By: Naomi Carissa Intaqta and Rina Maulidiyah, LPPOM Auditors
Hotteok, a street snack from Korea, is a favourite when winter arrives. This round snack with brown sugar syrup in the middle is popular. Its unique, chewy, and soft texture has made it a favourite. However, how halal is Hotteok?
Hotteok, etymologically, comes from two words: “Ho” (an ethnic group in West/North China) and “Tteok” (rice cake). This snack was initially brought to Korea by soldiers from China.
In 1882, when the Imo Incident occurred in Seoul, soldiers from the Qing Dynasty were sent to the Joseon Kingdom in Korea. After the incident, they lived in Korea because their place of origin was unsuitable for re-inhabitation.
In Korea, they sell snacks, such as mandu (dumplings) and Hotteok. The original Hotteok from China has a filling of meat, green onions, and seafood. Then, Hotteok was developed to suit Korean tastes.
Reported from kocis.go.kr, Hotteok was grilled initially over a campfire or stove. However, in 1970, along with the introduction of cooking oil on a mass scale, Hotteok began to be fried.
Popular in Indonesia
Hotteok is one of the Korean snacks popular in Indonesia because it is said to have an appetizing taste and a chewy and soft texture. In addition, the popularity of K-Pop and K-Drama in Indonesia has created a phenomenon known as the Korean Wave.
Public enthusiasm for Korean culture, including its typical foods, is increasing. Quoting from luarsekolah.com, brand ambassadors from Korean artists who collaborate with e-commerce platforms in Indonesia also influence exposure to Korean food. With the influence of the Korean Wave spreading, the popularity of Korean food continues to increase and go viral on social media[2].
Dan Bam is one of the Hotteok restaurants in Indonesia that is taking advantage of this phenomenon. To attract consumers, the restaurant owner includes stickers of top K-Drama artists such as Kim Soo Hyun, Park Seo-joon and Hyun Bin. The affordable price also makes this snack increasingly popular in Indonesia.
Quoting kumparan.com, at the Dan Bam Restaurant, visitors can enjoy Hotteok by spending around IDR 35-69 thousand per portion[3]. Hotteok is marketed in Indonesia as a “ready to eat” product and a “ready to cook” premix that can be purchased from the marketplace.
Soft and Crispy Taste
As reported by Kompas.com, Hotteok, like pancakes in general, is round and relatively thick. Compared to Western-style pancakes, Hotteok is thicker. The taste offered by Hotteok combines a crispy and savoury texture on the outside but sweet and soft on the inside[4].
Hotteok is known as a snack that can be served in any weather. In winter, Hotteok provides a warm and delicious taste, while in summer, it still offers a delightful taste even though it is served at room temperature. Its easy presence, from street food carts to speciality Hotteok restaurants, adds to its appeal as a favourite snack in Korea.
With an affordable price, Hotteok is not only an economical snack choice but also has a traditional value in Korean culture. Often associated with celebrations and festivals, Hotteok adds a rich and fascinating cultural aspect to its fans.
Ingredients and Process of Making
According to mykoreankitchen.com, the ingredients used to make Hottoek dough are wheat flour, salt, sugar, yeast, cow’s milk, and cooking oil.
As for the sweet filling, the ingredients used include brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Making Hotteok is relatively straightforward: sift the flour into a large bowl and add salt, sugar, yeast, and milk. Mix everything well into the dough and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Ferment at room temperature or 270C for 1 hour until the dough doubles.
After the dough has risen, release the gas by punching the dough with your hands several times. Cover again with the wrap and rest for another 20 minutes. When the dough is ready, put a little cooking oil on your hands (for non-stick). Place one of the pieces of dough in your hand and flatten the dough with your hands until you can add 1 tablespoon of filling to it. When finished, close the dough by gathering the corners.
Repeat for the remaining dough. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add the batter to the pan and cook until the bottom is golden brown (about 30 seconds). Flip, press the batter, and cook again until the bottom is golden brown (about 1 minute). Flip the pancake one last time and reduce the heat. Cover the pan with a lid and cook until the sugar has completely melted (about 1 minute). The Hotteok is then transferred to a plate and can be served while hot.
Halal Aspect
Several ingredients need to be considered when making Hotteok. These ingredients include:
• Wheat Flour
Wheat flour uses wheat as the raw material, which is halal. However, fortification is carried out to increase this flour’s vitamin and mineral content. Commonly used fortifiers are iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and folic acid.
This vitamin fortifier can be produced from the biotransformation process or chemical synthesis, biotransformation using microorganisms that are multiplied in a growth medium that requires a carbon source and a nitrogen source. So, the growth media can come from haram animals or halal animals that are not slaughtered, according to Sharia.
Other fortifiers, such as the amino acid L-cysteine, are also commonly used as wheat gluten softeners. L-cysteine can come from human hair extraction, animal fur extraction, and microbial products. L-cysteine from human hair is haram, based on MUI Fatwa No. 2 / Munas VI / MUI / 2000 the use of body parts is forbidden.
L-cysteine from animal fur needs to be investigated. Further, sheep’s wool can be taken while still alive, but poultry will be in pain if their feathers are taken, so they must be slaughtered first; this slaughter must be in accordance with Sharia. Meanwhile, if the microbial product requires more complex investigation, including microbial culture, media materials, purification materials, auxiliary materials and other materials.
• Sugar
White sugar is made from sugar cane sap, and then extraction, purification, evaporation, crystallization, centrifugation, and drying are carried out. Sugar refining is a process that needs to be considered because it usually involves activated carbon or ion exchange resins used as filtration agents. Activated carbon can come from plants, coal, chemicals, or animal bones. In ion exchange resins, it is necessary to pay attention to whether gelatin is involved as a dispersant agent, gelatin can come from animal bones.
• Yeast
Yeast is a living microorganism produced from the fermentation process. For microorganisms to grow, they must be cultured in a particular medium, so it must be ensured that the culture medium used is halal and not contaminated with impurities.
• Cooking Oil
Cooking oil is made from palm kernels that undergo boiling, pressing, degumming, bleaching, deodorizing, and fortifying. The critical point of halal cooking oil lies in the degumming, bleaching, and fortification processes (substances added in the fortification process).
The degumming process usually involves acid. In the cooking oil industry, citric acid is used every day. This material is made from a fermentation process, so it is necessary to note that the culture medium used must come from halal materials, including the microorganisms involved, which must be free of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) from pigs or humans.
The bleaching process involves activated carbon, so paying attention to the source of the activated carbon used is necessary because it can come from animal bones. Vitamin A fortification in cooking oil is an antioxidant that prevents cooking oil from being easily oxidized. Vitamin A is generally found in plants but can also be made synthetically from chemicals.
• Filling
The classic version of Hotteok generally uses brown sugar and nuts as filling. However, there is also meat filling. If using meat filling, it must be ensured that the meat comes from halal animals and is slaughtered according to Sharia.
Attitude of Muslim Consumers
In addition to paying attention to the composition of the ingredients, Hotteok production facilities also need to be considered. For example, the product Cj Beksul Hotteok 400gr Sweet Korean Pancake Mix is reported on information in the marketplace. This product does not contain meat, but it comes into contact with pork derivatives in its manufacture, so this product is not halal.
With the information above, Muslim consumers are expected always to be careful in choosing products that do not have a clear halal status. This is solely done to maintain the quality and integrity of one’s worship, namely maintaining piety and commitment not to lead oneself to forbidden things. (***)
This article is included in the LPPOM Halal Journal Edition 168, which can be accessed at the link https://halalmui.org/jurnal-halal/168/
