Street food in South Korea has long become an independent attraction that attracts millions of tourists from all over the world. The cooking process is akin to a fascinating theatrical act, and the dishes that have come off the grill by their very appearance delight even experienced gastronomic travelers. Today we will introduce you to the main hits of street food in Korea.
Culinary prelude
The hallmark of South Korean cooking is the famous noodle dishes. Most often it is a tiny restaurant with two or three tables or a wide shelf-table along a large window for distribution. The kitchen here is open to the eyes of guests, and no one forbids watching the chefs ‘ work honed to the smallest detail. Noodles are served in a bowl, which is more like a basin in size. In addition to it, there is pickled daikon, burning kimchi and drinking water, all absolutely free. And cutlery and chopsticks, as a rule, are waiting for visitors right in the drawer of the table. Here you can try such national dishes of South Korea as panchan appetizer, noodle soup with kuksi vegetables, an Asian version of pulkogi barbecue and much more.
Countless street food outlets are an integral part of the urban entourage. Vans or shopping stalls where food is prepared non-stop in the field, it is difficult not to notice. You only need to choose your favorite dishes from the menu, and in just a few minutes they will be masterfully prepared right before your eyes. If some delicacies frighten with a mysterious composition of ingredients, chefs-merchants are always willing to tell you what it is and what it is eaten with.
Magic wands
It is difficult for an experienced tourist to imagine the national cuisine of South Korea without all sorts of delicacies on wooden sticks. Variations whet the appetite with terrible force: chicken skewers with different sauces, sausages wrapped in strips of dough, whole corn cobs with spices, squid collected by an accordion, well-fed shrimp and octopus in breaded.
Potato tornado is especially popular. Potato tubers are cut into the form of the thinnest spirals, wound on long skewers, deep-fried, sprinkled with cheese powder or poured with hot sauce. Meat eaters will especially like a more satisfying version of this dish, when a thin sausage is put on a skewer, and a potato spiral is “put on” on top.
Another interesting kind of food on sticks is kkochhi omuk. This is a flatbread made of fish flour, which is cooked in broth directly on a stick. It is served with vegetables, the same broth and various toppings. In Korea, you can even find langoustines on skewers. Crustaceans are completely impaled on sticks and grilled on all sides, just like that or thickly sprinkled with honey and butter.
For those who like it hot
Even if hot dogs are not the national dish of South Korean cuisine, they always go with a bang on the streets. However, they have little in common with the traditional sausage in a bun. In the Korean version, the sausage is buried in a viscous melted cheese and is hidden under a solid layer of crispy batter. Outwardly, the hot dog rather resembles a Kiev-style cutlet. Sometimes it is covered with French fries on all sides. By the way, such fast food is also served on a stick, decorated with patterns of mustard, mayonnaise with pomegranate and teriyaki sauce, and even caramel.
Often on Korean streets you can see punoppan pies baked in the form of fish. Under the” scales ” they hide baked red beans or mashed sweet potatoes from sweet potatoes. The dessert version is made with a filling of all kinds of creams. Fancy buns are baked very simply-in a special shaped waffle iron.
The fastest and surest way to satisfy the raging hunger is keranppan. It is a cross between a sandwich and an Adjarian khachapuri. On a grill with large oval recesses, the bases of liquid dough are baked. An egg is broken into one half, the second is sprinkled with grated cheese. When the fried egg is baked, the halves are combined into a hearty sandwich.
Desserts are not for weaklings
Finally, we saved the most pleasant — street Korean desserts. A true tourist will first try the famous ice cream in a 32 cm high cone. The filling is very different, from traditional vanilla and chocolate ice cream to unusual tomatoes and green tea.
If you like chocolate cookie sandwiches with a creamy layer, the chocolate churros dessert will give you pleasure. It has the same signature taste and is made from custard dough in the form of ribbed tubes, in cross-section resembling a star.
Street Korean food vendors always have something to please fruit lovers. Assorted fresh fruits are sold in containers-cups, filled with sweet toppings, fried on skewers in caramel sauce. Fruit exotics are worthy of special attention. In Korea, unique fist-sized dwarf melons and yellow watermelons are grown — a hybrid of traditional melon culture and mango.
The most insatiable sweeteners will be happy to taste waffles with cream cheese, supplemented with chocolate, fresh fruits, berries and whatever your heart desires. And for those who want everything at once, there are pancakes with a combined filling of chocolate paste, corn flakes, banana slices and strawberries.
We hope that our gastronomic excursion has kindled your interest in Korean cuisine, gastronomic tourism, and at the same time a serious appetite. You can continue further acquaintance right now. Our website contains a whole collection of recipes for South Korean dishes that you can cook at home. And if you have already tried Korean street food, share your impressions in the comments.