Whenever I go to a Korean grocery store, if I find a bunch of good quality chives, I always pick them up. What makes good quality chives? They should be dark green, fresh and not dried out, and without bruises! I have many recipes on my website that use chives: in mandu (dumplings), kimchi, and even hotteok!
But the simplest way to enjoy chives is to make a Korean-style savory pancake like I’m showing you in this recipe. You can serve a hot, crunchy, and gorgeous-looking pancake so quickly. It tastes a little salty with chive aroma, so it goes well with rice. This was one of my most frequent side dishes that I used to prepare for my children’s lunchbox, and they still talk about how good it was! If you want to pack it in a lunchbox, cut it into bite size pieces, usually rectangular, before putting it in.
If you want to make both sides of this pancake crunchy, cook it over high or medium high heat and use a generous amount of cooking oil. And be sure to cook it in a non-stick skillet so that the pancake won’t stick to the pan.
Ingredients
Serves 2
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce or 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 ounces Asian chives (buchu in Korean), chopped (about 1½ cups)
- ¼ cup onion, chopped
- 2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions
- Combine the flour, ¾ cup water, and fish sauce in a medium sized bowl and mix well. Stir in the chives and onion.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of the oil to the hot skillet and swirl it around to coat.
- Scrape all the chive batter into a mound in the center of the skillet and spread it evenly so that it forms a thin, round pancake, about 11 to 12 inches in diameter. Cook until lightly browned and crisp on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. If your skillet is small, divide the batter in half and cook 2 pancakes one at a time.
- Shake the skillet to check its crispness. You should be able to hear the crispy pancake swish around in the nonstick pan.
- Turn the pancake over with a spatula and drizzle the remaining 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil around the edge of the skillet so that it runs under the pancake.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, pressing the pancake down occasionally with the spatula until the other side is crisp. Turn the pancake again and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it’s crisp on both sides.
- Turn it over one more time and then slide it onto a plate. Serve right away. Or, to serve in a lunchbox, cool for 5 minutes and cut into bite-size pieces.
Maangchi's Amazon picks for this recipe
It's always best to buy Korean items at your local Korean grocery store, but I know that's not always possible so I chose these products on Amazon that are good quality. See more about how these items were chosen.
망치, thank you for the suggestion :) i will try that. and also the other recipe. yes, id be interested in seafood green onion pancake im looking forward to ur posting in the future :D
hi mangchi it lok like ah hammer “mangchi” right,, by the way because of your many upload dishes, its great to know how to cook korean food, actualy right now im working here in korea, when i use to eat on our canteen i was wondering how to cook this vegetable pancake,, and so suddenly i saw it on your site and wath it woww your the great chef…. anyonggggggg
마리,
I have never used the flour mix, but I think 2 cups of flour mix and 1.5 cup of water will be ok. Anyway leave your question on the forum https://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/general-discussion You may get better answer from others.
Are you interested in making seafood green onion pancake? Someday I am going to post the recipe.
Check my another vegetable pancake here
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/ya-chae-jeon
hi 망치,im trying this instant mix.. for pancake cj.co.kr brand? can u advise me how much water to mix ratio to use? or if i should add anything else? im also going to try this recipe. how to make it
해몰파전?
Allison,
sure, bindaedduk is one of upcoming recipes requested by others, too. Thank you.
hello! i love your recipes! do you have a bindaeduk recipe? (mung bean pancake?)
gaesong,
yes, maangchi is hammer in korean. : )I hope I can see you in my next meet up event.
maangchi? isnt that korean for hammer? I asked my mom how to make korean food and she’s not very specific (like you said, koreans dont measure anything). I’m getting the hang of not measuring but I rather make food I’ll eat! thanks alot. I live in New york City too!
Maya,
It’s very interesting website. I bookmarked it, too.
Thank you very much!
Hi Maangchi,
I recommended your website to my dad and he made this recipe! Also, I sent a link to your website to a radio show I like about food. Check it out, it’s pretty interesting.
http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/gf
Janet,
Thank you very much! Your comment is very encouraging!
