I have a sweet treat to share with you today! A delicious hotteok (or hoddeok) recipe! Hotteok is a popular street snack in Korea. It's basically a pan-fried yeast dough stuffed with a brown sugar and nut filling. Eaten hot off the griddle on the street, hotteok is especially popular on cold days. It also reminds me of my trip to Korea in late October two years ago. My parents had traveled over there to get home country care for my mother's illness. Soon after, I followed them to help them out. One day, after having stayed at the hospital all night, I decided to go to Insadong for a little break. Strolling around, I ran into a hotteok stand with a long line of people. It got me curious, and before I knew it I was in line. I later learned that this place, called Teolbone (Beard man's) Hotteok, was very famous for their signature glutinous rice and corn hotteok. Although it was not the traditional hotteok that I grew up with, it was quite delicious! It certainly warmed up my soul when I was tired and weary on an unusually cold October day. What do you think I did when I returned home? I experimented with different ingredients and ratios to recreate it. However, that is not the recipe I am sharing here today. Because it's pumpkin season, I've tweaked it a little to make pumpkin hotteok. After a couple of trials, I was very happy with how these came out. They are chewy, gooey and nutty!
(Insadong Teolbone Hotteok - Oct. 2009)
Ingredients:1 package Active Dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)1/3 cup warm water2 tablespoons sugar1 tablespoon canola or corn oil1/2 cup warm milk1/2 cup warm kabocha or pumpkin puree (either fresh* or canned)(*See my hobakjuk recipe.)1-3/4 cups all purpose flour3/4 cup glutinous rice powder (aka sweet rice)1 teaspoon saltcanola or corn oil for pan fryingFilling:1/4 cup sugar1/4 cup brown sugar1 teaspoon cinnamon powder3 tablespoons of assorted nuts (peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, etc.), finely chopped1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Warm a large bowl by rinsing it with warm water. Add 1/3 cup of warm water to the bowl. Stir in the sugar, oil and yeast. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast has bubbled up.
Sift the flour, glutinous rice powder, and salt together. Add the milk, pumpkin and flour mix to the yeast water. Knead until everything is well incorporated. The dough will be a little sticky.
Cover with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm place and let it rise until doubled, about an hour.
Prepare the filling by chopping the nuts and mixing all the filling ingredients well.
Bring the dough down by reshaping into a round. Let it sit for another 20 - 30 minutes until doubled again.
Start heating a pan with a couple of tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Lightly oil your hands. Tear a big enough piece to make an about 2 to 2-1/2-inch ball. Flatten into a thick disk, creating a shallow well in the middle. Add a tablespoon of the filling and lightly press it down with the spoon.
Carefully gather the edges together, pinching to seal. (This might take some practice.)
Put the sealed side down on the pan, flattening a little by pressing it down with an oiled hand or spatula. Cook for a minute, and then flip over. Press down for a few seconds to flatten. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.(Hotteok freezes well. You can reheat them in a toaster or toaster oven and enjoy delicious hotteokany time.)
As I mentioned in my sigeumchi namul post, namul is the general term that refers to a seasoned vegetable side dish. An infinite number of farm-grown or wild vegetables are used to make naumldishes in Korea. One of my favorites, which can easily be found here in America, is watercress. I love its slightly bitter and peppery flavor. When lightly cooked, watercress has that crunchy and chewy texture Korean namul is known for. Depending on where you are, you may often find this dish among many side dishes served at Korean restaurants. It is unbelievably easy to make and loaded withnutrients. So, add this to your list of Korean side dishes! Like spinach, watercress cooks down significantly, so double the recipe if you're serving more than 2 people or want to have some leftover for the next day. It is great in bibimbap as well.Ingredients:
1 bunch watercress (about 6 - 8 ounces)1 scallion, chopped1/2 teaspoon minced garlic1/2 teaspoon sesame oil1/2 teaspoon sesame seedssalt to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon)
Wash the watercress thoroughly.
Boil about 10 cups of water with 2 teaspoons of salt. Blanch the watercress until wilted, 30 - 40 seconds.
Quickly remove it from the pot and shock in cold water to stop the cooking.
Drain and gently squeeze out excess water. Cut into 2 to 3-inch lengths.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix everything well, by hand. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes for the seasonings to seep into the watercress.
