Korean-Style Pancake

파전

Pajeon is a traditional Korean-style pancake which is a very popular appetizer or snack.  It is made with flour batter, eggs, and green onions/scallions, served with a mixture of soy sauce & vinegar for dipping.  In translation, “jeon” (pronounced “jun”) is the actual battered ingredients and “pa” means scallions in Korean. The basic type of this dish consists of just scallions along with flour and eggs but endless variation of this dish can exists by simply adding other ingredients such as seafood, kimchi, or vegetables. 

To cook, the batter is poured into an oiled pan and fried to a golden crisp on a frying pan. Just like a pancake and one of the key to this dish is the egg which contributed to the crispness in texture. The most popular pajeon dish is the seafood Hae-Mul pajeon, which usually consists of little bits of oysters, fresh baby clams, shrimps and even squids. It’s nothing compared to pancakes most frequently found on North American breakfast tables as a regular pan of pajeon is big enough to feed three hungry mouths. 

Recipe Ingredients: Scallion pancake

• 2 cups flour (all purpose)
• 2 cups water
• 2 eggs
• 1 bunch of scallions
• Vegetable oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• To make Hae-Mul Pajeon also add:

  • 1 cup oysters
  • 1 cup chopped clams, fresh
  • 1 cup of baby shrimps

Recipe Ingredients: Dipping sauce

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp vinegar (distilled white)
• 1 stalk scallion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp Korean dried hot chili pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Cooking Directions: (Serving 4 pancakes)

• In a large bowl, mix flours, water and egg till smooth. Add more flour or water if needed to get the consistency of a thin pancake batter.
• Stir in half the chopped scallions and season with salt and pepper. Let set for about 10-15 minutes.
• Heat a skillet over medium flame and a little oil.
• Pour about 3/4 cup batter into the skillet, tilting the pan to cover the bottom.
• Sprinkle over a few of the scallions and let cook for 6-8 minutes until the bottom is lightly browned.
• For Hae-Mul Pajeon (seafood & scallion pancake): Sprinkle about 1/4 cup clams, oysters, chopped squid, shrimp or other seafood over the batter as you make each pancake.
• Flip and brown the other side and cook for another 6-8 minutes. Make sure all surfaces contact the skillet with a spatula.
• Wipe the skillet with the oily paper towel and repeat with the rest of the batter.
• When ready to serve, cut the pancake into 8 pieces resembling a pizza pie.
• For its dipping sauce, mix the sauce ingredients together.
• Serve pancakes warm.