pour it into another piping bag.
Fold the baked dough in half (like how you would do with a taco) and place the whipped cream and strawberries (or another other fruit you fancy) on the bread like how you would put rice and meat in a taco.
You can either devour it right there or seal and put it into the fridge so they can be softer and more moist.
Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancakes)
Difficulty level: 4/5
I’m sure a lot of k-pop lovers would know what Hotteok is, especially our fellow Army out there, because it is one of Jungkook’s (BTS member) favourite Korean desserts! No. Actually, as you can see in the video below, it is probably his favourite food ever:
Hotteok is a very common and beloved street food in Korea. It is basically a pancake with sugar, nuts and cinnamon inside. If you have read our blog post about, you would know the [mention the locals blog] has it. What you didn’t know might be that it actually originated in China, and came to Incheon, Korea, in the early 1900s. And now the snack is widely popular and it is a must-try for tourists visiting South Korea!
K-drama or movie exposure?
Hotteok has made its appearance on so many Korean dramas and movies, even on the Korean talk show, Healing Camp, Aren’t You Happy, where actor Ha Jung Woo talked about his experience in eating hotteok in one of his scenes, saying that even though the syrup in the hotteok burned his lips but he still couldn’t help but keep eating them – it is THAT good.
So, if you can’t travel now, how do you make this type of Korean desserts yourself at home? There are a lot of different ways to do that. But here, I will show you the relatively easier way.Well you can in fact also buy a hotteok premix package in some Korean grocery stores. Just add water to the flour mixture and the fillings, and it’s pretty much finished. But what is the fun in that?
Time: ~1.5 hour
Servings: 8 pancakes (medium size)
Ingredients:
*=optional
Outer layer
All purpose flour – 1 & ½ cup/192g (can be substituted by the same amount of bread flour)
Fine sea salt – ½ tsps/2.84g
Granulated white sugar – 1 & ½ tsps/8.53g
Instant dry yeast – 1 & ½ tsps/8.53g
Lukewarm milk – ½ cup/125ml (can be substituted by oat milk or almond milk if you are allergic to dairy)
*Cooking oil – ~ 1 tsp/5ml (a neutral oil like grapeseed to coat your hands to avoid a sticky situation)
So, you can find everything you need in the baking, food and drinks aisles of your closest grocery stores, or online shops like Amazon. If you want to purchase Korean Sweet Pancake Mix, you can go on Amazon for that as well.
Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl, then mix and stir in the salt, white sugar, and instant yeast.
Pour in the oil and milk of your choice into the dry mix and stir until the dough is sticky and consistent.
Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap or a towel.
Ferment the dough for around an hour at room temperature (27C/80.6F) ,or whenever it doubles in size. While that is happening, mix the filling together in another bowl.
When the dough is raised, punch it several times (pro tip: it’s always helpful to picture the dough as someone you find annoying) for the gas to be released.
Fry the pancakes in the pan (medium heat) until they are golden brown (~1 min)
Image Source
Yes. You’re done! Bon Appétit~ (*be very careful of the hotness of the hotteok)
Yakwa (Korean Honey Pastry) – baked version
Difficulty level: 5/5 (slightly more complicated than the others but still not too hard)
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Coated with ginger honey syrup, Yakwa is a fried traditional Korean cookie that melts almost instantly in your mouth. But, at the same time, the inner part is chewy. The original and classic recipe for Yakwa is pretty difficult and complicated, but this sugary relish is too good. I have to include it in this list of Korean desserts. So, just for you beginners, this recipe bakes the pastry instead of frying it – which makes it much easier to make! It is also a much healthier option to opt for when you are looking for desserts to eat!
How to make it?
*This is a recipe created by JinJoo, posted in her blog kimchimari, please go check it out!
Time: ~1hr
Servings: 30-40 pieces (1 inch squares)
Ingredients:
Medium protein flour or pastry flour – 1 cup & 2 tbs/151g (can be substituted by all purpose flour)
Sesame oil – 2tbs/27.25g
Soju – 2tbs/27.25g
Honey – 2tbs/27.25g
A pinch of salt
Baking powder – 0.5tsp/2.40g
A dash of baking powder
Melted butter or vegetable oil – 1tbs/14.2g (it’s for brushing the top of the Yakwa)
Chopped pine nuts – 1tbs/14.2g (as toppings)
Ginger Honey Syrup
Jochung – ½ cup/125ml (It means rice syrup. It can also be substituted by honey or regular syrup)
Honey – ½ cup/125ml
Water – 1cup/250ml
Grated fresh ginger – 0.5tbs/7.5g (can add more if you’re a ginger lover)
How to get them?
