Simple Korean savory pancakes made with buchu (garlic chives)! Learn how to make it two ways!
Savory pancakes are a big part of Korean home cooking. Koreans make pancakes with all sorts of ingredients — kimchi (kimchijeon), seafood and scallions (haemul pajeon), potato (gamjajeon), zucchini (hobak buchim), etc. This buchujeon (부추전) is made with buchu (부추), Korean garlic chives. It’s another very common pancake at Korean homes!
When savory pancakes are seasoned with gochujang (Korean chili pepper paste) and/or doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste), they are called jangtteok (장떡), so the red version of this pancake I am showing here is actually called buchu jangtteok (부추장떡). You can simply add gochujang, doenjang or a combination. In this recipe, I just used gochujang. It adds a nice spicy kick to the pancakes.
Which type of garlic chives to use
Garlic chives have dark green flat leaves and a delicate garlic flavor. Korean garlic chives are thinner and tenderer than Chinese garlic chives commonly found in America. For this recipe, I used Korean garlic chives I grew in my backyard, but they are also available at Korean markets.
If you can’t find Korean chives, you can use the Chinese variety for this recipe. Look for ones with thin and narrow blades.
Variations
Buchujeon can be made simply with buchu, but I also added thinly sliced onions here. It adds delicious sweetness to the pancakes. Sometimes, I also add thinly sliced perilla leaves (깻잎, kkaennip) and/or chili peppers. If you like it a bit meaty, add some minced pork.
Korean pancake mix (buchim garu, 부침가루) is best to use for Korean savory pancakes. The ready made mix includes cornstarch, and/or rice powder for crispy pancakes and is flavored with garlic and onion powder and seasoned with salt. If you can’t find it, simple use all purpose flour or gluten free flour. You can also add some cornstarch and/or rice flour for a slightly chewier, crispier texture.
This recipe is vegan, but you can add an egg to the batter if you like.
You can make 2 large pancakes with this recipe. Cut into small pieces before serving or simply let the diners tear with the chopsticks as they eat. Or, make a few small pieces instead.
More Korean savory pancakes recipes
Kimchi jeon (kimchi pancakes)
Nokdujeon (savory mung bean pancakes)
Gamjajeon (potato pancakes)
Hobak buchim (zucchini pancakes)
Haemul Pajeon (Scallion seafood pancakes)
For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Ingredients
- Makes 2 large pancakes or 6 small ones
- 1 cup Korean pancake mix (buchimgaru, 부침가루) or simply use all purpose flour or gluten free flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt - see note
- 3 ounces garlic chives buchu, 부추
- 1/4 medium onion
- 1 teaspoon soup soy sauce or regular soy sauce or fish sauce
Optional Spicy Version
- 1 cup Korean pancake mix buchimgaru, 부침가루
- 3 ounces garlic chives buchu, 부추
- 1/4 medium onion
- 1 tablespoon gochujang Korean chili pepper paste
Dipping Sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the garlic chives into about 2-inch length pieces. Thinly slice the onion.
- Add the pancake mix to a large bowl. Stir in 1 cup of icy cold water and the soy sauce (or gochujang for the spicy version) and mix lightly. The batter should be thin.
- Mix in the garlic chives and onion.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Ladle the mixture into the pan, and spread it evenly into a thin round shape. Cook until the edges turn light golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low if the pancake browns too quickly. Turn it over, adding more oil to the sides of the pan, and press it down with a spatula. Cook until the other side is light golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Repeat the process until there is no remaining batter and the optional spicy version. Serve with a dipping sauce.
A says
I made this recipe with Chinese garlic chives, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, and 1/4 cup rice flour. Additionally added 12oz ground chicken breast and an egg. They turned out amazing! Will be making more and adding leftovers when I need to use up ingredients.
Mary says
I’ve made this recipe the other night but I added some ground beef and slice jalapeños to the mixture. It was delicious!
jackie diu says
Hiii, I wanted to ask about your Notes. Does 4/3 cups flour equal 1 1/3cup?
Hyosun says
Sorry that was a typo. Should have been 3/4 cup. Fixed! Thanks!
Evangelina Duman says
I made the mix in the notes before making this recipe and added 1 egg and 1 Tbsp doenjang to the batter. I used the garlic chives from my garden with the onion. For the dipping sauce, I added a pinch of cayenne pepper, a dash of toasted sesame seeds, and a drop or two of toasted sesame oil. This recipe turned out very well! I pre-made the mix from the notes to keep in my pantry so I can make the batter more quickly. Kam-sa-ham-ni-da for sharing your recipe!
Sue says
Hi! I just stumbled onto your site in my search for pajeon recipes. I’m excited to try them out! A quick question- you mentioned in the notes possibly adding meat. If I wanted to, would you suggest ground pork or beef? And should it be cooked first or added raw to the batter? Thanks!
Hyosun says
You can just add ground meat to to the batter. Enjoy!
B says
There was no where to send a message. Just wanted to point out the “Diping” Sauce is spelt incorrectly.
Hyosun says
Thank you! Corrected!
Annie says
How would I make this gluten free?
B says
I was wondering the same thing.
Hyosun says
Try it with rice flour and some gluten free starch.
Hyosun says
Just use gluten free flour.
Linda says
For the dipping sauce, can you recommend what kind of vinegar will be suitable for this?
Thank you 🙂
Hyosun says
Any kind of clear vinegar is fine – white, rice, apple cider, etc.
Bkhuna says
I purchased a package of buchim garu but am not sure about the measurements for the mix and liquid.
I can figure out the dry mix because the directions list grams. Same with the liquid because it’s in mL.
Other than that, are there any tricks to know? Stand time, etc. I’m use to making Okonomiyaki from mix.
Ronald McCoy says
I made the spicy one for dinner according to your recipe. It’s soooooooo good! Thank you! I’ve been trying your recipes and they’re amazing. You’re my new hero!!!
Diane says
I love your recipe! I make mine a bit thinner, a bit thicker French crêpes, and love them that way as well. Today, I combined aehobak, sliced shallots, and buchu and perilla from the garden. I added a bit of fish sauce to the batter (thinking of how aehobak is usually prepared with salted shrimp) in addition to the soup soy sauce, and used Chinese black vinegar for the dipping sauce. There are so many ways to play with this delicious recipe. I’m so grateful to you for introducing me to the idea!
monalisa says
Looks yummy… will try this soon!
Nina Rama says
Hi Hyosun! First, thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipes. I’ve tried some of it and never failed. Just a question though, I can’t seem to get the right flavor of pajeon. Do you prefer any brand of buchimgaru? I also can’t find a ssamjang that tastes the same from the restaurants. Looking forward to more of your posts!!!
Elain says
I’m thinking about making these to take to an Easter Brunch potluck… just worried that it’ll be too cold/soggy to eat after sitting a while. One of my favorite comfort foods that my mom would make often.
Hyosun says
Hi Elain – It will still be good. Also, if it’s an option, you can bring all the ingredients prepped and pan fry at the brunch location. Happy Easter!
Janis says
Wow this was so delicious and easy to make! I made the plain one but will try making the spicy version soon!
Hyosun says
Great! Thanks for letting me know. You’ll like the spicy version too.
Linda says
Thank-You for sharing these recipees! They sound great!
Gisela Lara says
I’ve tried few times to make a good 전 but I’ve never been successful so I’m willing to try this recipe!! Thank you!
Hyosun says
What was wrong with your jeon before? The batter should be cold, the pan should be preheated and use generous amount of oil.
Li-Yong says
Yummy! Is it possible to make a gluten-free version? Thanks Hyosun!