Hodunamu: Authentic Korean rice cakes by Korean ahjumma in Everton Park
Singapore’s love for Korean food never dwindles, with new Korean eateries, hawker centres and cafes popping up every other month. Despite the high concentration of Korean Food & Beverage (F&B) establishments in Singapore, finding places that sell traditional Korean rice cakes is a little difficult. Hodunamu is one of these rare shops in the country.
Hodunamu is hidden in the HDB estate of Everton Park. On first glance, the little shop may not seem enticing to enter, given how it doesn’t have a menu outside or seats and tables to dine-in. This takeaway establishment displays its available rice cakes for the day on a small table and in a food warmer, for you to grab and go.
When we visited the store, not all their rice cakes were available, so to avoid disappointment, be sure to place a pre-order with them before your visit if there’s something specific you would like to try.
Plus, Hodunamu’s sister outlet, Ee Mo Pac & Go, is located right next door, with authentic Korean bentos, gimbap and side dishes to pair with your rice cakes!
What I tried at Hodunamu
Hodunamu’s rice cakes are made using high quality rice and ingredients imported straight from Korea. The most eye-catching rice cake available that day was Songpyeon (S$6.50 for 8 pieces), sold in boxes with 4 different colours. Hodunamu’s take on this traditional dish consisted of rice cakes shaped into un-uniform balls, filled with sugar filling.
The sugar filling within the Songpyeon had a grainy texture and colour that reminded me of coconut. The glutinous exterior was a little tougher than the other rice cakes, and had a much firmer bite.
I thought that the ratio of rice cake to fillings was a little imbalanced, with the thick rice cake drowning out the sugar fillings a little. However, as a whole, it wasn’t too overwhelmingly sweet.
Hodunamu’s Castella Gyungdan (S$5.50) was a dish that I had never heard of prior to my visit. This chewy rice cake was filled with red bean and coated in castella cake crumbs.
The red bean fillings were natural and earthy, while the castella cake coating the surface of the rice cake gave the dessert a nice and fragrant aroma. The softness of the castella made it the perfect pairing with the chewy rice cake, and the red bean fillings were pretty adequate too.
The Injeolmi (S$5.50) was one of Hodunamu’s simpler dishes. This little box contained cut pieces of rice cakes coated generously in soy bean powder, and visually resembled muah chee.
The rice cake pieces were softer and bouncier compared to the other rice cakes, with the soybean powder giving them a nice roasted flavour. Though I liked how generous Hodunamu was with the amount of injeolmi powder, S$5.50 for a small box felt a little too steep.
Finally, we had the Yeongyang Chalddeok (S$4), a wholesome sweet rice cake that directly translates to “healthy sticky” in Korean. True to its name, the Yeongyang Chalddeok was the stickiest rice cake of the bunch, with it clinging on to my fingers when I touched it lightly.
This dish was the most texturally pleasing of all of Hodunamu’s rice cakes. It was incredibly soft and bouncy, and my teeth sank into it effortlessly. The purple sweet potato that had been used to give it its deep purple hue could also be prominently tasted throughout. Plus, the Yeongyang Chalddeok was studded with healthy ingredients like black beans, jujube and assorted nuts, giving it lots of different flavours.
However, compared to Yeongyang Chalddeok in South Korea, Hodunamu’s version had a noticeably less amount of fillings.
If you’re in need of a proper meal, the owners of Hodunamu also own a Korean bento shop right next door, named Ee Mo Pac & Go, with authentic handmade mains and side dishes. The little store has some tables and chairs outside for convenient dining.
We tried the Tteokbokki with Kimari Set (S$14), containing tteokbokki in a sweet and savoury sauce with a side of crispy fried seaweed rolls.
I really liked the Pork Gimbap (S$13), generously filled with pork meat and assorted vegetables. The ratio of rice to fillings was amazing, and I thought that it was pretty well-priced too.
Final thoughts
Hodunamu is a great place for authentic Korean rice cakes, though I found that the prices were a little too steep in relation to the small serving sizes. Though we only got 4 items, they racked up to over S$20 in total.
While I don’t think I’d make a trip back just for Hodunamu, if I were in need of a light snack when I was in the Everton Park area, I would return to try the other rice cakes I didn’t manage to get this time round.
Expected damage: S$4 to S$8 per pax
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