One of the best ways to experience a culture is through food. On my trip to South Korea, I had the opportunity to taste so many amazing Korean dishes, from bulgogi, bibimbap, kimchi jjigae…the list goes on and on. And the one thing I noticed about all these dishes was how fresh the ingredients were. The kitchen essentials I often find myself cooking with, like ginger, garlic, green onions, all had a fresh and vibrant taste that made the dishes unforgettable. Even now, I find myself back at home from my travels to Asia, thinking about how amazing the food was in Korea, and that’s because of how fresh the ingredients in the dishes were.

And while these dishes were absolutely incredible, I have to make a special mention for the street food in Seoul. The night life in places like Myeongdong and the hustle and bustle in markets like Mangwon market gave me an authentic experience of the city. I wanted to highlight a few of my favourite street foods in Seoul that you must try out!

1. Egg bread

Starting off with one of the most delicious street foods, it has to be egg bread. This is a soft and slightly sweet bread that is topped off with an entire egg! I absolutely loved how the sweet bread, paired with the savoury egg, created such a unique and warm flavour palette. Korean egg bread, more commonly known as gyeran-ppang is a typical breakfast food option in Korean households and enjoyed by many in the winter months due to how warm and tasty it is. Many Koreans that make this dish at home add ham, bacon or even cheese to create a much more savoury breakfast dish. I had this amazing street food in Myeongdong, and it felt as though the entire busy street around me slowed down when I had my first bite. I can’t wait to try to recreate this dish at home, and I heard the secret was to combine cornflour with pancake mix to create the perfect blend for the bread. Stay tuned for a recipe in the near future!

2. Korean Corn Dog

Your next must-try street food item is the Gamja Hotdog, aka Korean Corn Dog. Coated with a crispy panko breadcrumb, this dish is filled with a delicious stringy cheese that will give you the ultimate cheese pull. I like to add the classic ketchup, mustard as the toppings- but a little secret I learnt was to dust on a bit of white sugar to create the perfect sweet and savoury taste. There are many variations for this dish, including adding a hotdog along with the cheese inside, or adding potatoes with the crispy panko breadcrumb. I opted in Myeongdong for the classic cheese and it was truly unforgettable.

3. Korean Sausage and Rice Cake Skewers

Sotteok sotteok are skewers with sausage and rice cakes topped with a delicious glaze sauce. The mini sausages used in this dish are often Vienna sausages, while the fish cakes are fried and chewy in nature. My favourite part of this street food dish was the sauce. I have never had anything like it! It was the perfect blend of rich, spicy, and sweet. Made from ingredients like ketchup, gochujang, maple syrup, soy sauce and sesame oil- it has a little bit of everything to satisfy your tastes buds. I definitely recommend visiting a Sotteok sotteok stall for the sauce alone.

4. Hotteok

At Mangwon market, I had one of the most delicious street foods, Hotteok. Recommended by a chef in South Korea that I did a cooking class with, Hotteok is a sweet pancake filled with brown sugar, syrup, cinnamon, and various nuts such as sesame and peanuts that makes this street food irresistible. In Korea, there are many variations of this street food; instead of a sugary sweet Hotteok you could opt for a corn or even pizza Hotteok that will satisfy your savoury cravings. What I especially enjoyed about this dish was the subtly of it- it was not overly sweet and it was not overly oily or fried, but the flavours stood out on its own and made it one of my favourite street foods.

5. Toasted Marshmallow Cheesecake

And the final street food you should definitely make sure to check out before you leave Korea is the toasted marshmallow cheesecake! Yes, you read that right! A cheesecake slice, engulfed in a marshmallow, that is then toasted to taste like a decadent campfire treat. I was initially hesitant to purchase this treat, unsure if all the components would be a good fit together. However, this street food vendor proved me wrong. The toasted marshmallow was torched right in front of me and created a soft, creamy layer on top of the sweet and tangy cheesecake slice that stayed completely intact despite being toasted. Be warned, this treat will have you craving for more and more!

A notable component of many of the street foods in Seoul were how they were the perfect blend of sweet and savoury. The dishes were always well balanced and left you yearning for more. Asian cooking has always been one of my favourite cuisines to cook, taste and explore. And so visiting South Korea and trying their delicious food left me with a desire to learn and experiment more at home. While the flavours are unique and the ingredients may vary, the one thing I noticed with all the street foods was how welcoming and kind the vendors were. It was truly an unforgettable experience.