Well good afternoon.
I have just woken up from my afternoon nap and I decided hey street food would be pretty
nice.
So we decided to check out a local market.
Korean street food is a good idea anytime of day as far as I'm concerned.
Yeah, so we're at the Mangwon Market (망원시장).
This is a really cool market here in Seoul (서울).
It is not one of those popular touristy markets.
It is very much a local market.
It is nearby Hapjeong (합정) and also Hongdae (홍대) area.
So we're just going to check it out.
We're going to show you guys what you can find here as well as sample a whole bunch
of different Korean street food (한국 길거리 음식) here in Seoul.
Let's do it.
Exciting times.
Let's start eating.
So we're starting off with the cheon won (천원) menu.
The one thousand won (원) menu.
This should be awesome.
Anyeonghaseyo.
Danhobak (단호박) hana.
Gamsahamnida.
Got it right here.
Let's eat it.
This one is for you.
It was cheaper.
It was only 500 hundred Won (원).
Are you serious?
It was five hundred won (원).
W500 KRW for that.
Yeah.
Look at that.
So it looks like a donut but it is actually a croquet.
I saw that when I ordered.
Okay.
A pumpkin croquet.
So we were way off.
But hey, I love getting a deal this is literally half price than what I thought.
Let's dig in.
So let's try this.
I've ever this before.
This is fascinating for me because I've tried most Korean street food (한국 길거리
음식).
But I never tried this.
I'm curious to see if it is going to be savory or sweet.
Mmmm.
It is actually kind of both.
It is a little bit sweet but it is also savory.
I've got to have another bite.
I guess the dough is probably more savory since it has been deep-fried.
Yeah.
And the pumpkin would be sweet?
Mmmm.
Give us a good luck.
Look at this.
You can see you can really see the pumpkin here.
Oh.
You can really see the pumpkin here.
Look at that.
That almost looks like curry.
Yeah, it is.
I'm actually going to correct myself.
It is a bit more savory than it is sweet.
More savory than sweet.
Alright, well you are clearly enjoying it.
It is like falling out of your mouth.
I'm wolfing it down over here.
(Speaking Korean)
Mandu (만두).
yachae (야채).
Okay, so do you want to tell us what you ordered?
Yeah, absolutely.
We're having Tteokbokki (떡볶이) which is basically my all-time favorite Korean street
food snack.
So let's take a look down here.
I'll give you a tour.
And the tteokbokki (떡볶이) part here is basically the Korean rice cakes in a gochujang
sauce (고추장).
A spicy red pepper sauce and then you also have fishcakes and then over here I ordered
something called twigim (튀김) which is basically the fried battered objects that
come along with it.
Objects?
Mostly vegetables.
So I have like mandu (만두).
Okay dumpling.
This one if called yachae (야채) which is different vegetables and then over here we
also have.
I think there is sweet potato somewhere in there.
Yes, sweet potato which is kokuma (고구마).
Can't wait to try all of that.
Alright, I'm going to start off with the tteokbokki (떡볶이).
Dig in.
Here we go.
One big piece of rice cake.
That is a giant sized rice cake.
It is like extra long.
Oh, massiseoyo (맛있어요).
Massiseoyo.
Ne.
Very delicious.
Korean tteokbokki (떡볶이).
Yeah, very good.
Massiseoyo (맛있어요).
Oh, that is awesome.
Such good tteokbokki (떡볶이).
And now we're going to try the twikim.
So I'm taking the sweet potato piece here.
I'm going to take it for a swim here in the gochujang sauce (고추장).
Yep.
And let's try that.
A little messy over there.
Don't burn yourself.
A little bit too big of a bite.
It is like fresh out of the deep fryer.
That is my favorite twigim (튀김).
Yeah.
If you're going to try one kind of twigim (튀김), in Korea with your tteokbokki (떡볶이)
then make sure you get the kokuma (고구마) you get the sweet potato.
It is just so good.
So sweet, so delicious.
And it tastes so good when it is crispy.
So before I gobble all of the twigim (튀김) and tteokbokki (떡볶이) why don't I share
a little bit with you.
Share.
So I'm going to add some sauce to mine.
So this is pretty cool.
It is kind of like a spicy soy chili sauce with sesame seeds.
Oh yeah.
So you can use a spoon if you want to get lots of it.
Or you can use this little brush and just paint the twigim (튀김).
That is awesome so you're.
It gives it a lot more flavor.
It makes it spicier.
You're going to try the twigim (튀김) then.
Which one do you have?
Mandu (만두).
Mandu (만두)?
How is that?
It is nice and spicy.
It is good.
I like a lot better with the sauce.
It gives it more flavor.
So even though you can find lots of street food here that is not the only thing they
sell at this market.
You can also get lots of fresh produce, fruits, vegetables.
They have butchers.
You can buy clothes, you can buy school supplies.
So a little bit of everything.
There is definitely lots of variety here.
Ah, tteok (떡) hana.
So which package are you getting Audrey?
I guess this one.
The little ones.
Gamsahamnida.
I forgot to count my money.
It is two thousand Won (원).
So what did you get Audrey?
So I got myself some little rice cakes.
I'm not going to eat them right now because we've been having a lot of street food.
I'm taking this home for later as a little snack.
They come in different colors but the filling is often the same for all of them.
Um, it might be red bean paste.
That is what it usually is with the bigger ones.
I'm not sure with the little ones.
Yeah, they have different fillings and these are called tteok (떡) and I think these might
be songpyeong.
I think these might be the ones that are had.
