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Adding Pinoy flavor to Korean-Style Corn Dog with Mekeni Chicken Longanisa [VIDEO]

A satisfying and heavy snack often sold in the streets of South Korea, this Korean-Style Corn Dog gets a Pinoy touch with Mekeni‘s Chicken Longanisa!


In the past few months, many of us have been learning how to cook all sorts of things. On my part, I’ve been learning recipes from different parts of the world because I find that it helps with my wanderlust. I really miss the feeing of being able to wander around, and eating random interesting things I come across.

Whenever I’m in Korea, the Korean-Style Corn Dog is one of the street foods I try not to miss. Recreating the recipe at home did a great job of reminding me what it was like to be enjoying these on the streets of Seoul. It really helps me miss it less.

Simply called ‘Hotdog’ or 핫도그 in Korea, these are probably one of the most relatable street foods for the international crowd. It looks very much like American corn dogs, the ones coated in pancake batter or soft cornbread, but it’s actually very different.

And to make it more different still, I’m adding a Pinoy twist by using Mekeni’s chicken longanisa rather than an ordinary hotdog. (Of course, you can feel free to use Mekeni hotdog too!)

Instead of pancake batter, Korean-style Corn Dog actually uses a sticky yeast-raised batter (technically it’s a batter-like “dough”) plus breadcrumbs as a coating. It fries up into a beautifully golden and crunchy bread that is super duper filling. It’s almost like a fried sandwich. For the sake of clarity and less confusion, I will refer to these as Korean-Style Corn Dog rather than Hotdog with a capital H.

Now it’s important that you wisely choose the meat that goes into your Korean-style Corn Dog, obviously because you want this to taste great after all the effort of making it! I thought Mekeni’s Chicken Longanisa gave these a different spin because the longanisa is a bit sweeter than a regular hotdog, with an underlying saltiness that makes it yummy. It reminds me of tocino actually, except in juicy longanisa form.

I decided to make this a cheese and chicken longanisa Korean-style Corn Dog because I super love that combo. Frankly, it’s so very satisfying!

But going the extra mile, I wanted to show you 2 ways you can coat your Korean-style Corn Dog. Classic is always a good way to go, but adding crushed uncooked instant noodles gives it a different eating experience! This coating is a bit more uncommon compared to the version covered with potatoes, but I figured, since we’re a noodle-loving nation as well, you all might like this version too!

 

Recipe notes

https://youtu.be/afL7wIr5rs4

So to start, you want to prepare your batter/dough. First mix together your liquid and sugar. You will need 1 whole cup of liquid, either water or milk or a combination. I like to use half water, half milk because I feel that milk always adds a little something to doughs. If you don’t have milk though, using just water is completely fine. Add in the instant yeast and leave for a couple of minutes to bubble up.

I like to stir it a little before adding in the salt and the flour. I usually mix my batter inside a loaf pan but if you’re making a big batch it’s quite difficult to mix without spilling things over the sides, so you might want to mix in a bowl first then transfer to the loaf pan.

Cover your batter and leave it to proof and double, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, skewer your Mekeni longanisa and mozzarella. I recommend using chopsticks rather than BBQ sticks because they’re thicker and sturdier. I like to do this part two ways, the first being the more straightforward way of just skewering the longanisa, followed by a long block of mozzarella. Because the mozzarella is also long, you get a nice cheese pull on your first bite.

The second way is to alternately skewer the cheese and the longanisa, dividing the longanisa into 3 portions and the mozzarella to 2.

The important thing to consider either way is to make sure your cheese is about the same dimension as your hotdog or longanisa so they look even once coated. Also, you can use any cheese that gives a nice melt. Some people like a more salty cheese, but for me mozzarella is the easiest to acquire and the surest way to a cheese pull. It also complements all the possible hotdogs/longanisa/sausage choices you can make.

Once you’ve skewered everything, make sure to pop them in the fridge so they maintain their firmness. This will also make them easier to coat.

Now for the topping. Typically, the classic Korean-style Corn Dog is coated with breadcrumbs, and the next most common is a potato coating. I wanted to do something different so I decided on a ramen coating instead. You can use any instant noodle you have on hand and crush it finely. As finely as you like. Just do not leave clumps of uncooked noodle because it will be exhausting to chew.

I like to add a bit of flavor into my ramen bits by adding 1/8 teaspoon each of salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. This part is optional though. Just use what you have, or skip altogether. It’ll still turn out fine. One block of uncooked instant noodle is enough to generously coat about 2 skewers.

Lay out your ramen on a plate, then do the same with your breadcrumbs. (By the way, you can season the breadcrumbs with the same set of seasonings as above it you want.)

When your dough is ready, take your skewers out of the fridge. I forgot to film this part but you want to pat your skewers dry before rolling them into your batter/dough. If they are wet, the batter won’t stick. Roll them through and use a spoon to help with covering up bald areas. The first one is always the hardest but you’ll get the hang of it.

Remember that you don’t need a very thick layer of dough because this is yeasted and therefore it will expand a bit more once it comes into contact with hot oil. You still want these to fit into your mouth lol.

