Sweet Korean Pancakes

Hodduk | 호떡

Korea is known for its amazing street food. From spicy rice cakes, to fish cake skewers, you can find a wide array of street carts near markets and subway stations selling popular sweet and savory snacks. But my favorite of all street food would have to be Hodduk. When I was in Korea, I scoured the streets of Seoul to find Hodduk vendors and made sure to stop at every single one I came across.

Hodduk filled with assorted nuts and seeds from a street cart in Gangnam.

Made from glutinous rice flour the chewy dough is filled with cinnamon and sugar and fried to perfection. They can also be filled with seeds, nuts, red bean or other fillings. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups wheat flour
• 1 cup sweet glutinous rice flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 envelope (7g) instant yeast
• 1 1/4cups water
• Oil for frying 

Brown Sugar Filling:

• 1/2brown sugar
• 1/2 granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped nuts & or seeds**optional 

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together both flours, sugar, salt, and yeast. 
2. Slowly stir the water into the flour mixture and mix everything with wooden spoon. Cover with plastic wrap for about 45 and allow dough to rise.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon. **I used freshly roasted peanuts, but it's optional if you prefer without, or any nuts you like**

• To assemble the Hodduk,(you can use plastic food handling gloves or lightly coat hands will flour) Tear a piece of dough and pat it flat in your hand. Place 1 tablespoon of the sugar  mixture in the center and carefully pinch the edges of the dough together, towards the center to close around the filling, to form a ball.
• Heat a large pan with a generous amount of oil over medium heat. Drop the ball of dough into the pan, into the oil. 
• Using your press or spatula, press down to flatten dough into a pancake. Don't flatten the pancake too much or else the filling inside will drip out.

• When you see the dough puff up and the bottoms are golden brown, flip the pancakes to the other side. Flatten down with the press again, and continue to cook until the second side gets golden brown.
• Serve immediately.