Cooking Korean food with Maangchi

• English name/description: Vegetable pancake with Asian chives
• Korean: 부추전
• Romanized Korean: Buchujeon (or buchu-jeon)
• Posted in: appetizers | pancakes | sidedishes | snacks

Some people were asking me questions recently about my vegetable pancake recipe.

They were having trouble because the middle of the pancake was too soft. I decided to try it again myself and have jeon for dinner.

Before starting making cooking videos, I never measured anything when I cooked. Also, I never failed! Koreans never measure anything with cups and tablespoons when they cook. But for my videos of course I need to explain how to make these dishes.

So I watched my own video and followed my steps. I found out that it was exactly right! I had a wonderful pancake for dinner. It was nice and crispy.

Even this time I didn’t use any seafood. I put an egg in the middle and it turned out really nice.

So my advice is that if you are having trouble with these recipes, please just follow the recipe as close as you can. Sooner or later it will turn out fine.

Here is the exact recipe, which I wrote down while cooking:

Ingredients:
½ cup of flour, 2/3 cup of water, 1ts salt, 1 egg, vegetables: green onions, chives, zucchini, chili pepper), 2/3 cup of chopped scallop and shrimp, vegetable oil

1. In a big bowl, place ½ cup of flour, 1 ts salt, 2/3 cup of water and mix it.
2. Chop ½ cup green onions and 3 cup of Asian chives, and shred zucchini to make 1/ 2 cup. Total cups of vegetables will be 4 cups
3. Put chopped vegetables into the mixture of flour and mix it up.
4. Chop 2/3 cup of shrimp, scallop, or squid (optional)
5. In a big heated pan, put some oil and spread the vegetable pancake batter thinly and lower the heat down to medium.
6. Place the chopped seafood over the top and press it with a spoon or spatula.
7. When the pancake is cooked about 80 %, beat one egg and spread it in the center of the pancake and turn it over using spatula or flip it
8. Add more oil if needed, and serve it hot with dipping sauce by mixing 1 tbs of soy sauce and ½ tbs of vinegar.

*Tip: To make it crispier, add oil more generously and spread the pancake mixture thinly. If your pan is not big enough, I suggest making 2 pancakes.

Posted Sunday, February 3rd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Categories: appetizers | pancakes | sidedishes | snacks
44 Comments

• English name/description: Vegetable pancake
• Korean: 야채전
• Romanized Korean: Yachaejeon (or ya chae jeon)
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• Posted in: appetizers | pancakes | snacks

I made vegetable pancake this time.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour, 2/3 cup water, 1 ts salt, 1 egg, some green onions, Asian chives, zucchini, and green chili pepper and vegetable oil.

This food reminds me of my mother’s side grandmother who passed away a long time ago. When I was young, my mother used to send me and my siblings to her mother’s house located in a small village in the countryside during school vacation.

My grandmother was number one cook in the world!
Whatever she made, it was so tasty! I remember she made this vegetable pancake all afternoon because she had to feed so many family members. while she was cooking this pancake, we all waited watching what she was doing until it’s cooked. Once she brought it, we ate it very fast!

When it’s a rainy weekend, one of family members says, “Do we have some materials for “Jeon”(pancake)? Let’s make it!”

1. Place ½ cup of flour, 1 ts salt, ⅔ cup of water in a big bowl and mix it.
2. Chop ½ cup worth of green onions, 3 cups of Asian chives, and shred ½ cup of zucchini. This will make 4 cups of vegetables.
3. Put chopped vegetable into the mixture of flour and water and mix it up.
4. Chop 2/3 cup worth of shrimp and scallop.
5. In a big heated pan, put some oil and spread the vegetable pancake batter thinly. Lower the heat down to medium.
6. Place the chopped seafood over the top and press it down with a spoon or spatula.
7. When the pancake is cooked about 70%, beat one egg and spread it in the center of the pancake and cook a few minutes over low heat.
8. Turn the pancake over with a spatula.
9. Add more oil if needed, and serve it hot with dipping sauce by mixing 1 tbs of soy sauce and ½ tbs of vinegar.

*tip: To make it crispier, add oil more generously and use your spatula to lift the edge of your pancake so that vegetable oil can reach the center. Press the pancake slightly with your spatula.

Posted Thursday, August 9th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Categories: appetizers | pancakes | snacks
62 Comments