Koreans are crazy about pancakes, and make them with all kinds of ingredients; scallions, mung beans, spinach, seaweed, and the list goes on. In fact, pancakes are so important to Koreans that they offer them on Gijesa, a day of remembering and venerating deceased family members. It so happens that I’m crazy about Korean pancakes, especially when made with one of my favorite Korean foods, kimchi.
Kimchi is admittedly a love it or leave it thing. It’s made by allowing some type of vegetable, daikon radish, carrot, or cabbage for example, to ferment along with garlic, dried red chilies, and salt, sort of an Asian sauer kraut. In the old days, kimchi was fermented in earthenware jars buried in the ground for 6 months or longer. Now, you will find sleek, modern kimchi fermenters at larger Korean markets such as Han-Ri Mart, where you will also find little Korean ladies making kimchi by hand that’s sold right there n the store. Very cool. Kimchi’s spicy, sour, with a bit of effervescence from the fermentation process, and if made with cabbage, slightly bitter. I love the stuff, and eat it right out of the jar. Koreans love it even more than I do, it’s their national dish after all, and if you find yourself in Seoul, take a trip to The Kimchi Field Museum and marvel at the fact that there are 187 documented types of kimchi. This is some serious stuff!
And now onto the kimchi pancakes, known as kimchijeon (kim-chee-june). Before you start, try some of the kimchi (if you haven’t already), and notice the sharp, pronounced flavors. Garlic. Chilies. Salt. Those will all mellow and become sublime while your pancakes cook, as will the onion and mushrooms, until you have a deep and complexly flavored amalgam held together by a light tempura blanket. You will notice the difference. Go easy on the dipping sauce; it’s very heady with rice vinegar and can overwhelm the subdued flavor of the pancake. Just dip a small corner and enjoy.
Here’s a hip kimchi tip. Open the jar very slowly, and allow the gasses that naturally build-up during fermentation to escape. Otherwise, the whole thing will escape all over your kitchen counter, hands, floor, dog, whatever’s near. You won’t be happy if that happens.
Also pictured, spinach flavored with sesame oil, carrots with chili powder, and cucumber with toasted sesame seeds. In the glass, soju, a slightly sweet and mild Korean rice liquor. You should try that, too.
They’re really easy. They’re really delicious. It’s about time you made some!
INGREDIENTS
PANCAKES
1 cup tempura batter mix (R brand from Korea is a good choice)
1 cup cold water
5 shiitake mushrooms, diced (caps only)
½ medium white onion, diced
5 tablespoons cabbage kimchi, drained, chopped
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
light vegetable oil (safflower, sunflower, canola)
DIPPING SAUCE
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
2 teaspoons thinly-sliced scallion greens
1. Whisk the batter mix and water together
2. Stir in the mushrooms, onion, kimchi, sesame oil, and garlic.
3. Heat a skillet to medium-high.
4. Add a little vegetable oil and swirl it around the pan.
5. Pour enough batter into the pan to make a 3” pancake. Add 1 to 2 more pancakes and fry until almost set and brown on the side down. Flip the pancakes and fry until the brown on both sides.
6. Place the cooked pancakes on paper towels and serve with dipping sauce.
7. To make dipping sauce: Combine last 5 ingredients and mix well. Divide between small bowls and serve with the pancakes.
Makes about 10 pancakes