Nokdujeon, aka nokdu bindaetteok, is a type of savory Korean pancake made with ground nokdu (mung beans). The result is crispy golden brown pancakes that are soft and nutty with some added crunch from the vegetables.
I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas with lots of great food! Hopefully, Santa was nice to you as well! Like most of you, I’ve been incredibly busy shopping, wrapping, cooking, eating, and most importantly hanging out with my loving family!
As the new year approaches, I thought I’d share a dish that I grew up eating on New Year’s day and other traditional holidays. I now make them quite often for my family throughout the year. Nokdujeon (녹두전), also called nokdu bindaetteok (녹두 빈대떡), is a type of savory Korean pancake made with ground nokdu (mung beans).
To make these pancakes, you’ll need to soak the dried mung beans in water for a few hours, and then ground into a batter.
Typically, mung bean sprouts, pork, gosari (fern brakes), scallions, and/or kimchi are added to the batter for additional flavor and texture.
The result is crispy golden brown pancakes that are soft and nutty with some added crunch from the vegetables.
For a vegetarian or vegan nokdu bindaetteok, you can simply omit the pork.
This recipe makes quite a few pancakes, but it’s very easy to cut the recipe in half if desired. These pancakes freeze well. Simply defrost them at room temperature, and then reheat in a pan over low heat or microwave.
I hope you make this Korean holiday favorite for your New Year’s feast.
Nokdujeon or Nokdu bindaetteok (Savory mung bean pancakes)
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried peeled and split mung beans* yields about 4 cups soaked
- 8 ounces 230 grams sukju namul (mung bean sprouts)
- 8 ounces 230 grams kimchi
- 6 - 8 scallions
- 4 ounces 110 grams pork , ground or finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- salt
- vegetable 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 - optional
Instructions
- Rinse and soak the mung beans in water for 3 - 4 hours. Drain.
- Meanwhile, cook the mung bean sprouts in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Drain and gently squeeze out excess water. Thinly slice the kimchi and scallions. In a large bowl, combine the kimchi, bean sprouts, scallions, meat, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic. Mix well.
- In a blender, grind 2 cups of the soaked beans in 1 cup of cold water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt until it has a coarse, sandlike consistency.
- Add to the vegetable and meat mixture. Repeat with the remaining beans. Gently mix the mung bean batter until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan over medium to medium high heat. Ladle the mixture into the pan and spread it evenly into a thin round shape. Cook until the bottom is golden brown (2 - 3 minutes), and turn it over, adding more oil. Press it down with a spatula, and cook for another 2- 3 minutes. Repeat the process with the rest of the mixture.
- Serve hot off the pan with the dipping sauce.
