Pajeon 파 전 Recipes

HAEMUL PAJEON OR KOREAN SEAFOOD PANCAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Add one egg to a measuring cup, and fill the rest of the measuring cup (1 cup) with water.
• In a large mixing bowl, add your water and egg, and pancake mix. Then you can either individually coat the veggies and seafood or mix it into the bowl, depending on how much batter you like.
• Fry the batter until light brown on the bottom and then flip until the other side is brown.

CRISPY KOREAN SEAFOOD PANCAKES - HAEMUL PAJEON

Steps:

• Mix the soy sauce, water, vinegar, minced garlic (and gochugaru / chilli powder if using) in a dipping bowl.
• Place the Korean pancake mix into a large bowl and top with the cold water and egg. Mix until batter is smooth. Add the seafood mix, spring onions, kimchi and cabbage to the batter and stir through until evenly mixed.
• Heat half the vegetable oil in a frying pan on high and then reduce heat to medium. Pour or ladle half the batter into the pan and press out to the edges. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, around 3-4 minutes.
• Flip the pancake and add a little more vegetable oil around the edges. Cook for another 3-4 minutes until the seafood has cooked through and the pancake is a delicious golden brown colour.
• Repeat for the second pancake. Serve hot with the dipping sauce.

PAJEON (파 전 / 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. 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).