Savory Korean vegetable pancakes bound with a basic batter.
Sauerkraut Jeon (Korean Pancakes)
Jeon are savory Korean vegetable, meat or seafood pancakes bound with the most basic batter: flour, cornstarch and water. Because the mixture is completely unleavened (no baking powder, yeast or even eggs), they run the risk of turning dense and gummy if you overwork the batter. This is good news for the lazy: The less work you put in, the better they come out. They can be made with virtually any meat or vegetable odds and ends, but they’re especially great with that crunchy sauerkraut languishing in the back of your fridge from that cookout you had last year.
Ingredients
For the Dipping Sauce:
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce or shoyu
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar or black vinegar
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
For the Pancakes:
- 1 cup sauerkraut (about 6 ounces), plus 1/4 cup sauerkraut juice
- ¼ medium red onion (about 2 ounces), thinly sliced
- 2 scallions, split lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch or potato starch
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- Small handful of thinly sliced pickled cherry peppers or peperoncini
- ¾ cup cold water
- Peanut, rice bran or soybean oil, as needed, for pan-frying
Directions
- Prepare the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients until the sugar dissolves. Set aside, or prepare in advance and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.
- Prepare the pancakes: In a large bowl, combine sauerkraut and sauerkraut juice. (If you don’t have enough sauerkraut juice, you can make up the difference with cold water.) Add onion, scallions, flour, starch, sugar, pickled peppers and the cold water. Stir rapidly with a spoon just until no dry flour remains. (Do not overmix the batter.) The batter should be thin enough to flow around when you tilt the bowl.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the bottom of a flat-bottomed wok or an 8- to 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high until shimmering. You should be able to make about two 10-inch pancakes or three 8-inch pancakes, or several smaller pancakes. Add enough batter that you can spread it into a thin pancake with the back of a spoon. Let the pancake cook, undisturbed, until the bottom of the pancake is set, about 2 minutes. Use a thin spatula to gently release the pancake from the pan if it is sticking at all. Continue to cook, swirling pancake around to encourage even browning until the first side is well browned with a few darker spots, another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Use a wide spatula to carefully flip the pancake. Continue cooking until second side is well browned, about 4 minutes.
- Slide the pancake out onto a cutting board, and cook remaining pancake batter, repeating Steps 3 and 4. Once cooked, cut into wedges with a pizza slicer or knife and serve with the prepared dipping sauce.
- This recipe is very versatile. Here are two variations:
- Kimchi, Cabbage and Mushroom Pancakes: Stir-fry or sauté 4 ounces sliced shiitake or cremini mushrooms in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Follow recipe for sauerkraut pancakes, substituting thinly sliced cabbage kimchi and kimchi juice for the sauerkraut and sauerkraut juice, and 2 tablespoons of gochugaru (Korean chile flakes) in place of the pickled peppers. Follow recipe as directed, adding the sautéed mushrooms to the mix in Step 2.
- Garlicky Zucchini and Carrot Pancakes: Cut a small zucchini and a small peeled carrot into fine matchsticks by hand or on a mandoline. Toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and set aside in a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl for 15 minutes. Squeeze firmly by hand to express excess liquid. Use the pressed zucchini and carrot in place of sauerkraut and replace sauerkraut juice with 1/4 cup of the zucchini-carrot liquid. Replace the pickled cherry peppers with 4 minced garlic cloves. Follow recipe as directed.