Gwangjang Sijang Chapssal Kkwabaegi 광장시장 찹쌀꽈배기

Gwangjang Market Glutinous Rice Twisted Doughnut is a snack shop at the entrance to the bindaetteok alley in Gwangjang Market, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It fries glutinous-rice twists, red-bean doughnuts, sweet-potato filled twists, and black-rice doughnuts. Diners can watch portions of dough being divided, twisted into shape, and lowered into oil as fresh batches continue to emerge. The standard kkwabaegi contains glutinous rice, leaving the center plump and elastic compared with a fried dough made only from wheat flour. Its exterior is crisp immediately after frying, and cinnamon sugar adds both sweet aroma and fine grains to the surface. The inner chew remains after cooling, but the contrast between crust and center is strongest when the twist is still warm. Pat doughnuts place red-bean paste inside the same chewy style of dough. Their gentle sweetness comes from the center rather than only from sugar coating the outside. Sweet-potato chapssal kkwabaegi encloses a smooth sweet-potato filling, while black-rice doughnuts combine a dark, nutty dough with red bean. The four forms differ in more than shape: sweetness can sit on the exterior, appear as red bean, or come from sweet potato, and black rice changes the flavor of the dough itself. Doughnuts carried in paper bags have left surprisingly little visible oil even after some time. An air fryer has been used briefly to restore a crisper surface at home, although reheating does not fully duplicate the moisture and elasticity of a piece directly from the fryer. Within Gwangjang Market, the shop provides cinnamon sugar and filled dough as a sweet contrast to savory dishes such as mung-bean pancakes and raw beef. Sharing one of each item allows the plain glutinous dough, red bean, sweet potato, and black rice to be compared without treating every Korean doughnut as the same snack.