With just 5 simple ingredients, you’ll be able to make a quick cheesy snack that warms you up on a cold, chilly day. Using potato, rice flour, sugar, and salt to make the pancake dough, this Korean cheese hotteok is savoury and cheesy with a slight hint of sweetness, enhancing the overall flavour profile of the snack.
Eat these Korean potato cheese pancakes when they are still fresh and warm after frying to enjoy the crispy and chewy crust with ooey-gooey cheese inside!
Table of contents
What is Korean cheese hotteok?
Originated from China and brought into Korea in the 19th century, hotteok is a type of stuffed pancake that is a popular Korean street food. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with sweet or savoury fillings. Often served when it’s piping hot, this palm-sized pancake is a perfect winter snack that warms up your body!
The classic version of Korean hotteok contains chewy pancakes with brown sugar and nuts filling. Korean cheese hotteok has recently been trending in Korea as a savoury alternative! There are also other variations of Korean hotteok that use kimchi, vegetables, or sweet red beans as the filling.
Ingredients for Korean cheese hotteok
- Potato: This recipe uses one medium-sized potato (about 300g) to make the pancakes.
- Rice flour: Rice flour helps bind the ingredients together and yield a slightly chewy texture.
- Sugar: This enhances the flavour of the hotteok with an added hint of sweetness.
- Salt: This amplifies the savouriness of the dish.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: The main ingredient for the filling that gives you a stretchy cheese pull!
- Oil: For cooking the cheese hotteok.
How to make Korean cheese hotteok
- Steam the peeled potato chunks for 10-15 minutes until soft.
- Transfer them to a bowl, then add in rice flour, sugar, and salt. Mash the potatoes and mix well.
- Scoop out the dough into your palm, roll into a ball, and flatten it.
- Place shredded mozzarella cheese in the centre and wrap the dough. Pinch to seal the seams.
- Roll the cheese-filled dough into a ball and flatten it again.
- Heat some oil in a pan over medium-high heat, then pan–fry the potato cheese pancakes on both sides over low heat until golden brown (about 5-6 minutes per side).
I used a non-stick ceramic frying pan which allows you to pan-fry the cheese hotteoks evenly with just a small amount of oil, and makes cleanup a breeze! It’s also compatible with all stovetops including induction cooktop, so it’s is highly recommended!
See product link: Non-stick Ceramic Frying Pan Skillet with Heat Resistant Handle
Success tips on making Korean cheese hotteok
Pinch and seal the seams when wrapping the dough.
Ensure all the seams are sealed completely and the cheese-filled dough is compact to avoid the cheese from leaking out when pan-frying. Otherwise, this will easily burn the crust.
Make sure the oil in the pan is heated well enough before transferring the cheese hotteok to it.
The oil needs to be hot enough to achieve a crispy crust. If the oil is not hot enough before adding in the cheese hotteok, they might also stick to the pan easily.
Pan-fry the cheese hotteok over medium to low heat.
You only need to heat the oil well enough over medium-high heat. Afterwards, lower the heat as you cook the cheese hotteok to avoid burning the crust while the interior remains undercooked. This way, you’ll achieve a golden-brown crisp with a fluffy interior and melted cheese filling!
What is rice flour?
Rice flour is a form of flour that is gluten-free and a staple ingredient in Asian cuisines to make dishes like red bean pudding (砵仔糕), turnip cake (蘿蔔糕), and steamed rice cake (白糖糕). It has similar characteristics to glutinous rice flour, but with less stickiness and helps with binding other ingredients together.
See product link: Thai Rice Flour
If it’s not available in your area, you could also get Mochiko sweet rice flour on Amazon which would work perfectly fine.
Can I replace rice flour with other types of flour?
Yes, you can substitute rice flour with cornstarch, potato starch, plain flour, or wheat flour.
How to store cheese hotteok?
Store leftover Korean cheese hotteok in an airtight container or a zip bag. They will last up to 4 days at room temperature or a week in the fridge.
Can I freeze cheese hotteok?
Yes you can! Be sure to let them cool down at room temperature before freezing. Transfer them into an airtight container or zip bag and freeze. They will last up to a month in the freezer.
To reheat, simply pan-fry for about 5-8 minutes or microwave for 30 seconds.
Fried till golden-brown crisp, this Korean cheese hotteok is chewy and tender inside filled with gooey cheese indulgence. With that satisfying cheese pull, I’m sure you’ll fall in love with this snack like I do!
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Korean Cheese Hotteok
Equipment
- 1 Non-stick frying pan skillet (see product link below)
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized potato (300g)
- 2-3 tbsp rice flour (see product link below)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1-2 tbsp oil for cooking
Instructions
- Peel off the potato skin then chop into big chunks. Steam for 10-15 minutes until soft.
- Transfer the steamed potatoes to a bowl, then add in rice flour, sugar, and salt.
- Use a fork to mash the potatoes and mix the ingredients until well combined.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the dough into your palm, roll into a ball, and use your thumb to gently push out and flatten it.
- Place shredded mozzarella cheese in the centre, and wrap the dough. Pinch to seal the seams.
- Roll the cheese-filled dough into a ball and flatten it.
- Transfer the potato cheese pancakes to a pan with some oil heated over medium-high heat.
- Lower the heat and pan-fry both sides until golden brown (about 10-12 minutes).