I make this recipe all the time ever since I saw you on youtube. It’s simply wonderful. Thanks for helping me expand my everyday recipe book. You are so adorable to watch – such a delightful, fresh personality!
pho50,
Congratulation on your successful flip!
I hope everybody reads your tips for this pancake.
Very smart! : )
I just ate the 1st buchujeon I made and it turned out perfect!!! I even did the flip… haha I was so nervous.
I didn’t have the Asian chives so I used 3 cups of green onions and 1/2 cup of regular chives (plus the zucchini and chili pepper) and it was sooooo delicious.
Your tips on spreading them thin, smashing them with the spatula and making more than one for a smaller pan helped alot. (I made 3 pancakes from the recipe.) The batter is thinner than what alot of people are used to for a “pancake” batter. The consistency was more like a crepe batter so it makes a thinner, more delicate, & less “bready” pancake. Yummy!!! Thanks for teaching me!
Catherine,
I use the mixture of flour and water to help ingredients stick together. If the mixture is thick, I won’t be able to put that amount of ingredients. Anyway, if it’s too watery for you, modify the recipe according to your taste. You can use less water and less ingredients.
Practice makes perfect! : )
안녕하세요 망씨~~~ I try your reciepe for 해물파전 but I when I put ½ cup of flour, 2/3 cup of water, it seems to be not enough flour and too much water… I don’t know maybe I’m wrong because I have other mesure in switzerland and I’m not used to cups… but when you said 2/3cup of water is it 2 time 1/3cup?!? it’s the only cup I have here and just ½ cup of flour or 1 and a half cup?!? I will try again tonight anyway it turn out good but not like the I ate in summer when I was in korea…
감사합니다 언니~~^^
Thank you so much for your recipes! My husband and I met in Korea and just adored the food, which is hard to find where we live. I was at the point where I would have killed someone for good cucumber kimchi when I found your site! Thank you, thank you. I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow. Also, I have never seen a recipe for the chive pancakes that looked like it would work, so I’m excited to try yours tomorrow!
My husband loved this!!
Chidori,
yes, you can use chopped kimchi to make kimchi pancake.
Would it be ok to put kimchi in it as well?
Resa
Thanks for letting me know about your pancake making,
Practice makes perfect! : )
I just made this! It is so yummy! I don’t think i layered it thinly enough in the pan, so its not that crispy. Still good. Thank you!
Kurt Van Vlaenderen
Congratulation!
You have already made jobchae (stir fry noodles with vegetable) and bibimbap! These 3 dishes take some time to cook, but you made it! You must be good at cooking.
I am sure your kimchi will turn out well too.
Maangchi,
I’ve tried your “jeon” recipe and it was wonderful. It reminded me of my stay in Korea. Als your recipies on chabchae and bibimbab worked out wonderful. I’ve ordered some more ingredients throught the internet to prepare Kimchi. Thanks to share your delicious knowledge.
Kurt – Belgium
candice,
I would like to encourage you to cook a lot. Cooking is fun! : )
Thank you!
I’m korean, but i dont know how to make very much korean food :(
Thank you for starting your website! Now i can start cooking what i never learned from my mom.
And my american husband will love it!
Thanks unni!
Aga suka,
You made amazingly delicious looking pancake without egg!
I would like to taste it. : )
Chives pancake
No egg version
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!fRcxarKTFxY5k6QGsJ605Q–/article?mid=273
Hi,
Your “jeon” sounds like colorful and delicious. Than you for letting me know about your successful cooking.
This is a nice, easy-to-make recipe. The egg at the end is essential and really makes the recipe. I used buchu, and deleted the squash. In one of my baches, I also added artificial crab and a little baby shrimp. Thanks Maangchi. I love your website.
Thanks, I saw the photo you put up already.
ruth
I use “apple vinegar”(sa gwa sik cho). Ok, I will post the picture of the vinegar in my ingredient blog soon.
Maangchi, what vinegar did you used for the dipping sauce? I used the cheap white vinegar and the sauce I made tasted very different from those yummy ones from the korean restaurant. Can you take photos of the one you used please. Thanks.
ruth
Thank you anonymous!
It’s very easy to make.
If you make it, let me know how it goes later.
This is an Awesome recipe
My friend led me to your website it is fantastic