SALTED CARAMEL PANCAKES

HOTTEOK

Hotteok, sweet pancakes filled with a brown sugar syrup and nuts, are beloved by young and old alike. These decadent treats were my sister Sonya’s choice dessert when we were kids. In each bite, you crunch through a crispy golden crust, then through a chewy dough and finally into a gooey centre. I’ve jazzed up the classic recipe by substituting the brown sugar with muscovado sugar, which is richer and ‘oozier’ when melted, and mixing it with a touch of salt. Feel free to make your own version as well – I’ve seen these pancakes filled with everything from walnuts and honey to mixed seeds. And they’re even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream on top.

Ingredients

MAKES ABOUT TEN 10 CM (4 IN) PANCAKE

Dough:

  • 360 ml (12 fl oz) whole milk
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 pack (7 g/1⁄4 oz) instant yeast
  • 225 g (8 oz) bread flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 150 g (51⁄2 oz) sweet rice flour
  • 11⁄2 tbsp cornflour
  • 1⁄2 tsp sea salt

 

Filling:

  • 125 g (41⁄2 oz) muscovado sugar
  • 75 g (23⁄4 oz) peanuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 3⁄4 tsp sea salt
  • Vegetable oil, for frying

 

Method

FOR THE DOUGH:

  1. In a very small saucepan, heat the milk to about 41°C/105°F. Remove from the heat, add the sugar and yeast and whisk until they have dissolved. Leave to stand in a warm place for 3–5 minutes, or until bubbling, to activate the yeast.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the bread flour, rice flour, cornflour and salt. Slowly stir in the warm milk mixture until a sticky dough forms. Shape the dough into a ball in the base of the bowl and cover the bowl with a clean damp tea towel.
  3. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 11⁄2–2 hours until doubled in size. Knock it back and let it rise for 11⁄2 hours until doubled in size again.

 

FOR THE FILLING:

  1. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the muscovado sugar, peanuts, cinnamon and salt.
  2. After the dough has risen a second time, dust a clean work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Dust the top of the dough with some more flour and knead it a few times. Shape the dough into a fat, long log.
  3. Cut the dough into ten equal pieces, shape each piece into a ball, set on the floured work surface, and cover with a clean tea towel or clingfilm. Dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking, press a dough ball into a 10 cm (4 in) wide disc using your fingertips. Make sure the disc is uniformly thick so the finished pancake will be evenly filled with caramel.
  4. Put the disc in your hand and slightly cup it. Spoon 11⁄2–2 tablespoons of the filling into the centre of the disc. Seal the disc closed by wrapping the dough around the filling and pinching the edges together at the top. Once sealed, reshape gently to form a ball, set with the seam side down on the floured work surface and cover with a clean tea towel or clingfilm. Repeat with the remaining dough balls and filling.
  5. In a large non-stick frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over a medium-high heat. Put two or three dough balls seam-side down in the pan and immediately flatten them with a spatula to a width of about 10 cm (4 in). Reduce the heat to medium-low and fry the pancakes for 3–4 minutes until golden brown and crispy on the bottom. Flip them and cook for a further 3–4 minutes until slightly springy to the touch.
  6. Transfer the pancakes to a wire rack or kitchen paper-lined plate when done. Repeat with the remaining dough balls, wiping the pan clean and adding fresh oil for each batch. Leave the pancakes to cool slightly before serving. Beware, it’s easy to burn yourself in your haste to gobble these up, as the insides are hot and oozing.

 

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@judyjoochef Instagram profile imageAd. An authentic Korean meal is never complete without banchan: the colorful side dishes that bring every feast to life. 🇰🇷✨

The Korean table is usually laid edge to edge with these small little plates…and, if you’re out to impress, the more the better! @ocadouk’s Korean aisle makes it so easy for you to get all the ingredients you need for your banchan, delivered straight to your door.

The key is balance and the “rule of five”: every meal should have a mix of five flavours, textures, and colours.

