PrintSugar Rush: Chal Sook Hoduk at Cafe Ele
My single favorite Korean pastry, chal sook hoduk, is plentiful and easy to find throughout pockets of Los Angeles. Here in New York City, however, we are sorely deprived of this blessing. It encompasses mochi, pastry, and red bean paste, all into a single creation. You can imagine my delight when, after two years of living in Manhattan, I came across it at Cafe Ele on 32nd Street.
Large and flat, these differed from slightly the version I'm used to. The mochi and red bean paste are mixed together making for red bean paste with a mochi-esque texture, all tucked into a light pastry cover. In the traditional version, you'll find three distinct layers: first, the red bean paste, then mochi, and finally, the bread-like pastry shell.
Ele's take was not as good as those on the West Coast, but they'll do for now. Those interested in a Japanese version of this pastry are advise to dash over to Cafe Zaiya for yakimochi where the dough is not baked, but grilled. A completely different sensation.
Cafe Ele
43 West 32nd St #33, New York NY 10001 (map)
212-290-1414
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4 Comments:
I have my own name for these treats: MachisoyoBurgers. As in delicious.
I like them so much, that I can even get hooked on the ones you can get in the freezers at H-Mart. To date, the best I've had have been from street stalls in Seoul, but the mix is also sold at H-Mart, and, fried up at home and topped with some vanilla ice cream, they're a force to be reckoned with.
Thanks for the tip.
P.
Polecat at 8:34PM on 04/28/09
From the pics it looks like they use wheat flour instead of the sweet rice (mochi) flour.
Polimorfos at 10:34PM on 04/28/09
during winter time you can get the real hoduk at a small korean deli called YoungSik's deli in flushing, located at the intersection of northern blvd and 162nd st. these are the actual pan fried hoduks made w/ sweet rice, as authentic as the ones they sell in Korea. yum!
bumss at 12:52AM on 04/29/09
Just so I know, where exactly can you get these in Los Angeles?
snagar at 8:09PM on 04/29/09