Category: Street Food

Fun food find: Ssiat hotteok at BIFF Square, Busan
BIFF Square gets its name from the Busan International Film Festival. This annual film festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in Asia. BIFF Square was the original location of the BIFF, which started in 1996.
Although BIFF Square no longer plays hostess to the prestigious film festival — it was moved to the newly built Busan Cinema Center (영화의전당) in 2012 — the square is still a busy place, lined with a wide variety of shops, movie theaters, movie paraphernalia and lots of street food stalls and restaurants.
After arriving in Busan from Daejeon during our recent tasty tour of Korea, Hubby and I scouted the square one weekday mid-morning with a profound craving for some 호떡 hotteok. Thanks to the Internet, we knew there’s something special about the hotteok sold at BIFF Square food stalls.
Like the child of a doughnut and a cinnamon roll, hotteok starts out with a base of wheat flour, water, milk, sugar and yeast. After the dough rises for a few hours, golf-ball sized lumps of dough are filled with a mixture of brown sugar, honey, chopped peanuts and cinnamon. Then it’s fried on both sides to golden brown and piping hot.
Most hotteok stands will set them aside and serve as-is. Buyer beware of the sticky, hot, sweet cinnamon syrupy filling.
However, Busan-style hotteok, called ssiat hotteok (씨앗호떡), or “seed hotteok,” brings a bit more to this street treat. A regular hotteok cake is cut from the side about half-way down and stuffed with a spoonful of pine nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Deep fried dough generously stuffed with nuts, seeds, sugar and cinnamon is always good eats. The additional seeds and nuts may give the illusion of healthiness but who eats hotteok for their health?
BIFF Square is pretty easy to find. It’s in the same neighborhoood as the Jagalchi fish market and Nampo-dong shopping area.
BIFF 광장 (Square) Plaza and Flea Market
중구 남포동5가 18 (Joong-gu, Nampo-dong 5-ga, 18)
부산광역시 (Busan), 600-045
Directions: Take subway line 1 to Jagalchi Station. From station exit 7, the plaza is a five-minute walk.
August 1, 2013
TRENDWATCH: Sugar Cane Juice
You can tell when a vendor has had some success at one of the many food expos during the year. It looks like sugar cane juicers hit it big.
There are three major areas where I check for street food trends, Insa-dong, Myeong-dong, and Hongdae. I first saw this in Hongdae last month, and I saw it again last weekend in Myeong-dong. Last year it looked to be fresh squeezed lemonade and, to a smaller extent, coconuts with straws stuck in them. Now we have vendors with stainless steel machines squeezing the juice out of sugar canes. When dunked in ice, they are surprisingly refreshing. Though I don’t see myself outright craving a cup.
June 17, 2013
Nosh of the Day: Poop Bread
Was giving an all-day private tour yesterday. One of the things we had was Insa-dong’s Ddong Bbang (“Poop Bread”). It’s a lot like IngeoBbang/BungeoBbang (the fish-shaped pastries). It’s a pancake batter cooked in a mold and filled with red beans. Just shaped like a pile of dog poop.
The first time I saw these was at the Samziegil Building in Insa-dong. There was a stand on the ground level. Now there’s a shop on the top floor. If you go into Jonggak Station there’s a kiosk called Dong Bang. They sell poop bread with different fillings.
April 25, 2013
Noryangjin Food Stalls Threatened
Curtis File has written a story for Yonhap about the popular Noryangjin food stalls and the movement by restaurants and convenience stores to kick them out. This may sound familiar to you, as it’s where we posted about the unique Poktanbap “Bomb Rice” (and recipe). It’s one of the coolest street food areas in Seoul. It’s a shame–a crime–that the corporate franchises are getting them kicked out. I don’t know the details of how the system is done there, but it seems like a good compromise is to have the stalls register with the government and pay taxes. I seriously doubt that would appease the franchises, as I’m sure that’s the bone they grabbed on to. They want the competition out of their area.
And the Seoul government has a reputation for being ashamed of its street food culture.
Food stalls become source of livelihood and bad business (Yonhap)
January 24, 2013
The Future of Street Food?
