Korean Hobak Jeon (Zucchini Pancake)
By: olivia kim
Published: Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - 7:09pm

Ingredients




Servings: 2 people
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes (2 pancakes)
Ingredients:
1 large hobak (zucchini), julienned or cut into matchstick pieces
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buchim garu, Korean Pancake Mix (if unavailable use all flour)
1 cup water
2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
For Dipping Sauce:
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (regular vinegar okay)
1/2 tsp sugar
sprinkle gochugaru (red pepper flakes)
green onion, thin slices
sprinkle toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

1 Wash and then cut zucchini into matchstick pieces (see pics above). Peel and julienne carrots or grate for smaller pieces. Set aside in a large mixing bowl. 2 Combine ingredients (minus the dipping sauce) together in the mixing bowl until a thick batter is created. It should be similar thickness as regular pancake batter, so adjust the amount of flour and water accordingly. 3 Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and add a generous amount of olive oil. When hot, pour half of the batter evenly over the pan.  Cook for about 7, 8 minutes or until the bottom and its edges are browned. Carefully flip over and cook for about 5 more minutes or until browned. 4 Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the dipping sauce and set aside. Sliced/diced green onions, onions, green or red peppers are common ingredients for the dipping sauce. 5 Transfer to a paper-lined plate to remove excess oil and let cool for a few minutes. Plate whole or cut pancakes into desired pieces with the dipping sauce. Enjoy 6 *Like with many Korean pancakes, be sure to use a generous amount of oil when frying, the pancakes don't stick to the pan and allows even cooking. There is nothing worse than torn/ripped pancakes unless the recipe calls for it.

About

Instead of our usual haemul pajeon (seafood/scallion pancake) that we like to make for our late night snack, we chose something lighter and healthier, hobak jeon (zucchini pancakes). And since we didn't have this recipe on our blog list, it was nice to get it over with despite the missus wanting something more meaty and hearty. This hobak jeon/buchimgae is such a simple dish (a little too simple) but it's very tasty and really a no-fuss recipe that can be had in under 20 minutes from start to finish. We added some grated carrots to the mix for extra texture and crunch, but you're more than welcome to add practically anything to this pancake. The basic jeon/buchimgae (pancake) is called pajeon (scallion pancake), followed by haemul pajeon (seafood & scallion pancake), and probably a distant third is kimchi buchimgae. Many restaurants in Korea will serve the basic pancake as a complimentary dish (especially when you order a lot), and it is a very popular anju (side dish with alcohol) where specialty restaurants and pubs (sometimes referred to as HOFs in Korean) create some amazing old-school, traditional pajeon with the works. We could probably make a lengthy list of jeon/buchimgae varieties for our blog, but I think this will be the last of our pancake series (because as I mentioned before, the missus likes things hearty and filling) and hope to find other substitutes for our late night snacking. ^^