How to Make a Perfect Korean Corn Dog

A Korean corn dog contains hot dogs, cheese, rice cakes, or fish cakes that are fried in a batter on a stick and topped with sugar, ketchup, mustard, and/or mayo. They are a sweet and salty delight that may be prepared in a variety of ways!

There are a few distinctions between traditional corn dogs and Korean corn dogs. The biggest distinction between corn dogs and Korean corn dogs is found in the batter. Cornmeal batter is used for American corn dogs, whereas yeasted dough or rice flour batter is used for Korean corn dogs.

Korean corn dogs are also sprinkled with sugar at the end. Lastly, Korean corn dogs do not need to have hot dogs in them. There are several Korean corn dogs that are nothing more than mozzarella cheese, fish cake, or rice cakes.

Ingredients for Korean corn dogs

• Hot dogs – chop your favorite brand of hot dog in half.
• Mozzarella cheese – For this dish, purchase a block of low-moisture mozzarella cheese and cut it into sticks; the cheese will hold up better while deep fried and will give you a greater cheese pull. If all you have are cheese string snacks, that will suffice. You can use a thick batter comprised of flour, eggs, milk, sugar, and a little salt. Some Korean corn dogs are made with a yeasted or rice batter. The batter works perfectly!
• Panko – Panko is a fluffy Japanese breadcrumb that is used to cover most Korean corn dogs. Panko is bigger and more irregularly shaped than conventional breadcrumbs. It’s the key to light, crisp breading. Purchasing a package of panko is worthwhile, especially if you enjoy crunch. Panko is available at most grocery shops in the Asian aisle, however, it is more affordable in an Asian grocery store.
• Oil – To deep fry your Korean corn dogs, you’ll need around 2-4 cups of oil. Choose a high smoke point oil since the oil temperature should be between 350° and 375°F. Safflower, rice bran, soybean, maize, sunflower, canola, or grapeseed are the finest frying oils, in order of highest to lowest smoke point. You want a flavorless, neutral oil.
• Sugar – rolling in sugar adds sweetness and crunch.

It’s up to you whether you use ketchup or mustard; a charming squiggle of one or both is iconic.

Making a Korean Corn Dog

1. Assemble: Begin by slicing the hot dogs in half. Cut the mozzarella cheese block into sticks about the size of the split hot dogs. Using a stick and skewer, alternate between hot dog and cheese. Put in the refrigerator to make sure they are cool.
2. Prepare the batter: Mix flour, milk, an egg, baking powder, sugar, and a sprinkle of salt in a mixing bowl until thick and smooth. Get a tall cup for the batter to make dipping the hot dogs easier. It’s better to store this in the fridge, just like the hot dogs and cheese.
3. Dip: Holding the stick, dip the hot dogs fully, making sure the batter adheres to the hot dog and cheese.
4. Coat: Take the battered hot dog and immediately coat it in panko, pressing carefully to ensure that it is entirely coated in panko.
5. Fry: Heat the oil to medium-high heat. The oil temperature should be between 350°F and 375°F. The oil temperature will drop when you add the corn dogs, so start at 375°F. To ensure that I’m in the proper temperature range, use an instant-read thermometer. Fry the coated corn dogs in batches until golden and crispy. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, delicately scoop them out and drain on a wire rack.
6. Enjoy: Finish with a dollop of ketchup, mustard, or both on top of the golden corn dog.

Tips for the best Korean Corn Dog

Skewers

The skewers you use are important. They won’t hold up your Korean corn dog if they’re too thin. Use a strong wooden skewer or a disposable wooden chopstick. Because they have a pointed tip.

Cheese, hot dogs, and batter are all served cold

It is critical to keep your mozzarella, hot dogs, and batter chilled. If they sit at room temperature for too long or warm up, the cheese will leak out during deep fried. It’s preferable to chill the hot dogs and cheese in the fridge for 30 minutes or more.

The proper mozzarella

When it comes to cheese, selecting low-moisture mozzarella blocks is essential. String cheese can be used, however, block mozzarella sliced into sticks is significantly more flexible and melty.

The oil is hot

The ideal temperature for frying these Korean corn dogs is 350°F.

At most, one or two at a time

For your first time, coat and fry the corn dogs in one or two batches. This ensures that the cheese and batter remain cold in the refrigerator. The colder the cheese and batter, the less likely it is to leak when cooking. Leaking cheese in boiling oil is a disaster!

Don’t forego the sweetness

The sugar coating may appear excessive, but it is the sweet and salty combination that makes Korean corn dogs so delicious!

Potatoes

Another common covering for Korean corn dogs is chopped-up fries. Instead of coating your battered hot dog in panko, roll it in diced-up frozen french fries and panko, then cook as usual.