Street food Recipes
135 recipes
Korean street food (bunsik) covers beloved snacks like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), sundae (blood sausage), fish cakes, and fried treats. These are the foods Koreans grew up eating at market stalls and snack shops after school — simple, affordable, and deeply satisfying.
A sweet-spicy gochujang sauce for tteokbokki, crispy gimmari (seaweed rolls), and steaming fish-cake broth — bunsik proves that the best flavors often come from the simplest ingredients. Every recipe here can be made at home with ease.
Korean Avocado Gimbap (Creamy Avocado Crab Seaweed Rice Roll)
Avocado gimbap is a contemporary Korean creation that appeared in the 2010s as avocado became widely available in Korean grocery stores and cafes. Traditional gimbap uses danmuji, ham, and seasoned vegetables rolled in seaweed and rice, but this version places thick slices of ripe avocado at the center, where its buttery, neutral creaminess complements the sesame-oiled rice without competing with the other fillings. The avocado must be firm enough to hold its shape when sliced but soft enough to yield when bitten - the narrow window between underripe and overripe is critical. The rice is seasoned lightly with sesame oil and salt, and the nori provides a toasty, oceanic wrapper that grounds the mild avocado. Often paired with crab stick, cucumber, and a thin strip of egg jidan for color and protein. The cross-section reveals concentric rings of green, white, and yellow that make this gimbap one of the most visually striking versions. Popular as a light lunch or picnic food in Korean cities.
Pork Baozi (Chinese Steamed Pork Cabbage Bun)
Baozi is a Chinese steamed bun made from yeast-leavened wheat dough filled with seasoned ground pork, cabbage, and scallion. The dough proofs for 40 minutes and puffs into a soft, pillowy shell in the steamer, while the filling is bound with soy sauce and sesame oil for a savory, aromatic center. Pleating the top seals in the juices during the 15-minute steam. Resting the buns for two minutes after turning off the heat prevents the delicate skin from collapsing due to sudden temperature change.
Bibim Dangmyeon (Spicy Glass Noodles)
Chewy sweet potato glass noodles tossed in a tangy gochujang dressing with fresh cucumber and carrot - a refreshing Korean noodle dish ready in 20 minutes. The noodles are rinsed in cold water to set their translucent, chewy texture before being dressed. Gochujang brings heat, vinegar adds tartness, and sugar balances with sweetness, creating a layered spicy-sweet-sour sauce that coats each strand evenly. A touch of sesame oil prevents the noodles from clumping and adds a subtle nutty aroma.
Korean Bulgogi Sandwich (Soy-Marinated Beef Toast with Mayo Lettuce)
Bulgogi sandwich layers soy-marinated, high-heat stir-fried beef onto lightly toasted bread with mayonnaise and lettuce. The beef marinates briefly in soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and sesame oil, and the quick sear over high heat caramelizes the surface for concentrated savory-sweet flavor. Crisp lettuce and a spread of mayonnaise add crunch and creaminess that contrast with the bold meat. Mixing ssamjang into the mayo intensifies the Korean character of the sandwich.
Korean Beoteo Ojingeo Gui (Butter Grilled Squid)
Butter ojingeo gui is a Korean street snack of scored semi-dried squid grilled in butter and glazed with soy sauce, oligosaccharide syrup, and gochugaru. The semi-dried squid has a concentrated chewy texture that gains a toasty edge when seared in butter. The soy-syrup glaze coats the surface in a sweet-salty sheen, and gochugaru adds a lingering kick of heat at the finish. A final scattering of sesame seeds releases a nutty crunch with every bite.
Cabbage Ham Korean Street Toast
Cabbage ham street toast is a Korean street-style sandwich that stacks a thin cabbage-carrot egg omelet and seared ham between buttery griddled bread. The bread toasts to a crisp in butter, while the egg layer holds shredded vegetables for both softness and crunch. Sprinkling sugar directly onto the bread is the signature move, and together with ketchup and mayonnaise it creates the distinctive sweet-savory flavor that defines Korean street toast. The flat, compact shape makes it easy to eat on the go as a quick breakfast or snack.
Korean Glutinous Rice Donut
Chapssal donut is a Korean deep-fried treat made from glutinous rice flour kneaded with sugar, salt, and hot water, then fried at 170 degrees Celsius. The sticky rice dough puffs up in the oil, forming a thin, crisp outer shell while the inside stays dense and chewy. Unlike wheat-flour donuts, each bite stretches with a mochi-like pull due to the glutinous starch. Coating in sugar immediately after frying lets the crystals cling to the hot surface, locking in both crunch and sweetness.
