Korean Style Croquettes
MMMMM Deep fried anything… okay, before we start this FAPFAP, do you guise know what croquettes are? Because we only discovered them in Korea and we assumed that they were French because of the name, but they may not actually be French. French readers! Do you have croquettes in France? Other country readers! Do you too? Let us know where you are from if you do have them. I’m sure we have them in Toronto, they’re just not readily available at the many bakeries I’ve personally been too. Anyhoo, we are judging theses croquettes based on our experiences of Korean croquettes only, so I’d really love to hear input from anyone who has tried the croquettes in both Korea and in other parts of the world!
So this little shop called Chilly-Cha-Cha we stumbled upon just by chance when we decided to wander down a street in Hongdae we had never gone down. That is really the best way to get to know any area in Korea, just go for a walk and see where it leads you. There tend to be amazing coffee shops and restaurants hidden down the randomest alleyway. Just when you think a street is totally residential and void of all shops, you’ll stumble upon an orange glow and soon discover some random adorable coffee shop filled with customers happily sipping their secret coffee. SO MANY SECRET LOCATIONS! Hongdae is really filled with locations like this because it has so many alleys that extend off the main street (aka Parking Lot Street). Most people just stick to the sparkly main road or wander only a few restaurants away from the main street. WELL WANDER!!! I COMMAND YOU TO WANDER DO YOU HEAR ME! < ----Go back and read this in an echoey playlist mode voice...
Really not much else for me to talk about in this post because the video really embodied all our warm feels for the food. Simon and I disagree about our favourite choices, but really, all of them are quite yummy. Except you scary mystery meat. UUMMMMM… what was I going to say...OH! I know! I took a picture of the menu for you because it's totally in Korean (maybe one of the downsides to wandering off the tourist path) but don't worry, I translated it for you as best as I could. But what about mystery croquette? I rely on you, faithful readers, to let us know what it was we ate! Was Simon right with liver or was I right with fishcakey filling? Oh and if you visit the shop, let them know two crazy foreigns who made a video and ate eight croquettes sent them there, they'll know what you're talking about. :D
Here is their business card with directions: Hapjeong station is the bottom left corner, and Sangsu Station (the one that we started from in our video) is in the bottom right corner. We took Sangsu Station, exit 1 and just walked straight until we hit the Dunkin Donuts on the corner, and we hung a right onto Parking Lot Street. Then head on an angle towards the Family Mart (the first street on your left) and walk down that about 2 minutes until you see Chilly-Cha-Cha on the corner.
The menu: we translated just half, the rest of the menu had ddukkbokki, u-dong noodle soup, and drinks!
And, of course, we’ve got some extra scenes. We try to solicit a street kitty to sit and eat with us. But the kitty is an anti-social jerk! Why aren’t Korean street cats friendly? Street cats in Toronto: I pet so many of them back in the day! In Korea, though, they all run away. Not a single one wants to be nice. Ah. That’s a topic for another video.
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Oh my Gosh! I’m prepping up for a trip to Seoul next month (flying from Dubai, UAE Oct 11-19), booked a homestay via airbnb (around Hongdae) and have literally been digging through your posts to fill up an 8-day schedule for my partner and I. EYK youtube vids have given me so much lulz for many months, but it’s only now that I’ve realised just how extremely useful this godly creation of yours is for foreign travellers! Probably the most informative and down-to-earth slices of life, compared to touristy sites. SO MUCH LUFF I HAZ FOR YOU, SIMON AND MARTINA!! Thank you! <3
My family is from Holland and Indonesia…as far as my encounters with croquettes have been, I think they are popular in the Netherlands! But many Indonesians have a version all their own, too. The ones I’ve eaten had carrots, ground meat of sorts, and potatoes of course! I live in Canada now and haven’t seen many croquettes being sold anywhere except if my Polish boyfriend’s mama makes them(yum). Thanks for doing your awesome FAPFAPs S&M <3
they still dooo make the McD apple pies here in the States! 2 for $1 deal. booya!
SIMON!! MARTINA!! I LOOOVE YOU GUYS!! Keep up the fabulous, awesome, stupendous, well you get the idea haha, job!! o^-^o
This might be a little late(I believe this blog post was done a while ago) but I wanted to participate in the “nasty” community and give you my input to your outreach to your fan-base =D
I’m Indonesian-American; and long ago, when my mom had only one job and didn’t develop laziness(due to being tired from now working TWO jobs; poor thing T-T;), she would make “Indonesian” croquettes. They’re not my favorite Indonesian delicacy but they’re still tasty. It’s been so long since I’ve had one of hers I’ve kind of forgotten what the filling was, but if I’m not mistaken, it’s ground beef? You mash potatoes and encircle your filling with it, shape it like a potato or something oval-like, dip it in beaten egg wash, dip it in smooth, finely mashed bread crumbs, and then deep fry it!! ^-^ I THINK the Japanese do their croquettes this way too. Other Indonesians mix it up; and I think they had shredded carrots and peas to the filling. I’m not a fan of peas, so I’ll pass on those kind. I’ve seen them sold in Indonesian restaurants, Indonesian-managed/owned boba shops, and community bazaars for church, etc.
