Deep fried and coated in batter, seasoned with sauces such as gochujang chilli paste, sweet chilli and good old-fashioned ketchup, Korean corn dogs – or K-dogs – have become a cult street-food hit in the last few years. Now they’re going mainstream as Asian chain restaurant Wagamama puts a vegan K-dog on its menu.
A take on the American corn dog – a deep-fried frankfurter in cornmeal – K-dogs can substitute cheese, chicken sausage or fish for the traditional hot dog. They come coated in batter and served on a stick.
“Korean cuisine is experiencing a global renaissance,” says Jae Cho, owner of Korean food outlet Bunsik. “As restaurants worldwide embrace these dishes, it’s evident that Korea’s culinary influence is more than just a trend. It’s a delicious movement that’s here to stay.”
Bunsik has three branches in London and has just opened its first venue outside the capital. The restaurant in Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens has had queues down the street since opening a month ago. Cho plans to open in Leeds and Birmingham soon. He has said that, on a busy day, Bunsik in Soho sells a K-dog every 20 seconds.
Steve Mangleshot, global executive chef for Wagamama, says their vegan K-dog made the chain’s national menu after becoming a “fan favourite” at the Wagamama Noodle Lab, a test kitchen in Soho. “Our aim is for our menu to tap into cultural and social conversations,” says Mangleshot. “We’re endlessly inspired by the street food scene in Asia, and the vegan K-dogs were developed with this in mind. There is also no doubt that Korean food, and Korean corn dogs in particular, captures the zeitgeist.”
K-dogs have gained international popularity as interest in Korean culture has grown. K-pop, K-beauty and K-drama brought the music, TV and style of this east Asian country to an avid international audience. The photogenic snack has particularly spread through social media. The batter crunch and the cheese stretch of a K-dog makes them great subjects for mukbang – videos of people eating food, which are popular on TikTok and Instagram. The hashtag koreancorndog has had 68.7m views on TikTok to date.
Seoul-born London food writer Su Scott’s book about Korean street food is out next year. She says the K-dog’s style is unique: “These are commonly referred to as hot dogs in Korea. The sausage is skewered on to a stick and double-dipped in sweetened flour-based batter and fried twice. This double dipping forms two visible layers, unique to this original style of hot dog. In the 2000s, food chains grew, as did an interest in nostalgic food. Younger generations took unassuming dishes from the past such as the K-dog and developed techniques and ingredients to suit the evolving market.”