Based on Tammy’s and Seoul Sub–>Urban’s posts, I wanted to check out this “Bomb Rice” Poktanbap 폭탄밥 in Noryangjin. I was in the area anyway. To find it, leave Noryangjin Station (line 1) and cross the overpass away from the fish market. Turn left, and head towards a row of street food vendors. The Bomb Rice is in front of the McDonald’s.
But the entire row of vendors was interesting itself. One criticism–or disappointment–people have of Korean street food is that even though it’s good, there’s little variety. Every vendor basically sells the same stuff–odeng, sundae, twigim, ddeokbokki with the occasional hoddeok, bungeobbang and egg bread stand. Like the apartment building architecture, Korean street food is just factory stamped copies of each other.
But this place is different.
They had the tried-and-predictable standards, but there were also vendors that sold fried rice, deopbap, omurice, hot dogs, little rice balls, curry ddeokbokki, and there was the lady who sold bibimbap and Poktanbap.

I ordered the small “botong” bowl for W2,000. She warned me it was spicy, and I told her it was okay. I had prepared by getting some drinks at the local GS25. She got a small styrofoam bowl and filled it with a scoop of rice, topped it with a slice of American cheese, ground beef, crunchy flying fish roe, roasted seaweed confetti, fried seaweed, two spoonfulls of gochujang, crushed walnuts, a pinch of shredded coconut, and a gorgeous runny fried egg she grilled on the flattop per order.
Yes, coconut and walnuts.
I sat down on the stoop in front of McD’s and stirred it up. Took a big bite. It was HOT! Deeply and pleasantly hot. The coconut was a surprise, but it was such a small presence that it subtly smoothed out the other ingredients. The fish roe kept it interesting with its crunchiness. Compared to much street food and fast food, it was relatively healthy. And my stomach was burning the rest of the day. I want to go back and have another. I think a small bowl is all you need.
But get this, even though this area was different, it was popular. I think it’s also located near post-graduate cram schools for people training to be lawyers and such. It was all college-aged kids, and they were standing in line for these items. In Korea, the university areas are the breeding grounds for new culinary ideas. New foreign franchises tend to open near the women’s university because, seriously, more Korean women overwhelmingly occupy new types of restaurants than men. But this area was well represented by both genders.
Young man enjoying a large bowl of Poktanbap

Is it an anomaly or a sign of things to come? I hope the latter.
Fried Rice
DeopBap and Curry Rice
Says "Oga-ne Pancake" but has hot dogs. Need to investigate closely next time.
Kimchi Jjigae DeopBap? Interesting.
September 16, 2011
Recipe: Noryangjin-inspired ‘Bomb Rice’
Seoul-Suburban posted this comment about a new dish they discovered while exploring the neighborhood around the famous Noryangjin Fish Market:
I passed carts offering bibimbap, bulgogi hot dogs, deopbap, omurice, hamburgers, bokkeumbap, and something that one cart called poktanbap (폭탄밥), or ‘bomb rice.’
This last one was something new to me, so I definitely had to give it a try, especially as the sucker for anything that screams ‘spicy!’ that I am.
What I got was a decent-sized bowl of rice with ground beef, sesame oil, a slice of ‘cheese,’ a fried egg, two different kinds of dried seaweed, some fish roe, two generous dollops of gochujang, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Total cost: 2,000 won, less than a plate of tteokbokki will cost you at most stalls. A large serving is just an extra 500.
And how was it? Pretty much as you might imagine all those ingredients thrown together tasting – which is to say it falls squarely under the rubric of comfort food.
With a name and description like that, it’s a dish I just had to try to recreate in my kitchen.
Two kinds of seaweed and flying-fish roe certainly bring the ocean to your bowl. (Tammy Quackenbush photo)
The fish roe is indispensable for the recipe. The snap of each egg as you chew creates a popping sound like that of firecrackers or crispy rice. I think Pokjukbap (폭죽밥), or “Firecracker Rice,” may be a more accurate name for this fun, uncommon Korean comfort food.
*The processed stuff that comes wrapped individually in plastic. It’s not very healthful, but it’s “authentic.” If you have access — and the money — to buy the good stuff, use it. I’d advise using a mild, subtle-flavored cheese though. This is not the recipe for trying out that sharp cheddar.
