Nov 10, 20194 min read

2 Korean Savoury Pancake Recipes: Pajeon and Kimchi-jeon (Vegan)

Updated: Jun 8, 2020

Bringing you not one, but 2 VEGAN KOREAN PANCAKE RECIPES!

First up is—a pajeon, which basically uses spring onions or scallions as the main ingredient but I added some other veggies + mushrooms too!

The second one is a kimchi-jeon, my personal favourite which is a kimchi pancake. I honestly love kimchi so much and I was so happy I got to recreate and veganize one of my favourite dishes I grew up enjoying from korean restaurants here. So yeah, a kimchi-jeon is basically made with kimchi and a little scallions as base—it’s made thinner but packed with so much flavour from the kimchi!

I love to make my own kimchi, but if you're looking to purchase kimchi, make sure it has no fish sauce!

See how I make my kimchi pancake here:

Get my homemade vegan kimchi recipe here.

Here's a bottle of vegan kimchi I get from groceries here in Manila:

The batter:

Check out the full recipes for both pancakes below along with the dipping sauce!

Are you looking for more delicious, vegan recipes? Check out my latest Vegan Kitchen eBook, that has over 95 recipes (and a whole section for Asian recipes!) that are packed with flavour and made with simple and easily accessible ingredients! Also, two trees (instead of 1!) will be planted for every download of my eBook through non-profit organisation One Tree Planted.🌲

Korean Scallion Pancake, ‘Pajeon’

Makes three 5-inch pancakes

3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp cornmeal

2 tbsp potato starch*

1 ½ tsp salt

¾ cup + 2 tbsp room temperature water

Vegetables

1 large red onion, sliced

1 large carrot, julienned

Bunch of scallions (50g), sliced into half

2 king oyster mushrooms (50g), halved then thinly sliced

Canola or other neutral oil, for cooking

*Note: You can use 2 tbsp corn starch instead of potato starch.

Preparing the pancake

In a mixing bowl, add in all the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Slowly pour in the water while mixing. Mix until you’ve reached a batter consistency.

Cooking the pancake

Heat a non-stick pan. Note that the size of your pancake will depend on the size of your pan.
Add enough oil to add to coat the surface of the pan. Add in the sliced onions, carrots, scallions, and mushroom—basically enough veggies to almost cover the pan! Pour in around 1/2 cup of the batter and carefully spread to cover the vegetables. Place more veggies on the top of the pancake and carefully press down onto the batter. Cook for 4-5 minutes one medium heat.
Once the sides start to dry up, carefully scrape the sides and underneath the pancake with a spatula to ensure it hasn’t stuck to the pan. Once it’s golden brown underneath, carefully flip the pancake with a spatula. Cook the other side until golden brown and crisp. Repeat this for the rest of the batter. Slice and then enjoy with some dipping sauce!

Storage and reheating tip: Store in an air-tight container and refrigerate. Pan fry the pancakes or pajeon on a pan for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Korean Kimchi Pancakes, Kimchi-jeon

Makes around three 5-inch pancakes

¾ cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp potato starch or corn starch

¼ tsp salt, or to taste*

¾ cup chopped vegan kimchi** (easy homemade kimchi recipe here)

¼ cup + 1 tbsp room temp. water

½ cup liquid from kimchi (I squeezed my kimchi well to get lots of liquid!)

¼ cup chopped scallions

3 tbsp oil, for cooking

Canola or other neutral oil, for cooking

Note:

*The salt may depend on the flavour of your kimchi and the liquid. Feel free to adjust according to desired to taste.

**Make sure to use kimchi that has no fish sauce or shrimp paste/powder! Squeeze your kimchi well to get the liquid!

Preparing the pancake

In a mixing bowl, add in flour, potato or corn starch, and salt. Mix well.
Mix the kimchi liquid and water together. Slowly add the liquid to the dry mixture while mixing. Mix until you’ve reached a batter consistency. Fold in the sliced kimchi and scallions.

Cooking the pancake

Heat a non-stick pan. Note that the size of your pancake will depend on the size of your pan.
Add enough oil to add to coat the surface of the pan. Pour in around 1/3-1/2 cup of the batter. This batter has a runnier consistency compared to the pajeon so you will be able to make thinner pancakes without having to spread the batter too much upon pouring it in the pan. Also, kimchijeon is usually cooked thin, around 1/4-1/2 inch in thickness. Cook for 3-4 minutes one medium heat.
Once the sides start to dry up, carefully scrape the sides and underneath the pancake to ensure it hasn’t stuck to the pan. Once it’s brown underneath, carefully flip the pancake with a spatula. Cook the other side until brown and crisp. Repeat this for the rest of the batter. Slice and then enjoy with some dipping sauce!
Storage and reheating tip: Store in an air-tight container and refrigerate. Pan fry the pancakes or pajeon on a pan for 2-3 minutes on each side.