Korean Fried Cheese Dogs | Korean Street Cheese
Who likes Corn Dogs? ::raises hand:: Who like Mozzarella Sticks? ::emoji guy raising both hands:: Well, you're in for a treat with these babies. Say hello to Korean Fried Cheese Dogs (A.K.A: Korean Street Cheese.) I'm obsessed with watching Mukbangers on YouTube and have been wanting one of these so bad. They opened up a Myungrang in L.A., which is a popular Korean Fried Cheese chain and I'm so jelly I'm not there right now. Apparently, we're gettin' one, here in Vegas and I can't wait! Gah!
The texture of the breading is unlike any other corn dog I've ever had! It has that special donut-y softness with a light crisp, crunch. The dough kind of reminds me of this Filipino/Chinese dessert or snack, called Jian Dui or Buchi. It has that crisp, batter with a nice bite to it. Hard to describe. It has 2 more layers of crunch from the Panko and sugar on top as well.
I've been playing around with recipes and came up with my own that has the perfect amount of crunch in texture and a delicious breaded coating on the cheese/hot dog. I also experimented with different cheeses and fillings. Pretty much the Sky's the limit with these things. As long as you stick to a stretchy cheese, like: Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Cheddar etc., you'll be good to go! You could even add specialty hot dogs, thick ham (for a ham and cheese), Vienna sausages and much more! I've seen some that have squid ink in them and potato cubes, coating the outside- which is kind of cool, but thought I'd stick with the traditional kind for now.
I'm not a huge ketchup and mustard fan, but it really does pair well with them. It's totally great plain as well. I'm a sauce-person, so I like to dip into every sauce that I could find. I'm gonna' play around a bit more and see what pairs best. Ooh! How about sweet chili sauce or David Chang's Ssam Sauce and of course Sriracha Mayo.
If you're unable to travel to LA or Korea right now, like me, try this recipe out. I mean, what's better than a giant piece of crispy, melty, fried cheese on a stick?! Be sure to tag me on social media, if you make it!
Saranghae (사랑해) x 1,000...
Greggy
Korean Fried Cheese Corn Dog
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup glutinous rice flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cups warm water
1 lb. block cheese at least 6” in length and 1” thick (stretchy cheese when it melts: Sharp Cheddar, Mozz., Monterey Jack etc.) or Hot Dogs.
Panko for coating
vegetable oil for frying (it's best to use an actual fryer to fry them vertically, but you can totally do it horizontally in a cast iron pan that is larger than the entire cheese dog (including the stick)
sugar for coating
Other Tools:
thick wooden dowels or chopsticks
metal tongs
fryer, deep enough to fry vertically or a large cast-iron pan, at least 3" deep.
1. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add glutinous rice flour, sugar, instant dry yeast and salt. Add water and olive oil and mix. If the dough is too dry, just keep adding small increments of water (1 Tbsp.) at a time, until it resembles a moist dough. It should still hold it’s shape, but be a soft dough. Knead for about 6-10 minutes. Allow to proof and double in size for about an hour. I like placing it in the warmest place in the house. When it’s summertime, I place it in the garage and when it’s winter, I create a proofbox in my oven by boiling water in a small pot and placing it in the bottom of the oven with the bowl of dough on the top rack to induce proofing.
2. While dough is proofing, cut block of cheese with a chef’s knife into batons. They should look like giant french fries or a huge julienned piece of cheese. Mine are usually about 6” in length and at least 3/4” thick. Insert chopsticks into cheese and lay them on a flat tray or sheetpan. Place in freezer. If you do hotdogs, just repeat the same process.
3. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Place a little bit of flour on a flat surface and roll the dough. Place it over the cheese or hot dog and pinch the seams. Roll the entire cheese-stick on table to distribute the dough and make smooth.
4. Roll the dough-covered cheese or hot dog onto the Panko and and deep-fry.
5. At this point, you have the option of rolling some sugar and drizzling ketchup and mustard. Enjoy!
