Korean Vegetable Pancakes (Yachaejeon)
Aaron and Claire recipe - undefined
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- Big handful of garlic chives (or green onions), about 6 oz (170g) in total
- 1/2 Yukon Gold potato
- 1/3 carrot, about 2 oz (60g) in total
- 1 Cheongyang chili pepper (or serrano, jalapeno, etc.) (optional)
- 1 mild red chili (optional)
- 2 green onions
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (or Korean pancake mix)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or Korean beef stock powder/ chicken bouillon powder)
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1.5 cups (360ml) cold water
- 6 tbsp neutral-tasting oil, divided
- 1 Cheongyang chili pepper (or serrano, jalapeno, etc.)
- 1 mild red chili
- 1/2 green onion
- 1/4 yellow onion
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2.5 tbsp white vinegar
- Pinch of sugar
Instructions
- 1
Cut the garlic chives into strips about two inches (5cm) long. Cut the potato and carrot into thin matchsticks. Make sure to slice them as thinly as possible.
- 2
Thinly slice one or two chili peppers (if using). (If you can't get these Korean chili peppers, you can substitute any pepper you like. Just be careful not to make it too spicy for you.) Thinly slice the green onions.
- 3
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, black pepper, and cold water until combined. (If you happen to have some Korean pancake mix, use it and skip the salt and pepper.)
- 4
Add all the vegetables to the mixing bowl. Gently mix with a wooden spoon. (The batter only needs to work like glue. As long as it holds the vegetables together, you're good to go.)
- 5
Thinly slice the chili peppers and green onion. Roughly chop the onion. (These will not only release their flavor into the sauce, but they will also be your beautiful garnish.)
- 6
In a small container, add all the vegetables, along with the soy sauce, vinegar, and a pinch of sugar. Mix together. (Optionally, you can add 1 tablespoon of Korean chili pepper flakes for some extra heat.)
- 7
In a large pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Heat it over medium heat. Once it gets nice and hot, add some batter, spread it out, and evenly distribute the vegetables. (If this is your first time making Korean pancakes, you can make them a bit smaller. That will be much easier to cook and flip.) Fry it for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown.
- 8
Once the edges start to cook, shake your pan occasionally so that the oil from the edges can go into the center. This will prevent the center from getting soggy. Once the bottom turns golden brown, using a spatula, flip and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes.
- 9
Once both sides are golden brown and crispy, put it on a wire rack (or on some paper towels) and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm with some dipping sauce.