My latest recipe is korea's favourite pancake - the pajeon (pa = spring onion, jeon = pancake.) At its most basic, the pajeon is a mixture of egg and plain flour mixed into a batter and then fried with spring onions. You could be forgiven for thinking, 'this is a Korean okonomiyaki" but there are some differences. First, a korean pancake is much thinner and therefore, when fried, it has a crispier texture. Second, the Korean version comes with its own dipping sauce unlike the okonomiyaki which is seasoned with brown sauce, mayo or ketchup. The pajeon is sliced up out of the pan in a lattice shape all ready to be dipped into its sauce - so the two - pajeon and okonomiyaki are quite different. (They do share the distinction of both being very tasty though!) These pancakes make a quick, satisfying lunch or supper meal. I put a little more vegetable into my pajeon - in this pancake carrot and some bell pepper - it never hurts to eat more veg, after all. The dipping sauce is a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar some white sesame seeds and chilli which comes together in a spicy sweet ' n ' sour way and really does complement the pancakes well. If you'd like to get to korean pancakes a little better, you can find the written recipe just below. For the youtube tutorial click Korean Savoury Pancake or scroll to the bottom of the page.
why not make every day a pancake day? kurumi XXXX.
Korean savoury pancake - Pajeon
ingredients:
(makes 2 pancakes)
50g chinese chives or spring onions
1/2 onion (90g)
1/3 any coloured bell pepper (50g)
40g carrot
100g plain flour
40g potato or corn flour
1 egg
2 tsp vegetable stock powder
140ml water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
a little sesame oil
for the dipping sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp white sesame seeds
a little chilli
how to:
cut the chives / spring onion into 3cm lengths, slice the onion, slice the bell pepper and julienne the carrot
put all the vegetables in a bowl and set aside
in another bowl, combine the plain flour, potato flour, vegetable stock powder, egg & water and mix into a runny batter
add the batter to the vegetables and mix well
put 1 tbsp of veg oil in a very hot pan, add 1/2 of the pancake mixture, spread evenly over the pan using a spatula or the bacl of a large spoon and fry for 4-5 mins until lightly browned
sprinkle a little sesame oil over the pancake then turn it over
use a spatula again to press the pancake down into the pan and cook another 3-4 mins until lightly browned
to make the dipping sauce:
mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame seeds & chilli in a small bowl and mix well
your pancake and sauce are now ready to serve. slide the pancake out onto a plate and using a knife of a pizza cutter, slice your pancake in a lattice shape. dip the pieces into the dipping sauce and enjoy!