A traditional Korean Kimchi pancake is made from a simple batter of kimchi, scallions, salt, and water fried to a crispy pancake in the skillet and served with a dipping sauce.
If you have nicely fermented kimchi and a bag of flour, you could make this popular snack in no time. The flavor-packed sour kimchi does a wonder when it’s fried in a simple batter. Everything else is nice to have, but not necessary.
Here, I added sweet rice powder to give a little bit of elastic texture to the kimchi pancakes. The juice from the kimchi is a must. It gives the pancake batter its distinct flavor and a nice orange hue.
The chewy squid lends a nice textural contrast to the crunchy kimchi. For a slightly spicier kimchi pancake, add a spoonful of gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste) to the batter. Enjoy these crispy kimchi pancakes piping hot as a snack, appetizer, or a light meal – it will be a delicious treat!
How to make the perfect Kimchi Pancake:
Make sure not to overmix the pancake batter to allow for a light texture. Use ripe, well-fermented kimchi for this kimchi pancake recipe to get best results.
The addition of rice flour transforms the pancake batter into a lighter, crispy pancake so don’t skip the rice flour if at all possible. All-purpose flour alone leads to a mushy, gooey pancake.
For a milder kimchi pancake, reduce the amount of gochujang. If you’re not a fan of squid, just swap it for shrimp or skip the seafood altogether.
How to make a Korean pancake dipping sauce?
Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, and sugar or honey in a bowl. Mix well till the liquids have blended, and stir in the crushed chili peppers, black pepper and (optional) sesame seeds. Mix well and serve!
What is Korean sweet rice flour?
While rice flour is made from long- or medium-grain rice, sweet rice flour is ground from short-grain glutinous rice, aka “sticky rice.”
Sweet rice flour is used to make various Korean doughs and batter. Sweet rice, although it’s also known glutinous rice, does not contain any dietary gluten. The name “glutinous” comes from its characteristic of being very sticky or glue-like.
Don’t let the fact that it’s called “sweet” rice throw you off. Its flavor is mild and really not at all sugary sweet. You often find this Asian flour labelled as mochiko in Asian groceries.
More Korean savory pancakes recipes
Nokdujeon (savory mung bean pancakes)
Gamjajeon (potato pancakes)
Hobak buchim (zucchini pancakes)
Haemul Pajeon (Scallion seafood pancakes)
Buchujeon (garlic chives pancakes)
Have you tried this kimchi pancake recipe? Please rate the recipe below by either clicking the stars or leaving a comment! And make sure to share your creations by tagging me on Instagram! Stay in touch by following me on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Kimchi Pancakes (Kimchijeon)
Appetizer, Main Course, SnackIngredients
Ingredients
- 1 cup thinly sliced kimchi fully fermented
- 2 scallions roughly chopped
- 1/4 medium onion thinly sliced
- 80 grams squid cut into small strips
Batter
- 1 cup flour or pre-made Korean pancake mix
- 1/4 cup sweet rice flour or rice powder (or use more pancake mix or flour)
- 1 tablespoon gochujang Korean red chili pepper paste
- 1/4 cup juice from kimchi
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- 1 cup icy cold water use more water if juice from kimchi is not available
- Vegetable or canola oil for pan frying
Dipping Sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- pinch of black pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes gochugaru
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients before making the batter.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour (or pancake mix) with the next 5 ingredients. Do not overmix. Stir in the kimchi, scallions, onion and squid.
- Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
- 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 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low if the pancake browns too quickly. Turn it over, adding more oil, and press it down with a spatula. Cook until the other side is light golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- Repeat the process until there is no remaining batter. Serve hot with a dipping sauce, if desired.
