7 Korean Street Food You Must Try

You may be familiar with South Korea by now due to the many products presented. Starting from music, tv shows, culture, to the delightful array of street food.

Korean street food like tteokbokki, Eomuk, and others shows that you don't have to spend a fantastic deal of money to enjoy tasty food. Another good news is that you can find these Korean street foods almost everywhere in the country.

But if you ask which place has the best street food stalls, I'd say it's Myeongdong and Gwangjang. Well, Gwangjang Market is one of the best places in Seoul to enjoy Korean street food.

In this article, I will provide recommendations for the 7 best Korean street food you should try! I know, I know, there are many types of street food. But on this occasion, we will summarise the 7 best so you won't be overwhelmed with the options!

So, what are the 7 Korean Street Foods You Must Try? Check the list below!

1. Tteokbokki

The first food on the list is tteokbokki. Tteokbokki is a simmered rice cake that tastes sweet, savoury, and spicy. While the texture of tteokbokki is soft and chewy.

Tteokbokki is made with garaetteok (가래떡), a type of white rice cake made with short grain rice shaped like a cylinder. While the red and thick sauce is made from gochujang paste, fish stock or seaweed, and gochugaru chilli flakes.

Tteokbokki is also served in skewer. After being skewered, they are transformed into a variety of kochi or skewered street food called as tteok-kochi.

Did you know that tteokbokki is a healthy meal? The 5 grammes of fibre in a single serving of tteokbokki are excellent for maintaining regular bowel functions. In addition, you won't feel bloated after consuming it because it has few calories (around 100 per serving)

2. Eomuk

While some people are familiar with Japanese Odeng, Eomuk is the traditional Korean word for Korean fishcake skewers. You might also find it as Eomuk-tang because it's served with a cup of broth, eomuk-bokkeum if it's stir-fried, and eomuk-kochi if it's skewered.

In Korea, fishcakes are typically thin and rectangular in shape. However, there are now a variety of fishcakes available in a wide variety of shapes and flavours. The thing that make Eomuk is popular: many people enjoy eating eomuk because its distinctive shape.

3. Dak-kochi

Image source: https://seonkyounglongest.com

Similar to tteok-kochi and eumok-kochi, dak-kochi is a sort of skewered Korean street food, but instead of rice cake (tteok) or fishcake (eumok), the main ingredient in dak-kochi is chicken (dak).

It's important to remember that Dakkochi can be served in a spicy taste. Moreover, there are also places that offer "fire" Dak-kochi, which is an extremely hot variation of the dish that may cause your mouth to burn.

So, whenever you come across Dak-kochi stalls, make sure you buy the one with the spiciness level you can handle!

4. Bindaetteok

Bindaetteok is the name of a tasty Korean pancake made with mung beans. This dish is delectable and is often served with soy sauce. It pairs well with alcoholic beverages and can be used as a meal or appetiser.

Since mung bean powder is the main ingredient in this street food, you can taste the flavorful mung bean in this meal. With the soy sauce that accompanies it, this dish tastes good, as it has a crispy outside and juicy inside.

The cooking process doesn't use any flour, so yes, this dish is gluten-free. But on the other hand, Bindaetteok needs a lot of oil to fry.

Bindaetteok has a variety of kinds, based on what ingredients are used to cook it. In that case, you might find; kimchi bindaetteok, meat bindaetteok, seafood bindaetteok, or the one that is popular among foreigners; the cheese bindaetteok

5. Kimbap

Kimbap, Gimbap, Gigimbap, whatever you name it; is the kind of Korean sushi (If I may say). But Kimbap is different from Japanese sushi which contains raw fish, vegetables, and other seafood.

The true Kimbap doesn't have any fish in it. Kimbab, on the other hand, has kimchi, eggs, cheese, and meats. The other difference between Kimbap and sushi is that the rice in Kimbap is seasoned with sesame oil and is sweeter than sushi rice (that is seasoned with vinegar).

Kimbap is a healthy meal, and you can change the filling to whatever you like. You can have this meal for your lunch, or other special occasions like a picnic.

6. Tokkebi Hot Dog

Now we are talking about the super trendy food of Korean snack; Tokkebi Hot Dog. This Seoul-style sticky hot dog is different from the one we find in America. Instead of the typical cornmeal coating, a tokkebi is dipped in a batter made with french fries.

Tokkebi hot dog is served in a stick and is super fun to eat. It also delicious and super affordable!

This dish is popularised all around the world. If you ask why, then the answer is; Tokkebi has a variety of distinctive flavours, it is much more colourful than the American hot dogs we knew. Moreover, it has an abundance of topping coming from hot Cheetos powder, potato sauce, and many more.

7. Twigim

Any meat or vegetable that is deep-fried in a light, crispy batter is called twigim. Depending on what its main ingredients are, twigim comes in many different kinds, such as Yachae twigim which is made with vegetables, Ojingeo twigim which is made with fried squid, Gochu twigim, and so on.

You'll see this dish across Korea, and it goes great with tteokbokki. Enjoy your twigim with soy sauce to eat it in the next level!

Final thoughts

The good news is that most of the Korean-style street food suggestions are cheap and healthy.

So, have you decided which one is your favourite? Don't forget to put them on your eating list!