I’d love to give Korean croquettes someday but I’m not in a hurry… BUCKET LIST!! =D
I look forward to your future work and hope that you guys will be around for a long time. Arrogance not fully intended on my behalf =P or ANY offense on yours, but it’s a tremendous joy to find people(you AWESOME peeps!! =D) with a sense of humor, enthusiasm, weirdness(which I’m actually proud of), quirkiness, etc. like, if not better than, mine<333
Best wishes!!
Your fapfaps are so helpful! I’m staying in Hapjeong right now and I’m so going to check this place out
Tried to go to Chilly-Cha-Cha tonight and found it closed. It is either under renovation or has moved up – couldn’t read the sign. Just a heads up for those thinking of heading there.
Hey guys, I found out what Kkangjang means! It’s soybean paste. I think the croquette may have been a mixture of soybean paste, onion, garlic, hot pepper, squid and pork. Maybe the meat may have been a different type of seafood, I’m not sure. But I think that those ingredients may have been in that croquette. Well, that’s my 2 cents. :)
THANKS FOR THE DIRECTIONS GUYS! i’m so going to make a trip there and try the apple pie croquette and basil! PS- the street kitties are probably anti-social in Korea because they’re often harassed by people. Lot of people despise stray cats in korea for causing a mess with food garbage bags left outside, or they generally have some superstitious hatred/fear of them. :( Don’t hate on the kitties! :D
Hi Simon and Martina,
I’d like to thank you for your videos. I enjoy them alot. However, I noticed in this video Simon is wearing fur!! Korea is a big problem when it comes to the fur industry – as Koreans like to wear fur and are huge contributors in the fur industry. I know Simon and Martina are furry critter lovers and wouldn’t want to harm any animals. Please watch this video and spread the word about the cruelty to animals in obtaining fur. China brutally skin raccoon dogs alive, take pet dogs and cats and skin them alive as well.
http://youtu.be/sLcgxIGTFRs
Croquettes are like a Hispanic finger-food type of dish. Croquetas, how they’re called in Spanish, which is why they’re called croquettes in English, not because they’re French, is what we eat normally during parties as appetizers before the real food comes out. We have it of ham, fish, chicken, and cheese but really you can make them out of anything.
Here’s a blog that tells you how to make 깡장
They claim it’s meat, seafood, and soybean paste.
http://blog.daum.net/asajung/117
the couple in the background was so cute!
The croquettes in Hawaii are like breaded, fried, mashed potato patties. I think they’re Japanese style croquettes, but I’m not completely sure. May sound weird, but I love them! They’re pretty common in Japanese stores/food places and the ones I’ve had are usually either just plain potato or have vegetables mixed inside with the potato, and sometimes they come with like a katsu sauce or something similar to that.
We get potato croquettes in England. They’re just like breaded mashed potato that can be baked or deep fried. I’m totally craving them now…
Are these vegetarian?:) no seafood or meat? I will be in Korea and I’m thinkin of going to it but my whole family is vegetarian..,,
Hi!
In Portugal we also have “croquete” and it’s filled with meat. You can find it in almost every portuguese-style coffee shop.
Cheers =)
I’m from the US and I’ve had potato croquettes before.
is it really pronounced like “cro-kay”, or like “cro-ket”?
What I know of croquettes, or the Spanish term croquetas which is more used in the Philippines, is that it has a ground beef core, covered with mashed potatoes, layered with bread crumbs, and then deep fried. So good.
Hey!! :) I’m from the Netherlands and we do have Croquettes here! They are called Kroketten in Dutch. There is a weird substance in it, of which I’m not really sure what it is… Everyone in Holland knows it, I always thought it was something typically Dutch, but I guess they have it in more countries. Anyways, it very delicious, but mostly in the Netherlands it is eaten as fast food.
I like the new format of the video ^_^
me gusta el nuevo formato del vídeo ^_^
Here in Brazil, there is croquete too. It is a common food.
Well, but they have meat, chicken or shrimp on it, and that is it. These korean ones seem really different and now I’m craving it!
We have croquettes here in Venezuela too ^^.. In spanish it’s “croquetas”.. I love them, especially the crab croquettes! Delicious~:D:D
Hey guise, does Korea still have Canmore? The desert place that has rocking chairs and porch swings? That would be a cool place to do a FAPFAP!
