Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancake)

Hotteok is one of the most popular street foods in Korea, especially in winter and is becoming popular in Japan as well. The pancake is stuffed with syrupy brown sugar and nuts. It has a mochi-like texture from glutinous rice flour(shiratamako) and is crispy at the same time as it is fried and pressed in a generous amount of oil. If you are a fan of chewy, mochi-like texture, I’m sure you’ll love it!

What is Hotteok?

Hotteok is a Korean stuffed pancake which is very popular as street food. It is usually made with plain flour, glutinous rice flour, sugar, salt, and dry yeast. Glutinous rice flour makes the pancake chewy and pliable. There are a lot of different kinds of flavours for hotteok from sweet to savoury. The most classic flavour is brown sugar and walnuts with cinnamon but you can fill your hotteok dough with pretty much anything!

What is Shiratamako?

The process of making “shiratamako” is a bit complicated. First, white mochi rice is rinsed with water and secondly, it is milled with the rinse water, then, let it sit for a while to separate the water and milled mochi rice. Lastly, discard the water and dry the rice to make it “shiratamako“. It is sometimes called glutinous rice flour outside Japan.

Ingredients You Will Need

For the Hotteok

plain flour – I like to use plain flour in hotteok but you can use strong bread flour if you want your hotteok chewier. I find hotteok with bread flour a bit too chewy and plain flour makes the texture of my hotteok not too chewy but not too caky.

shiratamako – Shiratamako is usually used for making easy mochi but is so versatile that you can make anything chewy. It can be sold as ”glutinous rice flour” at Asian grocery stores or on the internet.

instant yeast – You don’t have to activate it if you use instant yeast but you can make hotteok with active dry yeast which must be dissolved in lukewarm water in advance to activate it.

sugar – Any sugar is fine. If you use vegan sugar, you can make a complete vegan dessert as it doesn’t contain eggs or any dairy products, and the filling consists of brown sugar and walnuts.

salt – A little bit of salt makes a big difference even in sweet food. It enhances the flavour without adding a salty taste. I strongly recommend using sea salt rather than table salt which is just sodium.

lukewarm water – When you make something with yeast, use lukewarm water not boiling water because it kills yeast. The temperature of the water should be around 35C/ 95F.

neutral oil – Neutral oil doesn’t disturb the flavour of your hotteok. My recommendations are sunflower oil, canola oil, and peanut oil. Olive oil is not the best as it has a distinctive flavour.

For the Filling

walnuts – I like walnuts in my hotteok but you can use any nut you like such as peanuts, almonds and cashew nuts.

muscovado sugar – Muscovado sugar has a dark brown colour without an intense flavour which I don’t want in my hotteok but of course, you can use it if you like brown sugar favour.

cinnamon – This is optional but cinnamon flavour is classic in Korea.

Another Option for the Filling

Anko – Anko is so versatile, especially in Asian desserts. Anko hotteok is one of the most classical flavours in Korea. Here is the recipe for Anko How to Make Anko (Sweet Red Bean Paste)

Step-by-Step Guide

Making the Dough

• In a large bowl, put plain flour, shiratamako, instant yeast, sugar, and salt. Pour the lukewarm water and mix well. Knead the dough with one hand until it becomes smooth and shiny.

Proofing

• Cover the bowl with cling film or a damp towel and let it rise for about 1-1.5 hours or until doubled in size.

Making the Filling

• In a small bowl, mix chopped walnut, muscovado sugar and cinnamon. Set aside for later.

Shaping

• Once your dough becomes double in size, punch it to deflate and divide it into 8 pieces. Take one piece of dough and flatten it, put 1 tablespoon of filling on it and wrap it. Pinch the dough to seal and make a ball. Repeat until you use up all the dough pieces.

Frying

• Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Place a ball of hotteok dough seam side down in the centre of the pan. Fry it for about 2 minutes.
• Flip the hotteok over and press it with a spatula to flatten it until it becomes about 1 centimetre thick. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Repeat this process with all balls of dough. Enjoy while they are warm!

Tips for Making Hotteok

Knead hotteok dough for long enough

It is important to knead the hotteok dough for long enough to develop the gluten just like bread dough. The properly kneaded dough becomes perfectly soft and chewy hotteok.

Do not overfill

If you put too much filling on the dough, you can’t seal the edges properly and it causes the leaking of the filling when you press down.

Seal the dough tightly

As I said above, sealing the dough is very important. Make sure to gather the edges of the dough and pinch tightly to seal completely.

Press the dough evenly

Once the seamed side is cooked, flip it over and press the dough with a spatula until it becomes 1 centimetre thick and flatten evenly.

Q & A

Can I make my hotteok with other fillings?

Yes, you can fill your hotteok with anything you like. Anko is my favourite! Other options for the filling I came up with are chocolate and peanuts,

Can hotteok be frozen?

Yes, it can be frozen perfectly for up to 1 month. Put it in a freezer bag or an airtight container. Reheat it in an oven at 150C/ 302F for about 10-15 minutes or microwave it for 1-2 minutes before you eat it.

How long does hotteok last in the fridge?

Homemade hotteok can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container.

How can I store hotteok?

You can store fried hotteok in the fridge or the freezer. If you want to store unfried hotteok, I recommend freezing it in an air-tight container. It can last for up to 1 month. Just defrost the hotteok dough for about 30 minutes before frying.

More Asian Dessert Recipes

Vegan Tangzhong Anpan (Japanese Red Bean Buns)

Strawberry and Nutella Daifuku Mochi 　(ヌテラ苺大福)

Eggless Matcha and White Chocolate Mousse

Chinese Steamed Black Sesame Red Bean Buns (Vegan)

Matcha Tiramisu

Matcha Tres Leches Cake