Pajeon, also known as Korean pancake, is a delightful savory pancake that holds a special place in Korean cuisine. Its origins date back centuries, and it has evolved into a beloved dish enjoyed by people of all ages. Made with a combination of wheat flour, rice flour, eggs, vegetables, and seafood, pajeon offers a crispy exterior and a tender, flavorful interior. Whether served as a main course or a side dish, pajeon is sure to tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving more.
Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!
VEGETABLE PAJEON (KOREAN SCALLION PANCAKES WITH VEGETABLES)
Crisp at the edges, soft at the center and filled scallions and other vegetables, these irresistible, comforting pancakes (adapted from Sohui Kim of Insa and the Good Fork restaurants in Brooklyn) make for a quick dinner that you can throw together on any given weeknight. It's extremely forgiving, so feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Ms. Kim recommends finely shredded raw vegetables, or even leftover cooked vegetables. And if you don't have the bandwidth to make a dipping sauce, a drizzle of soy sauce and squirt of Sriracha adds verve without any work. Serve pajeon by itself or topped with a fried egg or two, if you want to add protein.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories dinner, weekday, pancakes, vegetables, main course
Time 30m
Yield 3 to 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Prepare the pancakes: In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, potato starch, salt and baking powder.
- In a medium bowl, combine water, egg and kimchi. Whisk kimchi mixture into flour mixture, and whisk until smooth. Fold in vegetables and about three-quarters of the scallions. (Save the rest for garnish.)
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Scoop 1/4 cup portions of batter into the skillet, as many as will fit while not touching, flatten, and fry until dark golden on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and continue to fry until other side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with a little more salt. Continue with remaining batter.
- Before serving, make the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, vinegar, ginger or garlic (if using), sesame oil and sugar. Sprinkle sliced scallion over pancakes, and serve with dipping sauce on the side.
SCALLION PANCAKE (PAJEON)
Chef Kim's version of this popular appetizer is full of greens held together by a crisp matrix of batter. He'll share the secrets to making a light, airy pancake: ice cold club soda and good technique.
Provided by Hooni Kim
Categories appetizer
Time 45m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Batter: In a large bowl, add flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, sugar, and pepper. Mix well and set aside. In another bowl, add egg yolks, club soda, and soy sauce. Smash and peel the garlic, then finely chop. Use the flat part of your knife to press down on the garlic to further break it down, then continue to mince. Place garlic in the bowl with the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently whisk, just enough to combine. (Do not over-whisk, or you will form extra gluten in the batter, making it too doughy.) Cover with plastic and let rest in the refrigerator, allowing any small lumps in the batter to dissolve, 10-15 minutes.
- Trim and discard scallion roots and the very tips of the greens. Slice scallion greens into 1½-inch batons; cut the denser white parts slightly shorter, about 1 inch. Chop the Chinese chives into 1-inch batons. Combine chives and scallions in a bowl.
- Dipping sauce: In a small bowl, add soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, and rice vinegar. Stir to blend. Reserve at room temperature until ready to use. Makes about ¼ cup. (Note: Dipping sauce can be made several days ahead and stored in a lidded container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.)
- Heat skillet over high heat. Remove batter from refrigerator and quickly whisk, about 10 seconds. Ladle just enough batter into the scallions and chives to hold them together; mix with your hand until every scallion and chive is coated with batter. (You will have leftover batter.) Add ¾ of the oil to the hot skillet, enough to cover the bottom in a thin layer. When the oil is rippling, add the pancake mixture: spread it in an even layer across the skillet, without letting it touch the sides of the skillet. (Otherwise, the edges will burn before the center is cooked through.) Ladle another ½-cup batter across the top of the pancake and cook until it's golden brown on the bottom, 2-3 minutes. Lower the temperature if the pancake is browning too quickly.
- Gently slide a spatula (or two, if necessary) under the pancake and flip it, using caution to avoid oil splatter. Cook 2-3 more minutes, flattening the top with spatula, and occasionally shaking the skillet so some of the hot oil runs underneath the pancake. Add more oil as necessary to maintain a thin layer in the skillet. When the bottom is a deep golden brown, flip one more time and cook another 2 minutes.
- Remove pancake from skillet and transfer onto several layers of paper towels to drain excess oil. Cut pancake into 6 wedges, like a pizza, and serve immediately with dipping sauce. (Note: Extra batter can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days; make another pancake using scallions or any seasonal leafy green.)
PAJEON (파 전 / SCALLION PANCAKES)
While this recipe features scallions, Korean pancakes can be filled with almost anything: garlic chives, ramps, chrysanthemum leaves. If you want something a little more substantial, add squid or shrimp cut into bite-sized pieces.
Provided by Hooni Kim
Categories Dinner Pancake Green Onion/Scallion Pan-Fry Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Vegetarian
Yield Makes 4 or 5 pancakes
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- To make the batter, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, doenjang, and pepper in a medium bowl and mix well to blend. Add the club soda, egg yolk, and garlic and mix gently using a whisk. Do not whisk too much, or extra gluten will form in the batter, making it too thick and doughy. Whisk about 10 times, then let the batter rest for 10 minutes in the freezer so any remaining small clumps of flour can dissolve and blend into the mixture by themselves.
- When you're ready to make the pancakes, line a sheet pan with paper towels and set aside. Place scallions in a medium bowl and fold in just enough cold batter to hold the scallions together.