So, for Jochung, you can get them on Amazon or some Korean markets. Grocery places like Walmart also have rice syrup to buy. For other ingredients, you can find them in any grocery store.
Step-by-Step:
Preheat the oven to 121°C or 250°F.
Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda) in a large bowl.
Add in the sesame oil to the mixture. Rub the oil in with your hands until it is evenly distributed on the dough.
Mix the soju and honey separately first.
After that, add the soju-honey brew into the dough, and ball it.
Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half of the dough into 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick rectangular shape about 1 inch x 1 inch (don’t make it too thick).
Cut the batter into 1 inch wide strips and then cut the strips at an angle to make squares or any other shapes really.
Let it sit for 30 mins or so, you could even leave it there overnight if you want the yakwa to be softer.
Serve them on a plate and they are good to go! Enjoy!
*Pro tip: try pairing it up with hot coffee, the bitterness brings out the sweetness of yakwa. You can also freeze them for storage – perfect for Summer.
Nurungji waffles (Sweet Scorched rice)
Difficulty level: 1.5/5
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I’m not going to lie, this one, unlike the other Korean desserts mentioned above, is not normally a kinda thing you would think of having it as a dessert – it is basically left-over rice. But it is my favourite part of every meal, and I bet it is yours too (if you have rice for lunch and dinner). Nurungji is the slightly burnt thin crust of rice at the bottom of your rice cooker. It is so crunchy, crispy and a little bitter, it tastes like chips, but healthier (?) Whatever. We love it regardless!
K-drama or movie exposure?
In one of the highest rated Korean dramas, Crash Landing on You, we can see our lead Yoon Se-Ri couldn’t stop binging on the nurungji dipped in sugar when she’s talking to the soldiers across the border. It made me want to munch on that as well while watching it.
So, you can purchase scorched rice in some Korean markets, or online such as on New World Mart. But why waste the money to buy them when making them is very simple? And you can use this opportunity to recycle the left-over rice. Except for simply dipping the scorched rice in sugar, you can also make them as waffles, so they are crispy and pretty. Here’s how to make them:
Time: ~1hr
Servings: for 3-4 people
Equipments:
Blender
Waffle maker
Ingredients:
Short grain white rice (can be substituted by brown rice as well) – 3 cups/540g
Water – ½ cup/118ml (if you want a chewier crust you can opt for more water ~ ¾ cup/177ml)
Salt – 1 tsp/ 5.69g
Sugar – 2tbs/28.3g
Sesame oil – 1tbs/21g or any spray-on cooking oil
Honey or maple syrup for drizzle/ dipping – 1tbs/21g (if you like it sweeter, feel free to prepare more)
How to get them?
So, you can get all the necessary ingredients in markets nearby. For the equipment, you can either consider visiting an electronic store or buying them online, like Amazon.
Step-by-Step:
Soak the prepared rice overnight or for at the very least, 4 hours.
Blend the soaked rice, sugar, salt and water in your blender until it is smooth like batter.
Spray your waffle maker with cooking oil then pour the batter in.
Cook until it is golden brown in color.
Serve it with honey or maple syrup! Just dip ‘em in.
If you don’t have a waffle maker or a blender:
Pour the rice into a bowl and wash it with cold water for at least two times. (this part seems easy but it’s very important. Remember to wash the rice thoroughly because we don’t want the starchy layers to make the nurungji soggy)
Put the washed rice into the rice cooker.
Let the cooked rice sit at room temperature for 10 mins.
After putting oil on the frying pan, place the rice onto it.
Cook the rice on medium heat for 15 mins each side. (put in just enough rice to cover the base of the pan. Press down and spread out the rice thinly and evenly.)
Sprinkle sugar.
Take out the nurungji when it is golden brown in color.
Dip the crunchy tastiness into sugar and yummm!
Which Korean desserts are you gonna try next?
Got any weekend plans yet? If not, you should definitely try making these mouth-watering Korean desserts at home! It can also be a date idea or things to do when you hang out with your friends – you all would have a great time and great food. And it’s so easy to make! Even me, a publicly recognized baking handicap, knows how to make these! (mostly because of the motivation of eating later) So can you! For first-timers, maybe you might fail being your first time, but you would get to practice, and believe me, you would have a lot of fun! So, why not?
If you want to know more about Korean food, check out our Food Blog Page . And if you’re just interested in Korean culture in general, feel free to check out our Blog Page! Also, check out the video below about trendy Korean desserts!
