16 March 2013

Seoul Walking : Street Food

Rain, hail, snow or shine you can always find something to eat on Seoul's street corners. In Winter there's freshly roasted chestnuts and in Summer there's delicious juicy slabs of watermelon. And all year round there's sausages, fried potato, chicken and fish cakes (all on sticks); toasties featuring an assorted mix of plastic cheese, spam and egg; peanut butter flavoured dried squid (seriously); dumplings; egg cake (like a steamed vanilla pudding with an egg whacked on the top); braised silk worm; 'gold fish' bread; and all kinds of hot pockets and fritters and things stuffed inside other things (did you know it was possible to fill a cocktail wiener with cheese?). Korea's street vendors are nothing if not inventive. 

Not being a fan of squid, fish cakes, insects or deep fried sausages, most of this street buffet is off limits for me. But I have found a few tasty things for snacking on the go. I love the Summer fruit stalls, and the dumplings. And I'm quite partial to the egg cakes (they are so moist and vanillary, and they warm you up in the cold of Winter), although I tend to take the egg part of it home for the dogs. But my favourite is '호떤' ('hodok' or 'hotteok') which is a shallow fried rice flour pancake with stuff in the middle. You can get a sweet version, but I love the savoury one with glass noodles and a little veg (see below). 

Everyone who visits Seoul always asks - is it safe to eat? I think yes, especially if you go to the busy stalls in high traffic areas. As for taste, it's all so cheap you might as well give it a try - you'll only waste a dollar or two if you don't like it. And it'll give you the chance to admire the simple ingenuity of these street cooks and their portable kitchens. Oh, and a word of warning, if it looks like it's something delicious stuffed with chocolate it's probably not - red bean paste looks deceptively like Nutella...

9 comments:

  1. It's so amazing that you can find such wonderful colors and compositions in such ordinary things. I love finding the great in things I see everyday. Great photos, as always.

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  2. Love these photos! And I love street food, although I've yet to try it in Korea.... one day... I have been caught out with the red bean paste before myself though in other parts of Asia! x

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    1. It can be such a disappointment! You think you're getting a delicious pastry filled with melty chocolate, and instead it's filled with sugary beans!

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  3. I LOVE STREET FOOD. Kellie xx

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    1. Yep. Ummm, I can imagine the street food in Mexico was pretty spectacular? Yes? (*drools a little*)

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  4. We had some great street food in tiny little town next to Pyeongtaek (by the Camp Humphreys Army post). But sometimes, you had to be careful of food poisoning. Husband had a really bad bout of it on Thanksgiving day in 2010. bahaha. I told him not to get the "mixed meat" noodles!!

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    1. Oh no! That does not sound like fun at all! But I think you're advice is spot on ('mixed meat', intriguing!). I'd also avoid the stalls selling 'fresh' seafood...

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  5. I remember being amazed and a little wary of some of the food for sale on Seoul's streets. I think I was only brave enough to try one the fried potato chips on stick thingys. It was delicious!

    I like red bean paste. :)

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