Korean Fish-Shaped Bread (Sweet Red Bean Filled Wheat Waffle)
Quick answer
Bungeoppang is a Korean fish-shaped pastry made by filling a heated iron mold with wheat batter and sweet red bean paste.
What makes this special
- A preheated iron mold creates the thin, crisp shell of this sweet red bean-filled fish pastry.
- Tail section is thinnest and crisps first in the fish-shaped mold
- Bean paste concentrated in the belly delivers a slow, dense sweetness
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Mix 200 g flour, 20 g sugar, and 1 teaspoon baking powder first so the leavening spreads evenly.
- 2 Check the batter before heating the mold.
- 3 Set the fish-shaped mold over medium heat and preheat both sides for 2 to 3 minutes.
Bungeoppang is a Korean fish-shaped pastry made by filling a heated iron mold with wheat batter and sweet red bean paste. The preheated mold creates a thin, crisp shell on the outside while the interior bakes into soft, pillowy dough cradling the dense, smooth bean filling. The red bean paste has a thick consistency that flows slowly when bitten into, delivering a concentrated sweetness. The tail section bakes crispiest because the batter layer is thinnest there, while the belly holds the largest pocket of filling - giving each part of the fish a distinct texture. A staple of Korean winter street stalls, it is eaten hot, straight from the mold.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Mix 200 g flour, 20 g sugar, and 1 teaspoon baking powder first so the leavening spreads evenly.
Add 1 egg, then pour in 150 ml water little by little while whisking to break up lumps.
- 2Step
Check the batter before heating the mold.
It should be slightly thinner than pancake batter and flow slowly from a spoon; if it is too thick, add a small splash of water so it can reach the corners.
- 3Control
Set the fish-shaped mold over medium heat and preheat both sides for 2 to 3 minutes.
Brush or spray on a thin coat of oil, reaching the tail and belly details so the crisp shell releases cleanly.
- 4Step
Pour batter into one side of the mold until it is about 70 percent full.
Divide the 200 g sweet red bean paste and place it in the belly center, leaving the edges and tail slightly clear to prevent overflow.
- 5Control
Press the red bean paste lightly so it sits in place, then cover it with a thin layer of remaining batter.
Level the surface before closing the mold so the filling does not squeeze out at the seams.
- 6Finish
Close the mold and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for 2 more minutes.
Remove it when both sides are golden and the tail feels crisp; serve hot from the mold.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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Gukhwa-ppang is a Korean winter street pastry baked in a chrysanthemum flower-shaped cast-iron mold, filled with sweet red bean paste at the center. The batter of flour, baking powder, sugar, milk, egg, and melted butter is stirred together with minimal mixing to keep gluten development low, then poured to fill only one-third of the mold before a spoonful of bean paste is placed in the middle and covered with more batter, ensuring the filling sits centered in the finished pastry. Cooking over medium-low heat for three to four minutes on each side produces a golden crust with sharply defined flower-petal ridges pressed into the surface, while the bean paste inside stays soft and flows when the pastry is broken apart. It is often grouped with bungeoppang as a sibling street food, but the dough ratio is heavier and the shell is noticeably thicker, giving it a stronger bread-forward flavor and a slightly smaller proportion of filling to outer crust. The pastry is best eaten immediately after cooking, while the exterior is still crisp and the paste still hot. In recent years vendors have begun filling gukhwa-ppang with cream, chocolate, and sweet potato paste as alternatives to the traditional red bean filling.
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