Working one stick at a time, immediately roll the dough-coated skewers in breadcrumbs for classic, or in the crushed ramen for the ramen coated. After rolling in the ramen, make sure to roll the skewers in the breadcrumbs as well, sprinkling it and pressing against empty spaces. (Once you’ve coated your skewers, you can just reshape more perfectly with your hands.)

Keep the coated skewers in the fridge to arrest the yeast while you finish with the rest. With this much batter/dough, I always like to do 2 classic and 2 ramen-coated.

Now it’s time to heat up the oil. On a thermometer, you want it to register 320°F, but if you don’t have a thermometer, you can drop a piece of dough into the oil and see if it bubbles. The bubbling indicates your oil is ready, but if that test dough browns right away then the oil may be too hot. Turn down the heat and retest.

Cook your Korean-Style Corn Dogs for about 4 minutes on each side, until you are satisfied with how golden it is. Drain on paper towels.

Before serving, drizzle ketchup or Sriracha (or both) and some yellow mustard. In the Korean way, they coat the cooked corn dogs in sugar first. Personally I prefer to skip the sugar because I like to keep this on the savory side. My favorite topping is either a gochujang-ketchup mixture and mustard, or Sriracha-ketchup and mustard. Yum!

Serve with a cold soda or juice (my fave is cold lemonade) and listen to the sound of the crunch as you eat! The crunching sound in the video is very real, my friends.

Korean-Style Corn Dog, 2 Ways

A satisfying and heavy snack often sold in the streets of South Korea.

Makes 2 classic Korean Hotdogs and 2 ramen-coated Korean Hotdogs

Ingredients

For the corn dogs

  • 1 cup lukewarm water or milk, or a combination
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 pieces favorite hotdog or sausage, I used Mekeni’s Chicken Longganisa
  • 4 2- inch long blocks of mozzarella, about the same width as your hotdog
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs, or more as needed
  • Oil, for frying
  • Ketchup, gochujang, mustard, or sauce of choice

For the ramen coating (good for 2)

  • 1 whole piece of uncooked instant noodles
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Make the dough

  • In a large bowl (or straight into a large loaf pan), mix together the water/milk and sugar until dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast on top and leave for about 2 minutes until melted and bubbly.
  • Add in the salt and flour, then mix with a wooden spoon until well-combined. The mixture should be lump-free and fairly smooth, and it will be very sticky. (If you do this straight inside a loaf pan, it might be a little messier and harder to mix it around.)
  • Transfer to a large loaf pan (if you mixed the ingredients in a bowl). Cover with a towel or with clingwrap, then proof until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the rest

  • Using a wooden chopstick, skewer your choice of hotdog or sausage and mozzarella blocks in desired order. You can skewer the hotdog first, then the mozzarella on top. You can also slice the hotdog into three parts, then sliced the mozzarella into two, then alternately skewer them. Place the skewers in the fridge as you wait so the mozzarella doesn’t soften.
  • To make the ramen coating, place the uncooked ramen in a ziplock bag then seal. Break the ramen with a rolling pin or other heavy object until no more big clumps remain and you get crushed noodles bits. Add in all the spices and shake to mix everything up.

Assemble and cook

  • Before the dough is ready, place breadcrumbs in one plate and ramen bits in another. Take out your skewered hotdogs and cheese, then pat dry with a paper towel. Make sure to pat dry your hotdogs and mozzarella so the dough will stick onto them.
  • Start coating the skewers in the dough, rolling them around and using a spoon to even out and cover up any empty spots. Make sure the hotdogs and cheeses are COMPLETELY covered from top to bottom. Don’t lay the dough on thick however, because this is yeasted and will continue to expand once cooked. (You’ll end up with a GIANT corn dog!) Don’t put too thin a coating either otherwise the cheese might seep out as you cook it.
  • To make a classic Korean Corn Dog, roll the coated skewers in the breadcrumbs until completely coated. Sprinkle and press in breadcrumbs onto the bald spots as necessary. To make the ramen-coated ones, roll the coated skewers in the crushed ramen, then generously press breadcrumbs onto the bald spots. You can reshape the coating with your hands at this point to create an evenly round shape. Place in the fridge while you finish with the others. (The measurements above makes 2 classic and 2 ramen-coated corn dogs.)
  • Heat enough oil in a wide pan to submerge at least more than half of the corn dogs. Watch until the oil temperature reaches 320°F. Fry corn dogs on both sides about 5 minutes or so, until golden and fully cooked all around. Make sure the oil doesn’t get too hot as the mozzarella may pop out. Place cooked corn dogs on paper towels to drain the excess oil.
  • Korean street vendors like to sprinkle the corn dogs with sugar before squeezing on ketchup and mustard. I don’t like to add sugar, but I do like to eat this with spicy ketchup/hot sauce and mustard. Ketchup mixed with gochujang is also good. The corn dogs will be flavorful if you use a flavorful hotdog or sausage to begin with, like Mekeni’s Chicken Longanisa.
  • Serve while hot and cheese is stretchy.

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Full disclosure: This post is brought to you by Mekeni Food Corp Philippines. All opinions stated above are my own.

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