Yeast-leavened pancakes pan-fried in oil and stuffed with a molten filling of brown sugar, cinnamon, and crushed peanuts. A winter street food sold from kiosks across Seoul, with Namdaemun Market the reference stall.

Hotteok arrived in Korea via Chinese immigration in the late 19th century and naturalised as a winter street food by the 1920s. Sambodang Hotteok at Namdaemun Market has fried hotteok for over 40 years; the brown-sugar-cinnamon filling crystallised as the canonical version in the 1970s. Modern variations include green tea filling, ssiat (seed-filled) hotteok, and ice cream hotteok.

Where to eat Hotteok (Sweet Stuffed Korean Pancake) in Seoul

5 editor picks for Hotteok (Sweet Stuffed Korean Pancake) in Seoul, ranked by editorial score. All Seoul signature dishes · Hotteok (Sweet Stuffed Korean Pancake) across every city.

Make it at home

Serves 102 hrEasy

Ingredients

  • For the dough: 250g bread flour
  • 250g sweet rice flour (chapssal-garu) or substitute glutinous rice flour
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 60g caster sugar
  • 7g instant yeast
  • 250ml warm whole milk
  • 100ml warm water
  • 30g unsalted butter melted
  • For the filling: 120g dark brown sugar (the muscovado kind, not refined)
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 60g coarsely crushed roasted peanuts (or walnuts)
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
  • Neutral oil, for frying (about 60ml)

Method

  1. Mix bread flour, sweet rice flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl.
  2. Combine warm milk, warm water, and melted butter. Pour into the dry mix and stir to a soft sticky dough; do not knead.
  3. Cover and prove at room temperature for 90 minutes until doubled and bubbly.
  4. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, crushed peanuts, and sesame seeds in a small bowl.
  5. Heat a generous amount of oil in a wide cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat (the lower the heat, the better; the dough must cook through before the surface burns).
  6. Oil your hands. Pull off a golf-ball-sized portion of dough.
  7. Flatten in your palm to a disc. Place 1 heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre.
  8. Pinch the edges together to seal completely; the filling must not leak.
  9. Place sealed-side down in the hot oil. Wait 30 seconds, then press the dough flat with a metal spatula or a special hotteok press to a 1.5cm-thick pancake.
  10. Fry 90 seconds per side until deep golden and the filling has melted into a hot pocket. Drain briefly on paper, then eat immediately while the molten sugar is liquid.
  11. Be careful; the filling is screaming hot and burns the tongue. Wait 60 seconds before biting.

Editor tip. Mixing sweet rice flour into the dough is the Korean street-vendor secret; it gives the chewy translucent crust that distinguishes proper hotteok from a generic stuffed pancake. Glutinous rice flour from any Asian grocer works.

Common allergens: Gluten, Tree nuts (peanuts), Dairy.