Korean Chicken Gimbap (Crispy Chicken Tender Seaweed Rice Roll)
Chicken gimbap is a Korean seaweed rice roll filled with air-fried crispy chicken tenders, sesame-salt seasoned rice, lettuce, and mayonnaise. The chicken needs to be rolled immediately after cooking so the fried coating retains its crunch inside the gimbap. Mayonnaise forms a creamy bridge between the rice and chicken, while lettuce adds a fresh, crisp layer of moisture. Mixing hot sauce into the mayo creates a spicy variation that can be adjusted to taste.
Korean Popcorn Chicken
Popcorn chicken is a Korean fried snack made by cutting chicken breast into 2cm cubes, coating them in egg and cornstarch, and double-frying at 170 degrees Celsius. The double-fry technique creates an exceptionally crunchy shell while keeping the small pieces moist inside, and the high crust-to-meat ratio maximizes the crisp texture in every bite. A glaze of simmered soy sauce, sugar, and oligosaccharide syrup coats the pieces in a sweet-salty finish. Garlic powder in the initial seasoning carries a subtle garlic note through the frying.
Korean Chili Oil Boiled Dumplings
Chili oil mulmandu is a Korean dish of boiled dumplings dressed in a sauce of chili oil, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and sugar. The dumplings are boiled until they float and then cooked two more minutes for a springy wrapper, and draining them thoroughly prevents the sauce from diluting. Soy sauce and vinegar form a salty-tart base, while chili oil adds a spicy aroma and glossy red sheen. Chopped scallion scattered on top brings a fresh herbal note that lightens the oily richness of the sauce.
Korean Chocolate Custard Bungeoppang
Choco-custard bungeoppang is a dessert variation of Korean fish-shaped bread, made with cocoa powder in the batter and filled with chocolate custard cream. The cocoa gives the shell a deeper brown color than the traditional version and releases a bitter chocolate aroma as it bakes. The warm custard filling flows out like cream when bitten into, delivering a rich chocolate sweetness. The mold must be fully preheated for a crisp shell, and the filling is portioned sparingly in the center to prevent leaking from the seams.
Korean Cream Cheese Hotdog
Cream cheese hotdog is a Korean street corn dog made by threading sausage and cream cheese together on a stick, dipping in wheat batter, rolling in breadcrumbs, and deep-frying at 170 degrees Celsius. The breadcrumb crust fries to a golden, audibly crunchy shell, while the batter underneath creates a softer, doughier middle layer. Each bite delivers the salty snap of sausage alongside the smooth, tangy richness of melted cream cheese. Briefly freezing the cream cheese before assembly keeps it from melting out during frying.
Korean Cream Tteokbokki (Chewy Rice Cake in Cream Butter Sauce)
Cream tteokbokki simmers chewy rice cake sticks in a sauce built from heavy cream, milk, and butter. Onions are sauteed in butter first to develop sweetness, then cream and milk go in to form a thick, coating sauce before the rice cakes are added and stirred for seven to eight minutes over medium-low heat. A finishing dusting of parmesan cheese adds a salty, savory edge that balances the richness of the cream. With no gochujang or chili in sight, the dish leans closer to a cream pasta in flavor profile, making it the go-to tteokbokki variation for those who prefer no heat at all.
Korean Crispy Pan-Fried Dumplings
Crispy gunmandu uses a two-stage pan-frying method: frozen dumplings are first seared in oil until the bottoms turn golden, then water is added and the lid goes on to steam the filling through. Once the water evaporates, the lid comes off so the base crisps up a second time. Adding a thin flour-water slurry instead of plain water creates a lacy, connected crust across the bottom of all the dumplings. Dipped in a sauce of soy, vinegar, and gochugaru, the nutty browned crust contrasts with the moist, seasoned filling inside.
Korean Curry Flavored Tempura
Curry twigim mixes curry powder directly into the frying batter, giving it a vivid golden color and built-in spice flavor before any dipping sauce. Sweet potato, carrot, and onion slices are coated in this batter and deep-fried at 170 degrees Celsius until crisp. Using ice-cold water in the batter inhibits gluten development, producing a thin, shatteringly light crust. Compared to standard Korean vegetable tempura, the turmeric, cumin, and coriander notes from the curry powder give each piece a distinctly aromatic, warm-spiced character.
Korean Crispy Fried Chicken Skin
Dak-kkopjil-twigim seasons chicken skin with salt and pepper, dusts it in starch, and double-fries it in hot oil. The first fry renders out moisture, and the second at higher temperature puffs the skin into a cracker-like crunch with visible air bubbles throughout. The fried skin releases an intense chicken fat savoriness that needs little more than salt to taste complete. A light sprinkle of black pepper and garlic powder tempers the richness, making it a snack that is difficult to stop eating once started.
