What hotteok means
Hotteok is a sweet, filled pancake from Korea and among the most popular Korean street foods, especially in winter. It is made from a soft, slightly sticky yeasted dough of wheat flour, often with glutinous rice flour, milk or water, sugar and yeast, which is left to rise. Pieces of dough are flattened in oiled hands, filled with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts or seeds such as peanuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, and sealed into balls. The balls are placed in a frying pan or on a griddle with a generous amount of oil and pressed flat with a special tool or a spatula into thick discs.
They are fried until golden brown and crisp on the outside, while the dough inside is soft and chewy and the sugar melts into a hot, sticky syrup. Hotteok is believed to have been introduced to Korea by Chinese merchants, and it has since become a much-loved snack. It is sold from street stalls, often served in folded paper to hold the melted filling, and is best eaten while hot, taking care with the molten sugar. Variations include savoury hotteok filled with glass noodles and vegetables, green tea dough, and seed-topped versions.
Ready-made hotteok mixes are sold in Korean shops. You will see hotteok in Korean street-food recipes.