Here are some of the most common banchan you’ll find:
🥬 Kimchi — the must-have
🍚 Steamed short-grain rice
🍲 Soup (a staple of any Korean table)
🍳 Gyeran-jjim (fluffy egg souffle)
🌿 Fresh salads — scallion salad, green salad, crudités with ssamjang
🥒 Pickled veggies — radish, cucumber, lotus root & more
🥔 Korean potato salad (yes… it’s a thing!)
🐟 Grilled fish — croaker or mackerel are classics
🥞 Jeon — savoury pancakes
🥬 Seasoned vegetables — spinach, bean sprouts, etc.
🍖 Braised meats — soy-braised beef, and more
🐠 Dried fish & seafood

And if you’re eating barbecue, you’ll also find lettuce leaves (ssam) for wrapping and our barbecue sauce, ssamjang on the table. 

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@judyjoochef Instagram profile imageHappy Giving Tuesday! 💚🍐

Proud to be partnering with @subarashiikudamono and @CityHarvestNYC to help nourish New Yorkers today and throughout the holiday season. City Harvest rescues more than 86 million pounds of nutritious food each year and delivers it directly to families who need it most — an extraordinary mission I’m honored to support.

To help raise awareness, we shared boxes of Subarashii’s beautiful Asian Pears with chef friends, along with a small note about today’s campaign. This initiative will help Subarashii Kudamono nourish 2,300 New Yorkers for a day, a meaningful contribution to City Harvest’s work.

I’m endlessly grateful for this community, for your friendship, generosity, and the joy you bring to the culinary world.

Together, we nourish. Together, we give. 💚

#AsianPearsXCityHarvest #WeAreCityHarvest5 days ago via Instagram
@judyjoochef Instagram profile imageAd. Crispy, cheesy, and a little bit sweet…this is Korean Street Toast, the ultimate breakfast of champions. 🍞✨

@ocadouk just launched a Korean aisle featuring some of my go-to ingredients, so I had to share this quick and comforting classic. 🇰🇷

A favourite grab-and-go breakfast in Korea since the 1980s, Korean Street Toast (gilgeori toast) began as a street-cart staple for students and commuters rushing to school or work. Cheap, fast, nourishing, and satisfying & still a nostalgic comfort food today, with long lines at Seoul cafés serving their own versions. 💛

Fluffy omelet, melted cheese, deli meats, and buttery milk bread & finished with a sprinkle of sugar to balance the savoury flavours. It sounds unusual, but that touch of sweetness is what makes it unforgettable.

My secret weapon? Kewpie mayo, Japan’s iconic rich, tangy, and slightly sweet mayonnaise, and you can now find it on Ocado! Spread it on one slice, add ketchup on the other, and you’ve got the ultimate breakfast of champions.

Quick to make, easy to love, and impossible to forget. 💛

60g packaged coleslaw mix or 40g white cabbage, thinly sliced and 20g carrot, peeled and julienned
2 spring onions, julienned
1 tbsp chopped parsley
½ tsp sea or kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
3 tbsp salted butter, plus extra as needed
2 slices of white bread
1 tsp granulated sugar
1–2 slices mild Cheddar
2–4 slices cured ham
2–4 slices salami

To Serve
1–2 tbsp ketchup
1–2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise

✨ Full recipe in my book K-Quick (which you can also find on Ocado!)

Watch the video for the method and tag me if you try it at home!

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@judyjoochef Instagram profile image’Tis the season for culinary competition! 🎄✨

I had so much fun being a judge on Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas. The talent in this episode is exceptional and every chef brought their holiday best.

Tune in this Wednesday at 8pm ET!

@geoffreyzakarian & @susanfeniger 

@FoodNetwork @GuyFieri #TournamentOfChampions #AllStarChristmas @HBOMax @DiscoveryPlus

Dress: @jonathansimkhai1 week ago via Instagram
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