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Hobak buchimgae (Korean zucchini pancake)
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4.35 from 66 votes

Hobak Buchim (Zucchini Pancakes)

Korean savory pancakes made with zucchini!
Servings: 4
Author: Hyosun

Ingredients

  • 1 medium zucchini about 8 ounces
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 green or red chili peppers, thinly sliced -- optional See note 1
  • 1/2 cup buchim garu (Korean savory pancake mix) or flour (See note 2)
  • 1 large egg - optional (omit for a vegan version) If not using, add some water
  • vegetable or canola oil for frying

Dipping Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • pinch of black pepper
  • pinch gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)

Instructions

  • Cut the zucchini into matchsticks. Place them in a bowl, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let sit for about 10 minutes until wilted and released some liquid. Squeeze the liquid out from the zucchini as much as possible, reserving the liquid in the bowl. Set the zucchini aside in another bowl or plate.
    Hobak buchim (Korean zucchini pancake)
  • Add the optional egg and pancake mix (or flour) to the bowl with the liquid from squeezing zucchini. If not using an egg, add a couple of tablespoons of water. Mix the batter well with a spoon. Do not over mix. A little lumps are fine. Then, combine with the zucchini, onion and chili peppers. The zucchini mix may look stiff when mixing, but it will become more liquidly after a few minutes. If it’s still too stiff, mix in some water (2 to 3 tablespoons to start with).
    Hobak buchim (Korean zucchini pancake)
  • Heat a skillet with two tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Add about 2 heaping tablespoons of the batter and spread it evenly into a thin round shape. You can also add more batter to make it a large pancake, if preferred (see note 3). Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook 3 to 4 pancakes at once. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the bottom is light golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve hot with a dipping sauce.
    Hobak buchim (Korean zucchini pancake)

Notes

  1. Perilla leaves (kkaennip, 깻잎) or garlic chives (buchu, 부추) are also good additions. 
  2. Use 5 tablespoons all purpose flour with 3 tablespoons cornstarch if available. Sometimes, Korean home cooks combine pancake mix with frying mix (twuigim garu, 튀김가루), aka tempura mix, for extra crispy pancakes. Frying mix typically contains more rice flour and baking powder for a crispy result. Try it if you have a bag of frying mix (1:1 ratio).
  3. This recipe makes 6 to 8 3-inch round pancakes, or two large pancakes.