Korean Cheese Balls (Mozzarella-Stuffed Glutinous Rice Fried Ball)
Cheese ball bunsik is a Korean street snack of glutinous rice flour dough wrapped around a cube of mozzarella and deep-fried at 170 degrees Celsius. The dough is kneaded with hot water to activate the sticky starch, and frying turns the exterior golden and crisp while the interior stays chewy like rice cake. Pulling one apart while hot reveals a dramatic mozzarella stretch, and the mild sweetness of the dough contrasts with the salty cheese. The cheese firms up as it cools, so eating them straight from the fryer is essential.
Adjust Servings
Instructions
- 1
Mix glutinous rice flour and sugar; add hot water and knead.
- 2
Divide dough into balls and wrap each around a piece of mozzarella.
- 3
Deep-fry at 170°C until golden.
- 4
Serve immediately.
As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
Tips
Nutrition (per serving)
More Recipes
Korean Addictive Mini Gimbap
Nori sheets are quartered and filled with a small amount of seasoned rice, sauteed carrot, spinach, and thin egg strips, then rolled into tiny cylinders and served with a mustard-soy dipping sauce. The name 'mayak,' meaning narcotic, refers to their addictive quality: the sharp bite of Korean mustard and salty soy sauce elevate the otherwise mild rolls. Keeping the filling minimal is essential, as overstuffing causes the small nori squares to tear.
Cheese Arepa (Venezuelan Griddled Cornmeal Cheese Pocket)
Arepas are a cornerstone of Venezuelan and Colombian daily eating, with roots stretching back to pre-Columbian indigenous cultures who ground maize on stone metates. The dough is nothing more than pre-cooked cornmeal (masarepa), water, and salt, shaped by hand into thick discs and cooked on a budare - a flat griddle - until a golden crust forms on both sides while the interior stays soft and slightly doughy. For cheese arepas, queso blanco or mozzarella is either mixed directly into the dough before grilling or stuffed inside after cooking, so the cheese melts into stretchy, salty pockets within the warm corn shell. The corn flavor is clean, toasty, and naturally sweet, with the cheese providing a counterpoint of fat and salt. Street vendors across Caracas and Bogota serve them from dawn through midnight, split open and filled with everything from black beans to shredded beef.
Korean Corn Dog
Korean corn dogs are made by skewering sausages and mozzarella cheese sticks, coating them in a thick pancake-mix batter, rolling in panko breadcrumbs, and deep-frying at 170C. The panko creates a rough, crunchy outer shell while the inner batter layer stays chewy, producing a two-layered texture. Melted cheese stretches with each bite alongside the salty sausage, and rolling the fried dog in granulated sugar creates the signature sweet-salty contrast. They are typically served with ketchup and mustard.
Korean Kimchi Cheese Gimbap
Kimchi cheese gimbap rolls seasoned rice, stir-fried kimchi, mozzarella cheese, and pickled radish in seaweed sheets. Stir-frying the kimchi concentrates its tangy flavor and removes excess moisture that would otherwise make the roll soggy and prone to tearing. The cheese's mild fat wraps around the kimchi's spice, and the pickled radish adds a sweet-tart crunch that breaks up the richness. Keeping the cheese in a single line along the center is key to rolling the gimbap tightly without splitting.
Osaka-Style Takoyaki (Japanese Octopus Ball Street Snack)
Osaka-style takoyaki are spherical batter balls filled with diced octopus, a street snack so closely tied to Osaka that it serves as an unofficial symbol of the city. The batter is deliberately thin and watery-flour, eggs, and dashi stock whisked together-which is what creates the signature contrast between a lightly crisp shell and a molten, custardy interior. Each well of the specialized cast-iron pan receives a pour of batter, a chunk of boiled octopus, sliced green onion, tenkasu tempura flakes, and pickled red ginger. As the edges set, each ball is rotated ninety degrees at a time with a pointed pick until it forms a perfect sphere. The finished takoyaki are lined up and drizzled with a thick, tangy-sweet takoyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise, then crowned with a flurry of bonito flakes that wave in the rising heat. The octopus delivers a chewy, briny bite at the center of each molten ball.
Korean Corn Cheese (Buttery Skillet Corn Mozzarella)
Korean corn cheese starts by sauteing drained canned corn with diced onion in butter, then mixing in mayonnaise, sugar, and black pepper before spreading the mixture flat and piling mozzarella on top. The pan is covered on low heat until the cheese melts into a stretchy, golden layer that binds the sweet corn beneath. A teaspoon of sugar amplifies the corn's natural sweetness against the salty, fatty cheese, and broiling at 220 degrees Celsius for five minutes adds a browned crust on top.