Street Foods

The pojangmacha (street vendor) is one of the best places to grab a quick snack or pass the night away drinking with friends. The types of food they serve can usually be eaten quickly while standing up (although someplaces have cheap chairs or benches) or take with you. They have many types of food on sticks or "finger foods." Other specialize in seafood and are geared more towards people who want to sit and have some drinks as well. Smaller stands can be easily carried or rolled from place. Larger, more elaborate ones have plastic tarps to protect patrons from the rain and cold.



Tteokbokki (떡볶이)
Tteokbokki is a popular Korean snack food which is commonly purchased from street vendors. Tteok jjim an early variant of modern tteokbokki, was once a part ofKorean royal court cuisine. Originally it was called tteok jjim, and was a broiled dish of sliced rice cake, meat, eggs, and seasoning. This type of tteokbokki was made by broiling tteok, meat, vegetables, eggs, and seasonings in water, and then serving it topped with ginko nuts and walnuts. While the older version was a savory dish, this latter type was much more spicy, and quickly became more popular than the older traditional dish. In addition to traditional ingredients, this tteokbokki used gochujang(hot paste made from chilli peppers), along with fish cakes. Other ingredients added to tteokbokki include boiled eggs, pan-fried mandu(Korean Dumplings), ramyeon(Noodle).

Mandu (만두)
Circles of wheat dough are pulled around a stuffing mixture of tofu, minced beef, pork, mixed vegetables, or other ingredients. Alternatively, they may be sealed around the filling from the side, forming a crescent shape. Sheredded kimchi, bean sprouts, and small sliced baby squash can be added, depending on the taste. They can be cooked several ways: steamed, simmered in beef stock, or fried. They are served with kimchi on the side and a small container of soy sauce. Use chopsticks to eat, dipping in the soy sauce for taste. (Some places also have crushed red papper to mix with the soy sauce, for an extra spiciness.) Traditionally, the mandu paste was made at home. Nowadays, however, the paste is readily available in supermarkets and convenience stores.


Eomuk (어묵)
Eomuk is common Korean food that you can find in street vendor. Some people believe it is same as Japanese processed seafood product called, Kamaboko. However, Kamaboko are made by steaming until cooked, but Eomuk is usually boiled on a skewer in broth. The broth is sometimes given to the customer in paper cups for dipping and drinking. Usually vendors serve Eomuk by poking a long stick through it.


Bungeoppang(붕어빵)
Bungeoppang is popular korean food consist of sweer azuki known as pat (팥, red bean paste), which is encased in batter and then toasted in a special appliance that performs like a waffle iron. This appliance is specially molded to create the fish shape of Asian carp. It is then toasted golden-brown and served.

Hotteok(호떡)
Hotteok is a variety of filled Korean pancake, and is a popular street food of Korea. The dough for ho-tteok is made from wheat flour, water, milk, sugar, and yeast. The dough is allowed to rise for several hours. Handful-sized balls of this stiff dough are filled with a sweet mixture, which may contain brown sugar, honey, chopped peanuts, and cinnamon. The filled dough is then placed on a greased griddle, and pressed flat into a large circle with a special tool with a stainless steel circle and wooden handle as it cooks.