Hadan, Busan rice cake shop: freezing large pumpkin injeolmi, Hohobak

Hohobak is a rice cake shop in Hadan, Busan, with really delicious pumpkin injeolmi castella. I tried it once, got totally hooked, and have bought it many times since~ If you go late the rice cakes are sold out, so I recommend going early or calling ahead to reserve!!

The rice cakes come neatly packed by size in pretty boxes, so Hohobak is great for picnics, kids' snacks and return gifts. The owner makes everything by hand in the shop with healthy, fresh ingredients, so the rice cakes are super fresh, and with plenty of pumpkin in them they're sweet and so yummy~ My child tried it once, said it was delicious and kept asking for more, so we've become regulars at Hohobak.

Where is Hohobak in Hadan, Busan, and what are its hours?

Hohobak is on the 1st floor of 6 Nakdongnam-ro 1389beon-gil, Saha-gu, Busan. It's open Mon–Fri 08:00–16:00 and Saturday 08:00–13:00, and closed on Sundays. It's a takeout shop, and packaging is available.

Hohobak, a great pumpkin injeolmi castella spot, is a 2–3 minute walk from Hadan Station Exit 1, in the alley right next to Daiso.

The yellow sign stands out, so it's easy to find.

For group orders or return gifts, it's best to reserve in advance.

An iced americano, which goes well with pumpkin injeolmi, is only ₩1,500 here.

What's on the menu inside Hohobak?

Hohobak's display case holds three castella injeolmi flavors (pumpkin, mugwort and black sesame), and the fridge has sweet pumpkin milk. It's a takeout shop, so the space is on the small side.

Hohobak runs as a takeout shop, so it isn't big. It's a cozy little space.

The fridge held Hohobak's other menu item, delicious sweet pumpkin milk.

Another display case held the three kinds of castella injeolmi: pumpkin, mugwort and black sesame.

The cute little pumpkin items and props were so adorable.

Hohobak menu

How do you store leftover large pumpkin injeolmi?

The writer always buys the large pumpkin injeolmi at Hohobak and eats it that day, then portions the rest into the freezer and thaws it at room temperature when ready to eat. Even so, it was soft and delicious, just like freshly bought.

I hear Hohobak goes to the farm produce market in person every dawn, sorts through it and brings back healthy, fresh ingredients to make everything in the shop. It opens at 8 every morning and closes early once ingredients run out, so I recommend reserving ahead before you visit.

I ordered the large size!! I always order large, eat it that day, portion the rest into the freezer, and when I want some I thaw it at room temperature. It's soft and delicious, like I just got it~

The large size is a seriously generous amount, the packaging is neat and careful, and disposable gloves come inside too~

How does Hohobak's pumpkin injeolmi castella taste?

The yellow sweet pumpkin castella powder on Hohobak's pumpkin injeolmi castella is fine and soft, and not strongly sweet, so it doesn't get cloying. The injeolmi, made the same day with Korean rice, had a chewy texture.

When I opened the box, there was delicious pumpkin injeolmi castella in a crumbly yellow pumpkin color. I love this pumpkin powder so much, and the box was really full of it, so after eating the rice cake I just scooped up the powder with a spoon. The ultimate in softness!

They say it's made only with fresh natural ingredients and no artificial additives, and still the castella powder is this yellow~~ The fine, soft powder is so tasty. The injeolmi made with Korean rice is also made on the spot the same day, so the chewy texture was so good.

It looked perfect as a meal replacement too. I really did buy the large size, and the rice cakes just kept coming out of the box, I was so surprised. The amount is more generous than you'd think!

Maybe because it uses fresh sweet pumpkin, the yellow castella powder isn't strongly sweet and tastes naturally of pumpkin. Artificial sweetness like sugar gets cloying quickly, but Hohobak's pumpkin injeolmi castella has the sweetness of natural ingredients, so it doesn't, and it was so good.

Coating the injeolmi with plenty of the fluffy castella powder tastes absolutely amazing.

I think it's perfect as a breakfast stand-in on busy mornings. I bought some to share with people around me, and they said it was so delicious and came back for more, which made me so proud!! I love Hohobak, the handmade pumpkin rice cake shop, haha.

Hohobak, the Hadan rice cake shop I keep thinking about. There's so much that I store portions in the freezer, and I only took one out in the morning and set it out, and wow~ it was soft like I'd just bought it!! I'll have to go buy more again soon~~