Explore the wonders of delicious Korean street food! Here I share eight of the best Korean street food recipes you can try in your own home. They are easy to follow and fun and delicious to make! You will feel like you’re in the midst of a food street in Korea!
If you’ve been to Korea before, you will know that Korea is famous for it’s street food (길거리 음식)!
When I was young, I could easily spot a street vendor selling snacks in a plastic tent. They were anywhere and everywhere – near my home or near my school. Anywhere there’s a reasonable amount of human traffic, the cart was up.
Though I believe those good old days have now long gone and you won’t see as many street vendors unless you’re in a designated area. Myeong-dong (명동) in Seoul is a good example for this.
Myeong-dong is a popular Korean street food destination to the locals as well as to international visitors.
The list of food ranges from savory to sweets and covers light meals to dessert and drinks. You can easily fill your stomach up with many varieties of food! It’s a food heaven!
As food trends change, there is always something new you can try out. (There are many that I haven’t tried yet, so I’m very much looking forward to my next visit to Korea!)
Here I list 8 must try Korean street foods and a link to a recipe so that you can try them out at home! What’s more, many of these foods have been around for decades, not just for a few months! So you know that they are a steady seller!
Whether you just got back from Korea recently or you just wish one day you will visit there to try these food, wait no longer! You can ease your pain and satisfy your tastebuds while making these street foods at home! Hope you enjoy trying them out!
How to Make Korean Street Food At Home
1. Spicy Rice Cake (Tteokbokki, 떡볶이)
Tteokbokki are cylinder shaped Korean rice cakes cooked in spicy (& maybe sweet) Korean sauce. It’s addictive and quite moreish. And, this recipe will show you the easiest way to make it at home in 15 mins!
Get the recipe for Tteokbokki
2. Korean Fish Cake Soup (Odeng-guk, 오뎅국 / Eomuk-guk, 어묵국)
Odeng-guk is a popular fish cake soup, particularly during the winter months. It’s warm, tasty and comforting! This fish cake soup goes very well with spicy rice cakes (tteokbokki), just like bread and butter go well together. So if you’re making tteokbokki, you should make this one too!
What you will notice is that the homemade one is tastier, healthier and more refreshing than the street version!
Get the recipe for Fish cake soup
3. Korean Fish Shaped Pastry (Bungeoppang, 붕어빵)
Bungeoppang is a Korean name for Japanese taiyaki, a fish shaped pastry that is particularly popular on the winter streets of Korea.
The fish shaped pastry are often filled with sweetened red bean paste but you can add other filling options such as custard cream or Nutella etc. My daughter loves the Nutella version!
Get the recipe for Bungeoppang
4. Korean Popcorn Chicken (Dakgangjeong, 닭강정)
Dakgangjeong are deep fried boneless chicken nuggets that are coated with Korea’s special sticky, spicy, and sweet sauce. It’s super moreish, crunchy and makes a perfect finger food! Many of my readers already raved about this recipe. So you should give this a go!
Get the recipe for Popcorn chicken
5. Korean Egg Bread (Gyeran-bbang, 계란빵)
Gyerangbbang is a popular winter street food along with sweet pancakes (hotteok). It has a somewhat similar taste to corn muffin with egg and has a slight sweet and salty taste at once.
This egg bread is perfect for breakfast, brunch or as an afternoon snack!
Get the recipe for Korean egg bread
6. Korean Mochi Doughnut Holes (Chapssal Donuts, 찹쌀도넛)
Chapssal donuts are deep fried donuts that are made with sweet rice flour. The outside is crunchy but the inside is soft and chewy like mochi rice cakes. It’s an addictive Korean snack filled with sweetened red bean paste!
But if you like, you can also try nutella mochi donut holes instead. These are essentially the same thing except for the fillings inside! Super ooey gooey yummy!
Get the recipe for Chapssal donut
7. Sweet Pancake (Hotteok, 호떡)
Hotteok is probably the most popular Korean winter street food. It’s crispy outside and the inside is filled with sweet gooey sugar jam indulgence! It also gives a nice warm cinnamon smell!
If you feel lazy, you can even buy a premix versions then assemble. If not, try my recipe! It’s not difficult!
Get the recipe for Hotteok
8. Rice Cake Skewers (Tteokkochi, 떡꼬치)
Tteokkkochi is made with cylinder shaped Korean rice cakes (the same kind used in tteokbokki) and it’s deep fried (or lightly pan fried) then coated with addictive, sweet, tangy and spicy sauce on both sides of the rice cakes.
It’s crunchy outside and soft inside and it’s delicious and addictive ! My daughter loves this one too!
Get the recipe for Tteokkochi
