Hotteok (Korean pancakes) with black sesame ice-cream

Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancakes) is a popular Korean street food dessert that is made from a sweet yeast dough with syrup filling. You can have it as yummy snack after dinner, or if you like, as a sweet breakfast as well. Since we can't go to Korea now, bring Korea to your kitchen (and tastebuds) and attempt to make this dessert at home.

Yield: Serves 10
Prep Time: 40 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Difficulty Level: 3/5

Ingredients

• 2 litre (8 cups) vanilla ice-cream, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 cup (30g) black sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 teaspoon (7g) dried yeast
• 2 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 1/2 cup (375ml) milk, lukewarm
• 2 cup (300g) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 cup (130g) glutinous rice flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup (110g) firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (30g) walnuts, chopped finely
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• extra vegetable oil, for shallow-frying

Steps

01. To toast sesame seed. In a dry frying pan over medium heat, stirring for 2 minutes or until fragrant.

02. Beat ice-cream, sesame oil and sesame seeds in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined. Spoon into a 2.5-litre (10-cup) loaf tin. Cover, freeze for 4 hours or until firm.

03. Combine yeast, caster sugar and ½ cup of the milk in a small bowl, set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until foamy.

04. Combine flours and salt in a large bowl. Stir in vegetable oil, yeast mixture and remaining milk to form a sticky dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, set aside in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled in size.

05. Preheat oven to 100°C (80°C fan forced).

06. Combine brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon in a small bowl.

07. Divide dough into 10 equal portions. Working with lightly oiled hands, flatten 1 dough portion in the palm of your hand. Place 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar mixture in the centre, pinch edges to enclose the filling, then flatten into a 10cm (4-inch) round. Repeat with remaining dough and sugar mixture.

Add enough vegetable oil to a deep medium frying pan to come 2cm (¾ inch) up the side, heat to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 10 seconds). Fry pancakes, in three batches, for 1 minute each side or until golden and cooked through. Drain on an oven tray lined with a paper towel, keep warm in the oven in between batches.
08.  

09. Serve hot pancakes with ice-cream.