The Drama: When First Love Tastes Like Brown Sugar
The year was 2021, and Our Beloved Summer (그 해 우리는) quietly became one of the most tender K-dramas of the decade.
No chaebols. No amnesia. No dramatic plot twists. Just two people—Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-su—who fell in love in high school, broke up, and five years later, found themselves forced to reunite for a documentary sequel. With Choi Woo-shik’s effortlessly melancholic charm and Kim Da-mi’s sharp-tongued vulnerability, the drama captured the bittersweet reality of first love.
But what made Our Beloved Summer special wasn’t just the romance. It was the details. The way memories were tied to places, seasons, and especially food. The convenience store snacks shared between teenagers. The winter streets where young love first bloomed.
And nothing captures Korean winter romance quite like hotteok—the sweet filled pancakes sold by street vendors, their syrupy centers oozing warmth on cold days. When characters share hotteok in Korean dramas, they’re sharing something more: nostalgia, youth, the sweetness of moments that can never be recaptured.
The History of Hotteok
What Is Hotteok?
Hotteok (호떡) is a Korean filled pancake made with yeasted dough and stuffed with a sweet mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts. The name combines ho (胡), meaning “barbarian” or “foreign,” and tteok (떡), meaning “rice cake” or “pancake”—a linguistic hint at its Chinese origins.
Unlike the paper-thin crepes of France or the fluffy American pancakes, hotteok occupies a unique space: crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, with a molten sugar center that can burn your mouth if you’re not careful. That danger is part of the appeal.
From China to Korean Winter Streets
Hotteok arrived in Korea during the late 19th century, brought by Chinese merchants during the Qing dynasty. Korean cooks adapted the recipe to local tastes, adding ingredients like brown sugar, cinnamon, and various seeds.
| Era | Development |
|---|---|
| Late 1800s | Chinese merchants introduce filled pancakes to Korea |
| 1950s-60s | Post-war hotteok becomes affordable street food |
| 1980s | Hotteok vendors become fixtures at winter markets |
| 2000s-Present | Variations emerge: green tea, cheese, sweet potato, pizza hotteok |
Regional Variations
Different regions developed their own signatures:
| Region | Specialty |
|---|---|
| Seoul | Classic brown sugar and cinnamon filling |
| Busan | Ssiat hotteok (seed hotteok) with sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame seeds |
| Jeonju | Vegetable hotteok (야채호떡) with glass noodles and vegetables |
The Busan ssiat hotteok, in particular, became so famous that tourists now make pilgrimages to BIFF Square specifically to taste it.
Why Hotteok Is Winter’s Comfort
There’s a reason hotteok vendors only appear when temperatures drop. The experience is inseparable from cold weather: numb fingers wrapped around warm paper, steam rising in the winter air, the first bite releasing a flood of sweet warmth.
For Koreans, hotteok isn’t just food—it’s a timestamp. It’s walking home from school in winter. It’s first dates spent wandering night markets. It’s the taste of being young when the world still felt simple.
The Recipe: Winter Street Hotteok
This recipe recreates the authentic street vendor experience. The key is patience—the dough needs time to rise, and the filling needs to melt properly.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour (for chewiness) Amazon →
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
- 1 cup warm water (about 40°C/105°F)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For the Filling
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (or Korean heukseoltang)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1/4 cup mixed nuts, chopped (walnuts, peanuts)
- 2 tablespoons mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame - optional for Busan style)
Equipment
- Hotteok press (호떡 누르개) (or use a spatula) Amazon →
- Non-stick pan or flat griddle
- Large mixing bowl
- Small bowl for filling
Video Tutorial
Video by Maangchi - Trusted Korean cooking expert
Instructions
Step 1: Make the Dough In a large bowl, combine flour, glutinous rice flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add warm water gradually while mixing. Knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth. Add vegetable oil and knead until incorporated. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
Step 2: First Rise Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size. In winter, place the bowl near a heater or in an oven with just the light on.
Step 3: Prepare the Filling While the dough rises, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, chopped nuts, and seeds (if using) in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 4: Shape the Hotteok Oil your hands generously. Punch down the risen dough and divide into 8 portions (about golf ball size). Flatten each piece into a circle, add 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the center, then pinch the edges together to seal. Roll gently into a ball with the seam side down.
Step 5: Cook the Hotteok Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat with a thin layer of oil. Place the filled dough ball seam-side down. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes until the bottom turns golden. Flip and press down firmly with a hotteok press or oiled spatula to flatten to about 1cm thickness.
Step 6: Finish Cooking Cook for another 2-3 minutes until both sides are golden brown and crispy. The inside should be cooked through with the sugar filling completely melted.
Step 7: Serve Immediately Transfer to a plate and let cool for 1 minute—the filling will be extremely hot. Serve warm. Hotteok is best eaten immediately while the outside is still crispy.
FAQ
Why is my hotteok dough not rising?
The most common reason is water temperature. If the water is too hot (above 50°C/120°F), it kills the yeast. If too cold, the yeast won’t activate. Aim for warm but not hot—about body temperature. Also ensure your yeast isn’t expired.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes! After the first rise, you can refrigerate the dough overnight. This actually improves the flavor. Let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.
Why does my filling leak out?
Usually this means the dough wasn’t sealed properly or was stretched too thin. Make sure to pinch the edges firmly and keep the dough thick enough around the filling. Also avoid overfilling—2 tablespoons is plenty.
What’s the difference between Seoul and Busan hotteok?
Seoul-style hotteok uses a classic brown sugar and cinnamon filling with some nuts. Busan’s famous ssiat hotteok (seed hotteok) includes a generous amount of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds, giving it a more complex, nutty flavor and crunchier texture.
Can I make hotteok without glutinous rice flour?
Yes, but the texture will be different. Glutinous rice flour gives hotteok its characteristic chewiness. Without it, the pancake will be more bread-like. If you can’t find it, use all-purpose flour, but the result won’t be quite as authentic.
How do I store leftover hotteok?
Hotteok is best fresh, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day. Reheat in a dry pan over medium heat to restore crispiness. They can also be frozen—just thaw and reheat in a pan.
Why do Koreans eat hotteok in winter?
Hotteok vendors are seasonal, appearing mainly from late fall through winter. The hot, sweet snack provides instant warmth on cold days. It’s also associated with winter memories—school trips, holiday markets, and winter dates. Eating hotteok in summer just doesn’t feel right.
Make It Tonight
There’s a reason Our Beloved Summer resonated so deeply. It understood that love isn’t always dramatic—sometimes it’s quiet, complicated, and tied to small moments we didn’t know would matter.
Hotteok is that kind of food. It’s not fancy. It won’t impress anyone with technique. But one bite, and suddenly you’re seventeen again, walking through winter streets with someone whose hand you wanted to hold.
Tonight, make hotteok. Eat it standing in your kitchen, too impatient to wait for it to cool. Let the sugar burn your tongue a little. Remember what it felt like to believe that sweetness could last forever.
오늘 밤, 그 해 우리는 정주행하면서 직접 만든 호떡과 함께하는 건 어떨까요?
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Hero image: “Hotteok” by GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of our K-Drama Kitchen series—cooking the dishes that made us hungry while watching.
