Kimchi Pancake Recipe: The South Korean Pancake That’s Taking The West By Storm

This kimchi pancake recipe makes the most delightful snack or meal that combines just the right amount of savory heat to warm your soul.

Flash back a few years, and barely anyone in North America would have known about Kimchijeon. These delightfully chew, crunchy, salty, and spicy fritters are exploding among diners across Europe and the United States.

Besides their delicious flavor the border-defying fusion displayed in this South Korean dish is becoming known for its simplicity and complex flavors that thrill those who have never tasted it before and regularly make it into the menu for lunch boxes, snack time, and breakfast dates.

The Kimchi pancake recipe has long been a Korean favorite. These fritters are the comfort food that many in the country turn to on cold days. The warm, lightly spicy nature fills up bellies and comforts the soul.

I’ve enjoyed kimchi pancakes in several places worldwide, including during my tour of the best food in Rochester, NY. I’ve almost always found the flavors to be amazingly consistent everywhere I’ve been. However, the biggest difference comes from the type of cabbage used in the kimchi.

Some chefs like to use the traditional napa cabbage kimchi, which I prefer, and others use something closer to sauerkraut, which is made from a very different cabbage. The type of cabbage used in kimchi pancake recipes makes all the difference.

What Are Kimchi Pancakes?

Kimchi pancakes, also. known in South Korea as Kimchijeon are fritters made from fermented kimchi and cabbage. When the kimchi is fermented, it has a strong flavor and deep, pungent aroma. In South Korea, this dish is a staple in most households. Many households make their own, but it’s always available at the local store in case families run out.

Kimchijeon is pulled together with a range of easily accessible ingredients into a dish that is both crispy and comfortable, much like a pancake, but with a much stronger taste and a light heat that will warm up your insides.

Kimchi Pancake Recipe

This Kimchi pancake recipe is easy to make and absolutely scrumptious. It combines a few simple, easy-to-find ingredients and will end up as a dish that you’ll want to make again and again.

Kimchi Pancake Recipe

Yield: 8 pancakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Kimchi pancakes are South Korean comfort food that combines kimchi, fermented cabbage, and traditional pancake ingredients to create a delightfully flavorful and aromatic snack.

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Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp kimchi brine from jar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (divided)
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups kimchi
• 4 scallions
• 4 tbsp. grapeseed oil or other neutral oil (divided)
• 3 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

Kimchi Pancakes

1. In a medium bowl, crack 1 egg.
2. Add 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1.4 cup water. Stir to combine.
3. Whisk in 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp flour.
4. Coarsely chop 1 1/2 cups of kimchi. Add to bowl, and stir to combine.
5. Thinly slice 4 scallions. Add half to the batter. Reserve remaining scallions for use a s a topping.
6. Heat 1 tbsp grapeseed oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high.
7. Once hot, add the batter in 1/4 cup batches, well spaced out in the pan. The resulting pancakes should be about 4" in diameter.
8. Cook pancakes until lightly crispy and golden brown (approx. 2-3 minutes per side). Repeat until all of the batter has been used.

Kimchi Pancake Sauce

1. In a small bowl combine 3 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, and the remaining 3 tbsp soy sauce.

Combine

1. Transfer kimchi pancakes to plates.
2. Top with reserved scallions and serve with dipping sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 407Total Fat: 7gCholesterol: 300mg

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