This Korean street food is a TikTok ‘sensation.’ Boise restaurants sell it — ‘secretly’

When Vons Chicken debuted in 2019, Idaho got its first taste of Korean fried chicken.

Three years later, another way to feed your inner Seoul has appeared in the Gem State.

Ever tasted a Korean corn dog? Wait. Never even heard of one?

Korean-style corn dogs are “a social media sensation.” That’s according to a recent headline from California news site Hoodline. Indeed, 2021 was “the year of the Korean corn dog,” according to Bon Appetit. “On TikTok, #koreancorndog blew up,” the article explains. “Now stores are opening all over the U.S.”

Um, not around these parts. Yet.

But at least two Boise restaurants sell the Korean street food, which takes the corn dog concept, tweaks it, then covers the exterior with seemingly random culinary craziness.

You just have to know when, and where, to go on the hunt.

Secret menu

Koco Bell, 3601 W. McMillan Road in West Boise, began selling Korean corn dogs over the summer. They’re served on Fridays and Saturdays only. For now, limited fryer capacity prevents Korean-born chef and owner Jaikoo “Steve” Kang from creating the tempting power snacks on other days.

Downtown, they’re even trickier to find. Bao Boi — inside The Warehouse Food Hall, 370 S. 8th St. — sold Korean corn dogs when it initially opened months ago. But the steam-bun sandwich shop halved its menu because of staffing and consistency issues, founder and chef Frank Jordan said. Now Korean corn dogs are limited to Bao Boi’s “secret menu” series. They’re available periodically to customers with inside information.

“You have to know how to ask for them,” Jordan explained in an email. “The code word is revealed through an Instagram story, and the people that follow us are in the know-how.”

Idaho potatoes

Fresh out of secret codes, I drove to Koco Bell last Saturday. I brought along a card-carrying traditional corn-dog enthusiast: my 12-year-old son, Nicholas.

Despite an ingredient on the outside that screams “Gem State version,” Koco Bell’s Korean corn dog is “100% authentic,” promised Mariela Kang, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Steve. Their corn dog is coated heavily in a tasty, flour-based batter — and covered with diced potatoes? Yep, purchased frozen from WinCo. “We use Idaho potatoes!” Kang added with a smile.

Koco Bell sells three variations for $7.50: an “original” version, a “cheese” dog filled with mozzarella instead of a sausage, and a “half and half,” which combines the two. I chose the original. Nicholas opted for cheese.

Along with thick, rich batter, lots of potato and mustard flavor dominated our initial bites — plus gooey cheese and a little crispiness from the fryer.

Mustard and ketchup smothering the dog don’t just add a familiar taste. They hide a secret, too. Before drizzling the yellow and red condiments, Mariela Kang carefully sprinkled sugar on the corn dogs. It’s the “Korean way,” she explained.

The result? Experiencing a fun, slightly sweet taste — one we’d definitely never had before.

“It’s different, right?” Kang said, watching us feast.

I crushed mine — hey, it eventually started falling off the stick — and was instantly full.

“I don’t know if I can finish this,” my son admitted. “It’s so rich!”

I helped him with the last two bites.

The kid’s final rating? A 10 out of 10 for the original Korean corn dog; a 9 for the cheese version. “It’s really good,” Nicholas said. “I just think the other one’s better. It’s really rich, so I took a point off: 9 out of 10.”

More dogs

Koco Bell plans to play with new styles, Kang said, substituting exterior ingredients covering the corn dogs. In Korea, you’ll not only find diced potatoes, you’ll find bits of french fries, or “they have it with Cheetos, they have it with the ramen outside,” she said. “There’s so many different kinds of Korean corn dogs.”

She’s thinking ramen and curly fries will be Koco Bell’s next varieties.

At a pop-up event, Bao Boi sold one that was “half dog, half mozzarella cheese,” the restaurant explained on Instagram, “rolled in french fries and panko and topped with with kewpie mayo, curry catsup, and topped with jalapeno Cheeto powder.”

For now, Korean corn dog fans will take whatever they can get in Idaho.

Koco Bell hopes to expand the number of days it sells corn dogs and other street food, Kang said. Beer sales are part of future plans, too, which should take the corn dog experience to the next level. “That is the point in Korea — with a can of beer,” she said.

It seems likely that Korean corn dogs won’t always be a password-only option at Bao Boi, either.

“We hope to have them back full-time soon,” Jordan said, “along with our street food portion of the menu.”