← Nouns Cooking · Korean

Ingredients

• 200 g well-fermented (sour) kimchi, chopped
• 3 tbsp kimchi juice from the jar
• ¼ Onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Spring onion, cut into 3 cm lengths
• 80 g Minced pork (optional)
• 125 g plain flour
• 2 tbsp potato starch or cornflour
• 180 ml ice-cold water
• 1 tsp Gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) (optional)
• ½ tsp Sugar
• 4 tbsp Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tsp White vinegar
• 1 tbsp Water

Method

1. Mix the kimchi, kimchi juice, onion, spring onion and pork (if using) in a bowl.
2. Add the flour, starch, gochugaru and sugar, then stir in the ice-cold water until just combined. A few lumps are fine; overmixing makes it chewy.
3. Heat 1½ tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Spread a third of the batter thinly over the pan.
4. Fry for 3–4 min, until the bottom is golden and crisp, then flip and press down with a spatula. Add a drizzle more oil around the edges and cook for 2–3 min more. If using pork, it must be cooked through.
5. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Mix the dipping sauce, cut the pancakes into wedges and serve hot.

Tips

• Ice-cold water (or sparkling water) and plenty of hot oil are the keys to lacy, crisp edges.
• Most kimchi contains fish sauce or salted shrimp; choose a vegan kimchi and skip the pork for a vegetarian pancake.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Korean Bapsang Kimchimari Beyond Kimchee