Korean Grilled Chicken Heart Skewers
Dak-yeomtong-kkochi starts by soaking trimmed chicken hearts in milk for fifteen minutes to neutralize any off-flavors, then threads them onto skewers for grilling. A glaze of soy sauce, gochujang, sugar, garlic, and cooking wine is brushed on during grilling, building a salty-sweet layer with mild heat. Unlike regular chicken meat, hearts have a firm, springy chew that releases a subtle nuttiness the more you bite. The milk soak, combined with garlic and cooking wine in the sauce, cleanly eliminates any organ taste, leaving only char and seasoning on the finished skewers.
Korean Sweet Red Bean Bun
Danpat-ppang is a Korean sweet red bean bun made from a yeasted dough of bread flour, sugar, butter, and egg, put through a one-hour first rise and thirty-minute second rise before baking at 180 degrees Celsius for fifteen minutes. Each bun is filled with about thirty grams of sweet red bean paste and sealed shut, so the paste softens into a dense, sweet layer inside as the bread bakes. An egg wash on the surface gives the bun a glossy brown finish, while the yeast-risen crumb stays pillowy and moist. The concentrated sweetness of the red bean filling contrasts with the mild, bread-y dough, making this one of the most iconic items in Korean bakeries.
Korean Dubu Kimchi Kkochi (Tofu Kimchi Skewers)
Dubu-kimchi-kkochi pan-sears firm tofu until the surface turns crisp and golden, then skewers it alongside stir-fried sour kimchi and ground pork. The tofu is fried to drive off surface moisture and build a crust, while the kimchi and pork are cooked together so fermented tang and meat savoriness merge into one. Threaded onto a skewer, each bite delivers the tofu's nutty seared exterior, the kimchi's sharp acidity, and the pork's salt-rich depth simultaneously. The soft interior of the tofu contrasts with its crisp shell, and juices from the stir-fried kimchi seep into the tofu to add another flavor layer.
Korean Egg Mayo Toast
Egg mayo toast mashes three hard-boiled eggs with a fork, mixes them with mayonnaise, salt, and pepper, and piles the mixture onto crispy toasted bread. Crushing the eggs to varying sizes creates a mix of smooth and chunky textures in each bite. The mayonnaise binds the crumbly egg into a creamy spread, and placing it on warm toast sets up a temperature contrast between the cool egg salad and the hot, crunchy bread surface. Adding a touch of mustard or chopped pickles brings acidity that cuts through the richness of the mayonnaise.
Korean Eomuk Hot Bar (Fried Fish Cake Skewer)
Crispy battered fish cake on a stick - a beloved Korean street food snack that is golden outside and chewy inside. Wrapping the fish cake around the skewer maximizes surface area for the batter to cling to, and frying produces a crisp shell on the outside while the fish cake inside stays chewy. A small amount of baking powder in the batter helps it puff slightly for an airier crunch. Ketchup or mustard is the typical topping, and the mild fish flavor from the eomuk comes through gently beneath the fried coating.
Korean Skewered Fish Cake Soup
Eomuk-kkochi folds flat fish cake sheets into zigzag shapes on skewers and simmers them in a clear broth made from Korean radish, kelp, and green onion. The broth draws umami from the radish and kelp, which soaks into the fish cakes as they cook, giving them a clean but layered depth. As the fish cakes absorb broth, they soften from their original firm bounce, while the broth thickens slightly from the starch released by the eomuk. This is one of Korea's most iconic winter street foods, traditionally served at pojangmacha stalls where the hot broth is ladled into paper cups for sipping.
Korean Gaji Twigim Bites (Crispy Eggplant Bites)
Gaji-twigim-bites cuts eggplant into bite-sized pieces and fries them in a cold batter made with sparkling water. The carbonation creates air pockets inside the coating, making it exceptionally light and crisp, while the eggplant's high moisture content keeps the interior silky as it cooks. A small addition of gochugaru to the frying mix gives the crust a subtle heat that offsets the eggplant's mildness and the oil's richness. The purple skin of the eggplant partially shows through the batter after frying, giving these bites a visual distinction from standard fried items.
Potato Mozzarella Korean Corn Dog
Gamja mozzarella hotdog skewers a sausage and mozzarella cheese stick, dips them in a batter of flour, milk, and baking powder, then rolls the surface in half-centimeter potato cubes before deep-frying. The potato cubes crisp into a bumpy golden shell on the outside while the mozzarella melts into long, stretchy strands inside. Sugar in the batter gives the whole corn dog a faintly sweet undertone, and it is common to sprinkle additional sugar on top before eating. Each bite stacks the sausage's saltiness, the cheese's creamy pull, and the potato crust's crunch into one layered structure.