That you have on special holidays and they're especially sweet.
They are sweeter than most.
So they are really good.
Okay so we just finished covering one half of the market.
Now we're, I nearly got run over there.
Now we're going to cross the street and visit the second half of the market which continues
on the other side of the road and I've been holding out for sweets so I really hope I
can find some hotteok (호떡) when we are there.
Another thing I find really amusing is that people are going through the market on a motorbikes
even though it is a pedestrian only area or so it would seem.
So you have to be careful and kind of watch out because they come out of nowhere.
Tteokkochi (떡꼬치) almaeyo. 500 or 1000.
Cheon Won (천원) juseyo.
Ne.
Clearly somebody hasn't tired of the rice cakes today.
Yeah, sticking with the theme of the rice cakes for this afternoon I've got another
Korean street food snack here.
We've got something called tteokkochi (떡꼬치).
So I'm going to take a bite and then describe it to you after.
Mmmm.
So how this is different from tteokbokki (떡볶이) is that the sauce is completely different.
This is more like a sweet and sour type of chili sauce that is on top of it.
And also the rice cakes have been cooked differently.
They've been obviously cooked a little bit longer and they are crispier but also still
chewy while you are chewing them.
So this is almost a little bit almost like a dessert snack.
So are the rice cakes pan-fried then?
I think they are.
Yeah, because they are crispy on the outside.
Yeah.
So really good.
And again this one was only cheon Won (천원) so less than one US dollar.
Can't go wrong.
It is kind of funny with this dish I had never tried it in Korea but then when we were in
Kyrgyzstan.
Your first time to try it was in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
They had a Korean restaurant.
Korean restaurant so there you go.
Which is kind of unusual.
Going to go in for more.
Mmmmm.
So if you had to choose do you prefer tteokbokki (떡볶이) or tteokkochi (떡꼬치)?
They are nothing alike so it is comparing apples with oranges.
But right now I've had quite a bit of savory things so I'm appreciating the kind of sweet
chili sauce on this.
A very diplomatic answer.
So your'e up again.
What have you got?
I found my favorite all-time Korean street snack.
This is called hotteok (호떡) and it kind of looks like a donut or a really fat pancake
and it is usually filled with brown sugar and pine nuts and cinnamon.
Yours is a special one.
What is yours?
This one is nokcha (녹차) so this is green tea hotteok (호떡) which I have never had
before.
And just looking at it.
It looks like it has got little bit of like green tea like loose leaf.
Yeah.
So let's see what it tastes like.
Try that.
Ah, it is so hot.
Piping hot.
It is freshly made.
Just made that for you.
Have you got to the gooey part in the middle yet.
Haven't got to the gooey part.
I don't know if there is a gooey part.
Maybe this one is just sprinkled with green tea.
First impressions though is it sweet?
It tastes like a sweet donut.
So far so good.
I think it may have a filling though.
Ahh.
Here we go.
So look at that.
There you have your brown caramelized sugar, some nuts, a little bit of green tea loose
leaf, cinnamon.
It smells amazing.
And you call it smells like Christmas, right?
I think that is one of the reasons I like it so much.
It is just like such a comforting aroma.
It smells like Christmas.
It is so so good.
And I'm burning myself right now having this but it is just so good.
I don't really want to wait.
And how much was it?
One thousand Won (원).
Wow another cheon Won (천원).
So less than a dollar.
We're just feasting like Kings and Queens here without paying much at all.
We sure are.
So someone couldn't resist temptation.
He's having some hotteok (호떡) too.
You know what?
You were kind enough to share so I really appreciate that because we were just supposed
to kind of each get our own things but let's try it.
Oooh.
This is definitely my favorite Korean street food dessert snack.
Like bar none.
This is so good.
I could eat this everyday and probably not get sick of it.
And we decided we couldn't wait until we got home to try the rice cakes.
I know.
Considering I just had something sweet the hotteok (호떡) it was like I could have
a little something else and I've already bought these.
So I'm going to dig in to the rice cakes.
And I wonder if the green ones are like green tea flavored or anything like that.
I think the white one is going to be sweet and the pink one.
I'm not sure about the green one though.
Let's try the pink one.
These are little.
These are like mini sized.
Let's see what is in them.
Mmmm.
It is not red bean paste.
It is like a sweet jelly.
It is orange but I have no idea what kind.
No idea what it is.
I've never had this before.
Does it taste good.
It tastes great.
Yeah.
Alright, I'm going in for one.
Here comes the hand.
Ha.
Let's see if you can decipher the mystery ingredient.
It is almost like syrupy.
Mmmm.
Look at that.
Mmmm.
Those are so good.
I know.
Those are so good I'm having one more.
One more.
Open it up.
I'm going to have a pink one.
I think they all have the same filling though.
Wow that is delicious.
Yeah.
So how did you enjoy this market?
It was awesome.
I really appreciate this market because it has such a local feel as opposed to feeling
like a touristy market and that made it a lot of fun.
There are people that who are in the market that were curious about what we were doing.
Nobody was jaded, nobody told us hey no pictures no taking video.
Everyone was like really in to what we were doing.
And that was awesome.
I think it is just a cool alternative to some of the more popular markets in Seoul.
And it is just one stop away from Hapjeong on the brown line so if you come here you
can go to Mangwon station and go out exit two and then it is just five minute walk and
you're here.
Yeah.
You turn left at the exit and then left again at the next major intersection.
Yeah, so it is not far at all.
So highly recommend coming here and man am I ever full.