Bungeoppang — Korea's fish-shaped red bean pastries

i. Origin & history

Bungeoppang descend from the Japanese taiyaki, a fish-shaped cake filled with sweet red bean paste. Taiyaki is usually traced to Tokyo at the beginning of the twentieth century; the shop Naniwaya in Azabu-Jūban is widely credited with first making it in 1909, shaping its cakes like the tai, sea bream, a fish associated with celebration and good fortune in Japan.

The snack crossed to Korea during the Japanese colonial period (1910–1945), and became truly widespread from the 1950s and 1960s as cheap street food. Koreans gave it a humbler fish: the bungeo, crucian carp, a common freshwater fish. Ppang is the Korean word for bread, borrowed from the Portuguese pão via Japanese, so bungeoppang means 'crucian carp bread'.

Bungeoppang enjoyed a revival in the 1990s and has had several since; its carts appear on Korean street corners as soon as the weather turns cold, and many people track the location of their nearest stall through the winter. It has also entered the language. Saying two people are 'bungeoppang' means they look exactly alike, like pastries from the same mould, usually of a child and parent; and the joke 'there is no carp in carp bread' is a familiar Korean saying.

There are several close relatives. Ingeoppang (잉어빵, 'carp bread') is a version that appeared in the 1990s, usually with a thinner, crisper, slightly translucent shell and more filling. Gukhwappang (chrysanthemum bread) uses the same batter and filling in a small flower-shaped mould. Japan's taiyaki has a more cake-like batter and is often more generously filled.

ii. How the mould makes the crust

Bungeoppang are made in a hinged cast-iron mould, called a bungeoppang teul, with two fish-shaped halves. Street vendors use rotating rigs with many moulds, and home versions sit on a gas hob. The mould is heated empty and lightly oiled, then one half is filled with batter, a spoonful of red bean paste is placed in the centre, more batter covers it, and the mould is closed and turned so both sides cook.

Cast iron holds heat evenly and gives the pastry its characteristic crisp, golden, slightly caramelised surface, with the scales and fins sharply printed. The batter is a simple pancake batter of flour, egg, milk, sugar and baking powder, sometimes with a little glutinous rice flour for chewiness. It must be pourable but not thin: thin batter leaks from the mould and gives a fragile shell, thick batter makes a heavy, bready cake.

Temperature control is the vendor's skill. The mould is kept at a moderate heat so that the outside browns while the inside cooks through, which takes only two or three minutes. The thin seam of batter that squeezes out around the edges is cooked crisp and either trimmed off or left on as a crunchy fringe.

The filling is pat, sweet red (adzuki) bean paste, usually the chunky style with whole beans rather than a smooth purée. It must be thick and fairly dry, so it does not boil out or make the inside soggy.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 6 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 200 g plain flour
• 30 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg
• 250 ml whole milk
• 20 g unsalted butter, melted
• 300 g sweet red bean paste (chunky)
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, for the mould

The red bean paste is the soul of bungeoppang; ready-made chunky paste (tongpat) is sold in Korean and Japanese grocers, or you can cook dried adzuki beans with sugar until thick. For a popular modern filling, use vanilla custard (syukeurim, 'choux cream') instead. Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda give a light, tender interior and help the crust brown. Some vendors add 1–2 tablespoons of glutinous rice flour for a chewier shell. You will need a bungeoppang or taiyaki mould; a small waffle iron or egg-waffle pan can stand in, though without the fish shape.

iv. Method

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl.
2. Whisk the egg, milk and melted butter together, pour into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. The batter should be pourable, like a thick pancake batter. Rest for 30 minutes and transfer to a jug.
3. Roll the red bean paste into 12 small logs about 25 g each, so they fit easily in the centre of each fish.
4. Heat the mould over a medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes on each side. Brush both halves lightly with oil.
5. Pour batter into one half of the open mould until about half full. Place a log of red bean paste in the centre, then pour over just enough batter to cover it.
6. Close the mould and cook for 2–3 minutes, then turn it over and cook for another 2–3 minutes, until both sides are deep golden. Open and check after the first one, and adjust the heat or time.
7. Lift out the bungeoppang, trim off any thin edges of batter if you like and cool on a rack for a minute. Serve hot.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Preheat the mould thoroughly. A cold mould sticks and gives a pale, soft crust; well-heated iron browns the batter and releases cleanly.
• Oil lightly but every time. A thin film prevents sticking; too much oil fries the outside and makes it greasy.
• Do not overfill the batter. Too much batter squeezes out of the seams and gives thick, doughy fish.
• Keep the filling in the centre. Filling touching the edges of the mould burns and leaks.
• Use thick red bean paste. Runny paste boils out and makes the inside soggy. Roll it into logs to check its consistency.
• Eat them hot. The crust softens within minutes as steam escapes; bungeoppang are best straight from the mould.

vi. Variations

Custard bungeoppang, filled with vanilla cream, rivals red bean as the most popular flavour, and Koreans debate which is better with the same energy as any rivalry. Other modern fillings include sweet potato, chocolate, Nutella, cheese and pizza. Ingeoppang has a thinner, crisper shell, and mini bungeoppang are sold by the bag. In summer, bungeo ice cream sandwiches ice cream in a wafer fish.

Related street sweets include the Japanese monaka, a wafer filled with bean paste; Korean hotteok; and other red bean desserts such as red bean buns, daifuku and Japanese anpan. The Hong Kong egg waffle is another snack cooked in a patterned iron mould.

vii. Serving & storage

Bungeoppang are eaten hot, straight from the mould, usually bought in a paper bag of three or more from a street cart. They are a winter snack, eaten while walking or shared with friends, and a favourite treat to bring home. Many people argue over whether to eat them head first or tail first.

They are best fresh, as the crust softens quickly. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container for a day or frozen for up to a month. Reheat them in an air fryer or oven at 170 °C (340 °F) for 3–5 minutes, until crisp and hot through. The batter can be made up to a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator; whisk before using.

ix. More from Korean

• Hotteok — Korean filled pancakes
• Croffle — croissant waffle
• Bingsu — Korean shaved ice
• Yaksik — sweet medicinal rice
• Monaka — Japanese wafer sandwich
• Egg Waffle — Hong Kong bubble waffle