Most Pinoys have canned goods tucked away in their pantry for quick, fuss-free meals. Tuna, sardines, and corned beef have proven their versatility as ingredients. What about canned Vienna sausages? Home cooks like to fry them and serve them with rice, plain and simple.

Sure, you get a hearty and satisfying meal, but you can do so much more with these cocktail wieners. Just take cues from Korean cuisine and its various Vienna sausage recipes. If you’re an avid K-drama viewer, you’re probably salivating already! This one’s for you.

7 Vienna Sausage Dishes K-Drama Lovers Need to try

Korean Vienna sausages differ from the canned ones everyday Filipinos like to use. You’ll usually find them in bags in the frozen section rather than in the dry goods aisle. They have a sturdier texture because of their thick sausage casing, which also gives them a bouncier bite. They’re smoky and more savory, whereas their Pinoy counterpart leans sweeter.

Despite their differences, you can still use canned sausages from local brands to recreate these Korean recipes. They may just be a little softer in texture, so be careful not to overcook them. Alternatively, swap out the canned stuff for frozen cocktail sausages if you want something closer to the Korean variant.

1. Sausage yachae bokkeum (stir-fried sausages with veggies)

Korean kids love having sausage yachae bokkeum as part of their boxed lunch set with rice, soup, and kimchi. Meanwhile, adults typically enjoy it as banchan (side dish) and anju (food with alcohol). To make it, stir-fry sausages and your choice of veg (bell peppers are classic!) in a glossy, sweet-savory sauce of soy, ketchup, and sugar.

2. Jumeok-bap (rice ball) with sausages

Jumeok-bap is a fist-shaped rice ball like onigiri. But unlike its Japanese counterpart, this doesn’t rely on fillings for flavor. Just season the rice with sesame oil and seaweed flakes before rolling for a simple yet tasty treat. Enjoy it with any ulam, including sausages – a common dosirak (packed lunch) combo. Jumeok-bap is ideal for picnics since it doesn’t require utensils.

3. Gimbap (rice and seaweed rolls)

Gimbap is an endlessly customizable dish of rice, seaweed, cooked meat, and veggies. They’re a well-balanced, all-in-one meal for people on the go like the titular heroine of the K-drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Classic gimbap recipes call for luncheon meat or ham, but sliced sausages work just as well. Don’t forget to brush sesame oil on the rolls!

4. So-tteok so-tteok (sausage and rice cakes)

So-tteok so-tteok combines two Korean street food favorites: soseji (sausage) and fried garae-tteok (cylindrical rice cakes). Its repetitive name describes how you should arrange each component on the skewer. The sausages and rice cakes alternate so each bite offers just enough of both. A perfectly grilled so-tteok so-tteok should be smoky, chewy, and crispy all at once.

5. Gamja-hotdog (Korean-style potato corn dogs)

Gamja-hotdog is a type of kogo: the Korean version of American-style corn dogs. This kid-friendly street snack is known as “french fry hotdogs” because of its gamja (potato) coating. Why bother ordering a side of fries when you can have your whole meal on a stick?

Typical gamja-hotdogs are a combination of cocktail sausages and mozzarella cheese. Everything is coated in a fluffy, semi-sweet batter with potato chunks, then deep-fried in oil. Vendors offer an array of toppings, including sugar, cheese sauce, and honey mustard. But if you’re enjoying these at home, go for Lady's Choice Real Mayonnaise. The condiment is ultra-creamy, sweet, and just tangy enough to cut through the richness of anything fried.

6. Budae-jjigae (spicy sausage stew)

This spicy sausage jjigae (stew) is known to most as “army base stew.” It’s a one-pot dish where anything goes – especially canned or processed food (abundant during wartime), like Spam, sausages, and instant noodles. It has an umami-filled anchovy-based broth with gochujang (red chili paste) and kimchi, so having it with freshly cooked rice is a must. Gotta soak up those flavors somehow! Any meal with a big pot of budae-jjigae is bound to be a feast.

7. Sausage ppang (sausage bread)

What happens when you marry pigs-in-a-blanket and pizza bread? You get Korean-style sausage bread, aka sausage-ppang: a staple of South Korean bakeries and convenience stores. It’s an easy snack to tuck into your kids’ baonan since they stay fluffy and chewy for hours. If you’ve never tried making bread, now’s the time! Prepare extras for yourself – sausage-ppang is terrific with hot coffee.

Maximize the potential of Vienna sausages by making these family-friendly Korean dishes. They can be just as versatile as other canned goods!