Korean Foods To Try During The Winter Season
Since going from Singapore to South Korea is now possible under the Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme, a lot of us now are excited to travel and visit their famed tourist spots.
But aside from sightseeing and buying souvenirs, getting to taste their local foods is one of the things most people look forward to. And now that South Korea has finally entered the cold season, here are some must-try snacks during winter!
Bunggeoppang
If you’ve been to Japan and tried their taiyaki, bungeoppang is the Korean term for it. It is a pastry shaped like a fish, which is why the name literally translates to carp bread.
However despite its name, this bread does not contain any fish ingredient.
It is often sold in the streets of Korea during winter, and it is packed with a toasty filling to warm up your body from the cold. Back then; bungeoppang is only filled with sweet red bean paste.
Now, it is also available in custard, chocolate and even peanut butter variant. This snack costs approximately 1,000 won for three pieces.
Tteok-manduguk
Sipping hot broth during the winter will never go out of season, which is why tteok mandu guk or rice cake soup with dumplings is one of the most famous dish when the temperatures are cold.
Although it is usually eating during Korean New Years and Lunar New Years, many also cook this as a comfort food for the frosty weather. To cook tteok mandu guk, you can use beef or anchovy broth for the soup.
If you want it to be more flavourful, you can boil beef ox bone broth for hours until it changes colour. But since this takes more time, pre-made bags of broth are now sold at groceries.
As for the dumplings, it can either be boiled or steamed.
Gungoguma
A snack that’s both healthy and delicious – if this is what you want to taste then Korea’s gungoguma or roasted sweet potatoes should be on your list! This food can be found on the streets as early as autumn, but its more popular in the winter season.
Roasted sweet potatoes are characterized by its crispy skin on the outside, and sweet taste as well as soft texture on the inside.
What’s amazing about this snack is that it can also be enjoyed during the hot weather, by freezing it and making a gungoguma ice cream are smoothie.
Gyeranppang
Another well-known pastry winter snack is the gyeranppang, which literally means egg bread. It can be compared to Mcdonald’s egg Mcmuffin breakfast, only this one is in the shape of oblong.
To make this snack, you will need to have the machine that has cylindrical shaped slots where you can pour the cake batter and eggs. For the mix, it is made using a combination of flour, baking powder, milk, eggs, butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract.
The first egg bread was sold at Inha University back in 1984.
Tteokbokki
Beat Korea’s winter weather by snacking on this spicy tteokbokki – another must have food when you’re visiting their country during the cold season.
Also known as spicy rice cakes, it is chewy once it is bitten and gives off a hot taste thanks to the spicy gochujang sauce. Cheese can also be added on top of it for added flavour.
You can also add fish cake, dumpling, eggs, sausages and even seafood if you prefer a more filling snack.
Chaloksusu
Are your gloves not doing its job of keeping your hands warm? Look for a street vendor selling some hot and steaming corn and buy one. This snack is guaranteed to not only warm your stomach, but also your hands.
Just like the roasted sweet potato, this is also a healthy food since it is cooked with little to no salt or butter. Bonus points, you’ll also get to support local farmers for every purchase, so you can consider buying many cobs to share with your loved ones!
Danpatjuk
If you’re tired of the savoury broths of soup and stew but still want something warm to sip, you can give this red bean soup a go. This is one of the dishes that symbolizes winter in Korea, and is usually eaten by young and old people due to its healthy ingredients.
The taste is also mild so it’s easily digested. To cook this dish, you can use dried azuki beans. Then, you can add chewy rice cake balls for more texture.
Koreans associate this porridge to the winter solstice because they believe that the colour of the food can ward off evil spirits.
Get your wallets and stomachs ready when you visit Korea this winter, and let us know which dishes made your top list!