I’m from Quebec (Canada) so I do speak french and there is something that is called “croquettes de poulet” which is chicken nuggets.
CANADA FTW :D
Wow, croquettes in Brasil are SOOOO DIFFERENT! They are usually filled with shrimp or cod fish :P there are other fried stuff that are very similar, but we use different names to each kind, like coxinha (filled with chicken and catupiry cheese) or bolinho (that is more general, usually this ones have a spherical shape and usually are filled with cheese, fish or meat) :P
In portugal we have croquettes as well but ours are made of meat, cooked with onions, garlic, olive oil, chorizo, cilantro, black pepper and salt, then you grind all that goodness, shape it like a cylinder, cover with egg and then grounded dried bread and deep fry it! They look like this: http://i0.ig.com/fw/10/k0/7n/10k07nr7gxhf34so2s2ephl5s.jpg
“WELL WANDER!!! I COMMAND YOU TO WANDER DO YOU HEAR ME! < —-Go back and read this in an echoey playlist mode voice…" Yes! I did read it in an 'echoey playlist mode voice' XD
"I took a picture of the menu for you because it's totally in Korean (maybe one of the downsides to wandering off the tourist path) but don't worry, I translated it for you as best as I could." uuuu *____*
"Oh and if you visit the shop, let them know two crazy foreigns who made a video and ate eight croquettes sent them there, they'll know what you're talking about. :D" and the owner's reply would be:" Each of you receives one croquette free!" (or maybe not XD)
"I pet so many of them back in the day! In Korea, though, they all run away. Not a single one wants to be nice. Ah. That’s a topic for another video." …and the guests of honour would be Dr. Meemersworth(translator) and a random kitten! XDD
Thank you for the upload! :D
P.S: have I told you how much I love your new website design?? *____*
♥♥♥♥
I have “croquettes” in my country and they’re spelled “croquetes”, so not much difference there xD, but they are completely different from the ones you ate. They are slightly smaller and they have a cylindrical shape, that can be longer or shorter. Some can even have a spherical shape, but the ones you can find in pastries usually are always cylindrical. Also, I have never seen croquetes filled with anything else but meat. Usually pork or beef, that’s been minced (ok, used google translate for that one, I don’t know the word in English) with other ingredients cut in very small pieces (onions, garlic, etc) for some flavour. The inside is all that mixed together looking like one of the photos attached. They taste so good! They are often used at parties as appetizers.
Ups, almost forgot, I’m from Portugal. Hi! xD
Those looking for Chilly Cha Cha, its at the bottom of a huge brown building with big red/orange flowers plastered on the sides. I got kind of lost looking for it since I came from Hapjeong Stn and that map on the name card wasnt as descriptive as I would’ve liked. So yeah. And really do try the basil and cream. It will not disappoint!!!
Australia’s Maccas still sells apple pie. Still the best deep fried goodness out!
Omg I’m watching this at 2am!!!
Hi, I’m from America, and it isn’t uncommon for my aunt to make what we call ‘croquettes.’ It’s basically mashed potatoes that you mix with veggies or chicken, and then you form a ball and pan fry it. I’m sure you could deep fry it if you wanted to. I don’t know if this is really an American dish that we stole the word for, or whether it’s just a thing my aunt does though.
I grew up on the southern US; my mom made salmon croquettes on Sundays. We ate them with syrup poured over them. Sounds gross, but they were really good!
I should have taken the warning… Hungry college student trapped in a library
We say “kro-ketts” here in the US, but it would be hard to find someone in America that knows what they are and has eaten them except maybe in Florida/Louisiana area or inner city places where they have more street food from other countries.
In my part of Belgium “kroketten” filled with mashes potatoes, shrimp or cheese are a common and well-loved side dish or appetizer ^^
i always thought croquettes were spanish.. My sister loves croquettes de pollo. Hmm..
In France we use the word “croquette” as well for deep fried food, i don’t really know how to say that, but it’s made with mashed potatoes.
And yes….pet food !! ^^
I like your new design :D But I really miss the old font for your blog posts… maybe it’s just me but somehow it’s a bit difficult to read now T_T BUT I STILL LOVE YOU ♥ (don’t want to offend anyone ><)
Hallo, I’m from the Netherlands and we do in fact have croquettes :D (or kroketten in Dutch), though they’re very different from the Korean ones. As far as my experience goes you usually buy them in a snack bar (or deep frie them yourself). Croquettes are mostly eaten as a snack or with fries. We also have ‘bitterballen’, which translates into bitterballs. Essentialy they’re like croquettes, but round > in the shape of a small ball.
I’m so hungry after seeing your video ><'
But you already knew that from other comments… ^^’ (hadn’t seen them yet)