East meets West in this delicious Korean Corn Dog recipe!
What’s distinctive about the Korean corn dog versus an American corn dog is that the Korean corn dog has a crispy panko and sugar coating. Additionally, some versions of the Korean corn dogs include mozzarella, which I haven’t seen in the American equivalent before but absolutely love! After all, it’s a well-known fact that you can never have too much cheesy goodness.
The Korean corn dog began to explode across the city of Seoul and into the rest of South Korea around the 2010s and, even more widely, across social media. It’s one of those special foods that really owes its international renown to popularity on social media!
You’re going to love the way this recipe makes it quick and easy to bring this delicious street food into your home. It’s got a sweet and savory taste, is cheesy and delicious, and you can make it suitable for vegetarians by switching the hot dog out with a plant-based dog. No matter what’s inside, the crispy and fried exterior is going to be a winner every time.
Better Batter
The batter is what really makes the meal when it comes to Korean corn dogs. Obviously, the cheese and meat are important, but the batter is what differentiates this dish from any similar corn dogs you might find in America. You can just stick to regular wheat flour, but I would actually recommend making one small change. Use a blend of rice flour and wheat flour to get that slightly chewy dough texture found in many Korean corn dogs. You can buy rice flour in most Asian grocery stores or markets, either as a dry product or possibly in the freezer section. Get glutinous rice flour, also known as sweet rice flour, specifically, for best results. If this isn’t available near you, I have successfully made my own rice flour with a coffee grinder, a pasta strainer (to sift out the powder), and white short-grain sushi rice before! It takes some time, and frankly, it’s way easier to just buy the flour, but it can be worth it. Add a quarter cup of your rice flour to the all-purpose flour in this recipe.
How Do I Store Leftovers?
You can store your Korean corn dogs in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When reheating, I recommend using an air fryer to keep them nice and crispy! Preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and warm up the corn dogs for about 4 minutes. If you’d like to freeze your corn dogs, you can do so for up to 1 month. Let them thaw before reheating for best results! You can also use a microwave to reheat your leftovers, of course, but they won’t be as crispy.
Panko Perfection
Panko crumbs help provide that extra crunchy exterior when you’re frying your deliciously battered Korean corn dogs. I’d like to recommend using seasoned panko crumbs! If you only have plain, that’s fine too. You can easily mix a little Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and onion powder into the panko mix! You can even experiment further with coatings, using things like dry ramen noodles for different textures and flavors.
Serving Suggestions
Condiments are yours to customize! Ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, gochujang: whatever suits your palate. If you’d like a Korean side dish to serve next to your Korean corn dogs, you can’t get more classic than a Korean Cucumber Salad! If you’re making a bit of a spread and want more street-food-style options, consider making Korean Beef Tacos and Korean BBQ Chicken as well!
Korean Corn Dog
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 beef or pork hot dogs cut in half
- 6 mozzarella sticks cut to match hot dog length
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar for dusting, optional
- Ketchup for serving
- Mustard for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt.
- Separately, dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water and let it sit until it becomes foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until a smooth batter forms. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
- Skewer the hot dogs and cheese sticks on wooden sticks with the hot dogs first and the cheese at the top, cutting the cheese shorter to fit the stick if needed.
- Dip each skewered hot dog and cheese stick into the batter, ensuring they are fully coated.
- Roll the battered skewers in panko breadcrumbs, pressing gently to adhere.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or large pot to 350°F. Fry each skewer until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes each. Drain on paper towels.
- Dust with granulated sugar if using and serve with ketchup and mustard.
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