- Set a 10-inch nonstick sauté pan over high heat and add about 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil begins to shimmer and just barely smoke, add 1 cup of the scallion batter to the center of the pan. Using a spatula, spread it out to form a 7-inch pancake. (You don't want the pancake to touch the sides of the pan, or the edges may burn before the center is cooked through.) Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottom of the pancake has set. Once it has set, gently slide your spatula under the edges of the pancake and lift them, tilting the pan, so some of the hot oil runs underneath the pancake. Then cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the bottom is a deep golden brown and crisp. You can check the color by gently lifting an edge of the pancake with your spatula. Flip the pancake and cook on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes, until it is golden brown on the second side and cooked through. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan to drain. Wipe out the pan, set it back over high heat, add another tablespoon or so of oil, and repeat until all of the pancakes are cooked. The finished pancakes can be kept in a low (200°F) oven on a clean sheet pan while you cook the remaining batches, but it's best to eat them right away.
- Cut each pancake into quarters and serve with small bowls of the Pajeon Sauce and ice-cold makgeolli (Korean rice wine).
PAJEON (KOREAN PANCAKE) WITH BEET GREENS
While brainstorming ways to use up the beet greens from my garden, I decided to incorporate them into my favorite Korean recipe. This pancake is easy to make and customize and hard to mess up! I like to serve it as a side dish along with a spicy Korean meat dish.
Provided by Azure Wilson
Categories Side Dish Vegetables Greens
Time 21m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat a griddle over medium heat.
- Combine water, flour, and salt in a bowl. Fold beet greens and stems into the batter.
- Scoop about 1/3 cup batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and red pepper together in a bowl; serve sauce alongside pancakes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 71.2 calories, Carbohydrate 13.6 g, Fat 0.8 g, Fiber 1.2 g, Protein 2.5 g, SaturatedFat 0.1 g, Sodium 529.8 mg, Sugar 0.3 g
PAJEON SAUCE
This bright, vinegary sauce is works wonderfully with all manner of panfried or deep-fried battered foods, including scallion pancakes and dumplings.
Provided by Hooni Kim
Categories Sauce Condiment Vinegar Soy Sauce Chile Pepper Sesame Oil
Yield Makes 1 cup
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Use immediately, or store for up to 2 weeks in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Shake or stir well before using.
PAJEON (SCALLION PANCAKES)
Steps:
- To make the batter, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, doenjang, and pepper in a medium bowl and mix well to blend. Add the club soda, egg yolk, and garlic and mix gently using a whisk. Do not whisk too much, or extra gluten will form in the batter, making it too thick and doughy. Whisk about 10 times, then let the batter rest for 10 minutes in the freezer so any remaining small clumps of flour can dissolve and blend into the mixture by themselves.
- When you're ready to make the pancakes, line a sheet pan with paper towels and set aside. Fold the scallions into the cold batter.
- Set a 10-inch nonstick sauté pan over high heat and add about 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil begins to shimmer and just barely smoke, add 1 cup of the scallion batter to the center of the pan. Using a spatula, spread it out to form a 7-inch pancake. (You don't want the pancake to touch the sides of the pan, or the edges may burn before the center is cooked through.) Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottom of the pancake has set. Once it has set, gently slide your spatula under the edges of the pancake and lift them, tilting the pan, so some of the hot oil runs underneath the pancake. Then cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the bottom is a deep golden brown and crisp. You can check the color by gently lifting an edge of the pancake with your spatula. Flip the pancake and cook on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes, until it is golden brown on the second side and cooked through. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan to drain. Wipe out the pan, set it back over high heat, add another tablespoon or so of oil, and repeat until all of the pancakes are cooked. The finished pancakes can be kept in a low (200°F) oven on a clean sheet pan while you cook the remaining batches, but it's best to eat them right away.
- Cut each pancake into quarters and serve with small bowls of the sauce
HAEMUL-PAJEON
Steps:
- 1. Wash seafoods in salt water softly and drain water on a strainer (190 g). Shred them into 1 cm-wide, season with salt and ground black pepper, then let it sit for 10 minutes 【Photo 1】 2. Cut the green/red pepper into 2 cm and 0.3 cm-thick diagonally and seed. Trim and wash small green onion, cut into 10 cm (150 g). 【Photo 2】 3. Add short-grain rice powder, salt and water to the wheat flour, then mix thoroughly (270 g). 4. Beat egg. 5. Blend vinegar soy sauce. 6. Preheat the frying pan and oil. On medium heat, put half ladle of dough on the pan. 7. Place small green onion on the dough and add prepared seafoods, green/red pepper on it. Spread out another half ladle of dough on it, and spread 2~3 tablespoons of beaten egg over it. 【Photo 3,4】 8. On medium heat, panfry for 5 minutes When bottom is well-done, turn over, cover the lid, fry for another 3 minutes 9. Serve with vinegar soy sauce.
Tips:
- Use a hot pan. This will help the pancake cook evenly and prevent it from sticking.
- Don't overcrowd the pan. Leave some space between each pancake so that they have room to cook.
- Cook the pancakes over medium heat. This will help them cook through without burning.
- Flip the pancakes only once. Flipping them too often will make them tough.
- Serve the pancakes immediately. They are best when they are hot and fresh.
Conclusion:
Pajeon is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is a great way to use up leftover vegetables and it is also a good source of protein and fiber. With so many different variations to choose from, there is sure to be a pajeon recipe that everyone will enjoy.
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