Korean radish, mu (or moo), is in season! They simply taste best this time of the year. Korean radish is a variety of white radish (aka daikon) and has firm crisp flesh and a slightly sweet and peppery taste. I've been taking advantage of the season and cooking many radish dishes, such as mu guk(soup), musaengchae (spicy salad), mu namul (stir-fried), and, of course, kkakdugi, which is a popular variety of kimchi. It's kimchi-making season in Korea. So, I decided to show you all how to makekkakdugi this time. The radishes are first cubed and salted for a short time and then mixed with the seasonings. The taste of kimchi depends a lot on the types, the quality, and the ratio of the seasoning ingredients. Each Korean household has its own ways. Traditionally, various jeotgal (salted seafood) are used in kimchi for the distinct pungency and depth of flavors. Saeujeot (salted shrimp) andmyulchiaekjeot (fish sauce made with anchovies) are the two that are most commonly used. I almost always use both of these in my kimchi, as well as some fresh shrimp which is my mother's secret ingredient for adding extra freshness to the kimchi flavor. If you can't find saeujeot (salted shrimp) in your area, at least use some fresh shrimp. It will make a huge difference. Kkakdugi can be enjoyed with any Korean meal, but it's especially good with a bowl of soup. It's an easy kimchi to make and will add some serious pungency and crunch to your meal!
Ingredients:
2 - 3 medium to large Korean radishes (about 6 pounds)*(*Buy the ones with smooth skins that are firm and heavy.)1/3 cup coarse sea salt (less if using table salt)4 - 5 scallions, cut into about 1-inch lengthsSeasonings:1 teaspoon glutinous rice powder*(*Mix it with 1/3 cup water, simmer over low heat untilthickens to a thin paste and cool. Yields about 3 tablespoons.)2/3 cup Korean red chili pepper flakes, gochugaru (adjust to your taste) 1/4 cup saeujeot (salted shrimp)**, finely minced
2 tablespoons myulchiaekjeot (fish sauce)3 - 4 fresh shrimp (about 2 ounces), finely minced or ground3 tablespoons minced garlic1 teaspoon grated ginger(**If salted shrimp is not available, increase the fish sauce by the same amount.)a large bowla large colanderkitchen gloves1 gallon (or 2 half-gallon) airtight container or jar
Clean the radishes. Peel the skin if necessary. You don't need to peel if the skin is smooth and clean. Cut into 1-inch thick discs, and then cut each disc into 1-inch cubes, placing in a large bowl. (The cubes will look big but will shrink during the salting and fermentation processes.)
Sprinkle the salt over the radishes and toss well to coat evenly. Let sit for about 30 - 40 minutes until the radish cubes have softened and released some liquid.
Meanwhile, make the glutinous rice paste and cool. Prepare the other seasoning ingredients. Mix everything, including the rice paste, well. Set it aside for a while for the red pepper flakes to dissolve a little and become pasty.
Drain the radishes in a colander and discard the liquid. Do NOT rinse. Rising will wash the flavor away. (At this point, the radishes still contain sufficient water content that will be released during the fermentation process. With this method, the resulting kkakdugi will have a nice thick juice.)
Place the radishes back in the bowl. Add the seasonings and scallions.
Mix everything well, preferably by hand, until the radish cubes are evenly coated with the seasonings. (Make sure to wear kitchen gloves.) Taste a little bit of the seasoning off of a radish cube. It should be a little too salty to eat as is. Add more salted shrimp or fish sauce if necessary. (The radishes will be a little dry at this point, but they will release water during the fermentation process.)Store in an airtight container or jar. Before closing the lid, press the kkakdugi down hard with your hand to remove air pockets between the radish cubes. Leave it out at room temperature for a full day or two, depending on the room temperature and how fast you want your kimchi to ripe. Then, store in the fridge. Although you can start eating it any time, kkakdugi needs about two weeks in the fridge to fully develop the flavors. It maintains great flavor and texture for several weeks. To me, kkakdugi tastes best when fully fermented, making it a little sour, but that is certainly a matter of personal preference.
(Insadong Teolbone Hotteok - Oct. 2009)
Warm a large bowl by rinsing it with warm water. Add 1/3 cup of warm water to the bowl. Stir in the sugar, oil and yeast. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast has bubbled up.
Sift the flour, glutinous rice powder, and salt together. Add the milk, pumpkin and flour mix to the yeast water. Knead until everything is well incorporated. The dough will be a little sticky.
Cover with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm place and let it rise until doubled, about an hour.
Prepare the filling by chopping the nuts and mixing all the filling ingredients well.
Bring the dough down by reshaping into a round. Let it sit for another 20 - 30 minutes until doubled again.
Start heating a pan with a couple of tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Lightly oil your hands. Tear a big enough piece to make an about 2 to 2-1/2-inch ball. Flatten into a thick disk, creating a shallow well in the middle. Add a tablespoon of the filling and lightly press it down with the spoon.
Carefully gather the edges together, pinching to seal. (This might take some practice.)
Put the sealed side down on the pan, flattening a little by pressing it down with an oiled hand or spatula. Cook for a minute, and then flip over. Press down for a few seconds to flatten. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