Please read more about the Noryangjin neighborhood on Seoul-Suburban and snoop around a little bit to discover other underexposed and under-appreciated areas of Seoul to visit vicariously.
September 12, 2011
Review of Korean taco truck Seoul on Wheels
I found Seoul on Wheels at the Eat Real Food Festival in Oakland, Calif. at Jack London Square. Julia Yoon was serving up a truncated menu of Beef, Chicken, Pork or Tofu Korean tacos and spicy chilled noodles.
We tried the chicken and beef Korean tacos. They were very good. The charcoal grilled beef and chicken BBQ was served on a corn tortilla with chopped romaine lettuce, sliced daikon radish and topped with sour cream and spicy gochujang. The bulgogi taco had the right amount of sweet and savory that one expects from bulgogi and the grilled chicken was a good kind of spicy. A small amount of sour cream kept the spice balanced.
The best part of our visit to Seoul on Wheels (besides trying their food) is an impromptu interview I did with a young man who was trying Korean food for the first time. Check out his reaction to his first bite at 2:03.
Seoul on Wheels has a Twitter account with more than 3,700 followers broadcasting their whereabouts. You can also find them on Facebook.
March 28, 2011
Koreamerican creation: Kimchi buffalo hot dog
Napa Valley chef Hector Marroquin topped his buffalo hot dog with his "kimchi 3.0," on a whole wheat bun slathered with Dijon mustard. I included sweet potato fries to complement the spicy kimchi. (Photo by Tammy Quackenbush)
There’s arguably no food more recognizably Korean than spicy cabbage kimchi. But what is quintessentially American? Few meats are more so than bison. Hunted nearly to extinction in the 19th century, the American buffalo was brought back from the brink of extinction to such abundance that it is becoming more common on American dinner tables via dedicated conservation.
Chef Hector Marroquin of the Pupusa Griddle booth at the St. Helena Farmers Market in Napa Valley wanted to expand kimchi creations beyond his kalbi-style short ribs topped with kimchi made with a blend of local peppers.
Inspired by a picture of my husband eating a hot dog topped with kimchi, Marroquin “koreafornianized” the street food favorite hot dog topped with sauerkraut. He put a Native American spin on it by replacing the beef Kosher dog with a buffalo dog and swapping the kraut for kimchi. The spicy, garlic-forward tang complements the bold buffalo flavor.
Marroquin’s buffalo kimchi dog was a quick seller at the farmer’s market.
“The customers loved it, and did not mind paying $7 for a buffalo kimchi dog on french,” Marroquin told me.
Demand for the Kimchi buffalo hot dogs consistently outlasted the supply.
But he ran into a serious problem making it a permanent feature on the menu.
Primarily, it was finding grass-fed, humanely raised buffalo hot dogs. The most promising source was the company who supplies the dogs exclusively to Whole Foods Market. Having to pay retail at $8.99/lb. took a big bite out of his profit margin.
Despite the setbacks, Marroquin featured the franks on the menu for several weeks, running out every time he offered them on the menu.
February 1, 2011
Pul-bbang Korean pancake dumplings
Jeff couldn’t wait to take a bite out of them. Here’s the proof. (Photo by Jeff Quackenbush)
I found a Danish Æbelskiver pancake pan at William-Sonoma some time ago. I kept staring at the catalog, scratching my head trying to figure out why the pan and its baked contents looked so familiar. Then I realized I was looking at the perfect pul-bbang pan.
Pul-bbang (풀빵) is a Korean pancake dumpling, usually stuffed with sweetened red bean paste (팥 앙금, patanggeum). You could call them Korean doughnut holes, if you want. Korean street vendors can make 20 or more at at time. My little skillet is puny in comparison.
The Japanese have their own version of pul-bbang, called takoyaki. It is stuffed with boiled, chopped octopus. Takoyaki batter also is more savory — featuring bonito flakes — than either pul-bbang or Æbelskiver batter.
Æbelskiver is traditionally filled with spiced, sauteed apples. However, filling options are limited only by your imagination and the contents of your pantry, such as yujacha (유자차), Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread or peanut butter.
