Once a familiar sight at Korean highway rest stops, this unlikely snack is now exploding in popularity overseas—becoming a rising star in the world of K-street food.
Sotteok Sotteok: The Sweet-and-Savory Skewer Taking the World by Storm
If you’ve ever stopped at a Korean rest area, you’ve likely seen it: skewers lined with tteokbokki (Korean spicy rice cakes) and sausages, grilled to perfection. It’s called sotteok sotteok—a snack so simple it almost seems too ordinary. But abroad, this unusual combo of rice cakes and sausage is wowing global foodies as an unexpected K-food hit.
A Chewy, Juicy, Sweet-and-Savory Combo
Sotteok sotteok (short for “sausage + tteok”) is a skewer made by alternating slices of chewy rice cake (tteok) with mini sausages—usually grilled Vienna-style links. After grilling until golden, they’re brushed with a signature glaze: ketchup and mustard, or a gochujang-based sweet-and-spicy sauce.
What makes this snack so addictive is the contrast—chewy and nutty rice cakes meet juicy, salty sausage, all tied together with tangy, sweet, or spicy sauce. It’s a perfect one-bite treat: easy to carry, quick to eat, and incredibly satisfying.
The snack exploded into the mainstream after TV personality Lee Young-ja introduced it on a popular food program. Since then, it’s become a staple at highway stops, snack bars, and even supermarket ready-meal sections across Korea. Most recently, on an episode of MBC’s Hangout with Yoo, Yoo Jae-suk, SEVENTEEN idol member Seungkwan, Lee Mi-joo and Lee Yi-kyung were seen indulging in Korean ‘soul food,’ also known as Korean street food. They introduced some of the most popular street food dishes from sotteok sotteok to kimbap and dumplings.
A Surprise Global Hit as “K-Street Food”
Sotteok sotteok is now trending internationally as part of the global Korean street food wave. From U.S. food trucks to Thai and Australian festivals, it’s popping up in K-food eateries everywhere.
While some first-time eaters are puzzled by the combo—“Rice cake… with meat?”—they’re usually hooked after the first bite. On YouTube, sotteok sotteok mukbangs and reaction videos have racked up tens of millions of views. One American food vlogger raved, “It’s more addictive than a hot dog. Like BBQ and mochi in one bite.”
In Australia, one Korean restaurant rebranded it as a K-BBQ Stick, describing the rice cake as a “rice cracker” to appeal to local tastes—and it’s now a best-seller.
With its growing appeal, Korean brands are launching frozen sotteok sotteok products and air fryer-friendly versions at global supermarket chains.
How to Make Sotteok Sotteok at Home
It’s easy to recreate sotteok sotteok in your own kitchen.
You’ll need:
- Cylindrical rice cakes (garae tteok), cut into 2-inch pieces
- Small sausages or grill-flavored Vienna sausages
- Skewers
Grill the rice cakes and sausages until golden. Then thread them onto skewers—alternating rice cake and sausage—and grill again in a lightly oiled pan or oven.
For the sauce: Mix 2 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp gochujang, 1 tbsp corn syrup, and a bit of minced garlic. Simmer until thickened and brush over the skewers. Add chopped chili for extra heat if you like it spicy.
Don’t have skewers? No problem—serve the sausage and rice cakes side by side on a plate with dipping sauce. The leftovers even make a great rice bowl with cabbage or mixed vegetables.
Sotteok sotteok may have started as a humble snack, but it now represents the bold, fun identity of Korean street food. Made with everyday ingredients yet packing serious flavor, it’s the latest “small but mighty” K-food that’s winning over tastebuds around the world.
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