@moribyan Sotteok for episode 5 of the Korean Recipe Series 🇰🇷🤎 full recipe on the blog as always!!
♬ original sound - moribyan
Sotteok (Korean grilled sausage and rice cake skewers) can be easily recreated at home by alternating boiled rice cakes and mini hot dogs on skewers, then grilling and coating them with a sweet-spicy gochujang-based glaze.
Sotteok sotteok (소떡소떡) is a popular Korean street food consisting of mini sausages and cylindrical rice cakes (garae-tteok) alternated on skewers, then grilled and glazed with a sweet-spicy gochujang-based sauce. The dish was invented by Korean comedian Lee Young-ja (이영자), who introduced it on a television show, after which it became an iconic Korean street food. It is now sold at street food stalls, traditional markets, highway rest stops, and pojangmacha (vinyl tent-covered street food stalls) throughout South Korea.
The name is a portmanteau: 'so' is short for 'sosiji' (소시지, sausage) and 'tteok' (떡) means rice cake in Korean. Koreans gave it the cute doubled name 'sotteok sotteok' because of the alternating pattern of skewering them. The rice cakes used are garae-tteok, the same cylinder-shaped non-glutinous rice cakes used in tteokbokki. The sausages are typically mini Vienna sausages or Korean spicy pork sausages.
Preparation Details: Fresh or refrigerated garae-tteok work best; frozen rice cakes tend to develop a split texture. If using refrigerated rice cakes with a hard texture, soften them first by parboiling (blanching in boiling water for 1-2 minutes), then rinsing under cold water. Thread rice cakes and sausages onto skewers in an alternating pattern—typically three rice cakes and two sausages per 12cm (4.7-inch) skewer. Cook the skewers on a greased skillet over low-medium heat until golden brown on each side, or air-fry at 380°F for 10-15 minutes (flipping halfway).
The Sauce: The sweet and spicy sauce typically contains gochujang, gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), ketchup, sweetening syrup (or sugar/honey), soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic. The transcript's simplified version (gochujang, ketchup, water, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar) is a valid basic variant. Combine all sauce ingredients and cook on low heat in a non-stick pan for a few minutes until it starts to simmer/boil, then turn off. Brush the sauce onto the grilled skewers and continue grilling until the glaze adheres well, then garnish with sesame seeds and/or green onions.
Important Notes: Sotteok should be eaten shortly after it's made, as rice cakes harden when they cool. For leftovers, freeze and microwave briefly, but avoid over-microwaving as the rice cake will become hard. A popular variation is Cheese Sotteok, where cheese is placed between rice cake and sausage layers or cheese-filled sausages are used; as the skewers cook, the cheese melts and creates a gooey twist.
Sotteok sotteok, the popular Korean street food invented by comedian Lee Young-ja, combines grilled mini sausages and rice cakes on skewers with a sweet-spicy gochujang glaze that's simple to recreate in your kitchen.