Kimchi Pancakes
Yes! Because it’s officially summertime (yes, I know it’s still 8 degrees some places – sorry about that) and there will need to be picnics, and why not pack up some kimchi pancakes and a wee jar of dipping sauce to nibble in the grass? The thing about picnicking, besides being awesome, is that really most food is portable, and you don’t need to stick to baguettes and cheese and cold pheasant, not that there’s anything wrong with that. I had a big jar of kimchi in my fridge that wasn’t going to eat itself, and since there are not a ton of opportunities to use kimchi from day to day (I know there are, it’s just not one of my default condiments), I decided to use a bunch of it in a batch of pancakes. Which, by the way, are different and delicious, even if you don’t love kimchi.
Generally, kimchi pancakes are made primarily with kimchi, with a small amount of batter to bind the roughly chopped bits together. Most recipes ask that you drain it first, which is smart since kimchi varies greatly in its ratio of liquid to fermented cabbage, and then add some of the red liquid back in, which makes the batter turn a beautiful salmon colour. An egg will help things along, and a few chopped green onions are typical. If you only have all-purpose flour, that’s fine – but most recipes call for some rice flour or potato starch to make them more tender and slightly chewy.
Beyond that, they’re just pancakes. Cook them in a hot pan with a skiff of oil until they’re golden on the bottom and have gone from wet looking to matte around the edges – they should be sturdy enough to flip, but don’t expect bubbles to break through the surface. You can make a couple of big pancakes, then cut them into wedges (as above), or make a pile of small silver dollar pancakes. Either way, they’re perfect for eating with your fingers, and are just as good warm as at room temperature. And if you’re an ambitious camper looking for something different to toss in your cast iron skillet over the fire, you can transport the batter in a zip-lock bag, squeeze it out into the hot pan, and eat them crispy-edged and warm, under the stars.
Kimchi Pancakes
AuthorJulieIn a medium bowl, stir together the flour, rice or potato flour and salt. Add the kimchi, kimchi juice, egg and green onions (I like to save a few green onions to put in the dipping sauce) and stir just until well blended. The mixture will be a beautiful salmon colour.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil and cook the mixture in large spoonfuls, flattening them out like silver dollar pancakes, or cook half the batter at a time, making two large pancakes. Cook until golden and crisp on the bottom, then flip and cook until golden on the other side. If you made large pancakes, cut them into wedges.
To make the dipping sauce, put all the ingredients into a jar, seal and shake it up. Pack along with your kimchi pancakes, for dipping.
Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, rice or potato flour and salt. Add the kimchi, kimchi juice, egg and green onions (I like to save a few green onions to put in the dipping sauce) and stir just until well blended. The mixture will be a beautiful salmon colour.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil and cook the mixture in large spoonfuls, flattening them out like silver dollar pancakes, or cook half the batter at a time, making two large pancakes. Cook until golden and crisp on the bottom, then flip and cook until golden on the other side. If you made large pancakes, cut them into wedges.
To make the dipping sauce, put all the ingredients into a jar, seal and shake it up. Pack along with your kimchi pancakes, for dipping.
Serves 4-6.
This looks great! Especially with good sauce for dipping 🙂 There are so many condiments you find yourself buying for one particular recipe and then you have lots of it leftover, this is a great way of using up kimchi, thanks! 😀 x
Yummy, kimchi. pancakes. It has it all. Thanks for the post, perfect backyard snacks. Maybe with an Asian beer or cocktail…
I attempted homemade kimchi one summer when I needed to rescue a few Napa cabbage from the slugs. So good, now I’m never without a batch (stored in the little dorm fridge downstairs). Keeps for months.
Kimchi stew, soup, tasty on hotdogs ’cause it’s basically spicy sauerkraut .
A quick go to meal is a bowl of hot brown rice, a fried egg and kimchi, with a drop of sesame oil, sesame seeds. Most often a post pub breakfast. plus a mug of green tea.
Korean Army Base Stew is on my kitchen project list. I’ve tried the version at Anju, I think homemade would even better. Anything that includes kimchi AND Spam has got to be good!