Pul-bbang is sold on the street in most major Korean cities. But they’re a bit more difficult to find than their more famous cousins, boong-uh-bbang (붕어빵),which are a red bean–stuffed bread shaped like a fish. Pul-bbang sell for 1,000 to 2,000 won per seven dumplings.
Pul-bbang
I made the pul-bbang batter from rice flour, which is typical of what one would find in Korea. Rice flour is gluten-free. The mix can be dairy-free if you use rice or almond milk. This recipe make approximately 20 pul-bbang.
1 cup Rice Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Eggs, beaten
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup 2% Milk, or you can substitute rice milk or almond milk
The basic recipe for pouring pul-bbang is:
2 tablespoons batter
1/2 teaspoon filling (red bean paste or other filling you’d like)
1. Set the pan on medium heat. You don’t want the pan too hot, otherwise the first side will cook too quickly and the pul-bbang won’t have a nice, round shape. They’ll be round on one side and flat on the other.
2. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of batter into each well of the pan.
I used a two spoon technique to scrape and drop the red bean paste into the batter. (Photo by Jeff Quackenbush)
3. After you have filled all the wells with batter, immediately start placing the 1/2 teaspoon of the filling of your choice in the middle.
4. Add another tablespoon or so of batter to the top to cover the filling. Let the dumplings cook for a couple of minutes.
The rounded, wooden, Chinese style chopsticks work perfectly to flip the pul-bbang over. (Photo by Jeff Quackenbush)
5. Turn each dumpling over after you notice bubbles in the batter and slight pulling away on the edges. Toothpicks or wooden chopsticks are best for this task. Flip them “early,” so they are gold-colored on the underside, rather than golden brown.
6. Cook for a few minutes more on the other side. From there, you can flip them alternating until they are golden brown on both sides.
This is what the finished product looked like before my husband/photographer tasted a sample of the finished product. (Photo by Jeff Quackenbush)
Pul-bbang don’t taste as good cold, so make and eat them fresh.
Traditional Korean street food
November 15, 2010
Korean Egg Toast (계란 토스트)
Ketchup on the side is totally optional but kid-friendly. (Photo by Tammy Quackenbush)
Korean fusion cooking is not a one-way street where Westerners tinker with Korean dishes to make them more appealing to Westerners. Koreans also have “fusion” recipes, in which they have Korean-ized either Western or Japanese dishes.
I lightly sauteed the vegetables before adding the egg. I lightly cooked the egg but feel free to cook it as hard as you want. (Photo by Tammy Quackenbush)
One of the more recent Korean fusion recipes to hit the street markets of Seoul and other major cities in the country is the Korean egg sandwich. Commonly called 토스트 toseuteu (toast, transliterated) or 계란 토스트 gyaeran toseuteu (egg toast), it is similar to an American fried egg sandwich. Yet the addition of cabbage and a sweet dusting of brown sugar are tasty Korean additions. You might also think of it as a portable Osaka-style okonomiyaki between two slices of bread. Even your cat might want some.
Here’s the recipe for two servings:
Korean egg sandwich
4 slices bread (to be authentically Korean, it must be white bread.)
1 tbsp. butter
2 eggs
2 tbsp. chopped cabbage (or kimchi)
1 tbsp. grated carrots
1 tbsp. diced onions
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. ketchup (optional)
1. In sauté pan or on griddle, toast both sides of bread over medium heat using almost all the butter. A lower-fat option is to toast your bread in an electric toaster (which I don’t own). Remove bread and set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and mix them with the cabbage, carrot and onion.
3. Fry the egg mixture in the remaining butter in the same pan until cooked to an omelet consistency. You can also add the veggies to the pan and lightly saute them before adding the scrambled egg separately, which is what I did this time.
4. Divide the egg mixture into two portions and place on two pieces of toast.
5. Top with remaining bread and give a liberal (or gingerly) dusting of brown sugar.
6. Cut the sandwich in half.
7. Put some ketchup on the side for dipping.
Even though the measurements seem precise, it’s ok to measure out the vegetables and sugar in “pinches” or “dashes”, which is what I did when making this for you.
September 25, 2010