Pan-Fried Dishes and Pancakes

A variety of flavorful, colorful pan-fried dishes (chon or jon) are an important part of Korean cuisine.  Typically, they are served as appetizers and side dishes, although some are substantial enough to be offered as entrees, and others make fine snack food.  Chon include flour-based pancakes of all sizes, made with everything from mung beans to kimchi, as well as pan-fried dishes ranging from meat patties to fish fillets to sliced vegetables cooked in egg.  A dipping sauce customarily accompanies them, either Vinegar Soy Sauce (recipe on page 28 of Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen, by Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall) or Allspice Sauce (page 28), sometimes both. 

Tips for making and serving pan-fried dishes:

• Use a 12- to 14-inch cast iron or non-stick skillet.
• Get organized before you start cooking: have all the necessary utensils and plates on hand, and line up the ingredients by the stovetop in a logical order.  The short cooking time requires that ingredients be at the ready.
• Chon are best served hot out of the pan, but they can be reheated.
• Day-old chon can go into any stew recipes (pages 138 to 141 of Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen)

Tips for making and serving pancakes:

• For crispy pancakes, always make the batter with ice cold water.
• Mix batters sparingly, just until smooth.
• Use batters soon after preparing them.
• When serving pancakes, the first side cooked should be the one that is facing up.

Green Onion Pancakes

P'ajon

Serves 4

20 minutes to prepare and cook

• 1 pound small or medium-size thread green onions, white and pale  green part only, cut into 7-inch pieces

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup ice cold water

• Pinch of salt

• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped

• 1 hot red korean pepper, or ¼ red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed,  and finely diced

• Pinch of sil koch'u (hot red pepper threads) or hot red pepper flakes

Vegetable pancakes are a standard offering at the Korean table.  This particular favorite is made with lots of whole green onions.  It is served as  a side dish, an appetizer or a snack.  Tender, small thread green onions (sil p'a) are best for this recipe, but regular green onions are acceptable.

Wash the green onions and pat dry with a towel.  reserve four pieces for garnish.  To make the batter, in a chilled bowl, combine the flour and ice water and lightly mix with a wooden spoon.  Season with the salt and pepper. 

In a large cast-iron or non stick skillet, heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke.  Working quickly, add half of the green onions to the skillet and, using a spatula, form them into a rectangular shape, about 7 inches square.  Add half of the pepper, red pepper and sil koch'u.  Quickly pour half of the batter over the green onions, spreading the mixture evenly between them and maintaining the rectangular shape as much as possible.  With the spatula, lightly flatten the green onions. Cook for 1½ minutes, until the pancake edges turn golden brown and crusty.  Shake the pan to loosen the pancake. Flip it over and add ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil to the skillet.  Using the spatula, flatten and shape the pancake, making it as thin as possible; cook for 2 minutes.  Flip again and cook for 1 minute, to restore crispiness.  Slide the finished pancake onto a bamboo tray. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.  Transfer both pancakes to a cutting board and cut into bite-size pieces. 

To serve, arrange the pancakes on 4 individual plates.  Garnish each piece with 1 piece of the reserved green onion.  Serve hot as an appetizer or side dish with Vinegar Soy Sauce or Allspice Sauce, or both, in bowls as dipping sauces.

Bean Curd Pancakes           DUBU-JEON           두부 전       

Adapted from Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall, Growing Up In A Korean Kitchen: A Cookbook,

Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, 2001

Dubu-jeon is very nutritious. Scientific studies show that dubu contains 3 times more protean than meat or milk. This pancake is very easy to make. Serve it as an appetizer, light snack or as a fancy breakfast.

   Korean Allspice Sauce          GAJIN-YANGNYEOMJANG           가진약념장