I’m excited to share my updated pasanjeok recipe with you today, which includes more accurate measurements and clearer instructions. In Korean, “pa” means green onions and “sanjeok” refers to cooked meat or vegetable skewers. So in this recipe we skewer green onion, beef, and carrot, make them into pancakes and then cook them in a skillet.
Of all the types of sanjeok, my favorite is pasanjeok because the large green onions become sweet and tender when cooked. The beef strips, marinated in bulgogi seasonings, are also very delicious. The visual contrast and unique flavor you get by skewering the beef, carrot, and green onions together make this dish very special and memorable! You get to enjoy a few different textures and flavors all at the same time.
When I was young, I lived on the island of Narodo, located in the southernmost part of Korea. My mother taught at the elementary school on the island, while my father lived separately in a harbor city on the mainland for his business. Whenever he came home, my mother would prepare his favorite dishes, including this pasanjeok and injeolmi. I looked forward to my father’s visits and dreamed about the gifts he would bring, such as my red schoolbag with a large flower on it!
My father even made the skewers himself using bamboo, cutting them into thin, long strips and trimming the edges with a small knife. I can still picture his familiar “o”-shaped mouth as he concentrated on his task. I felt very happy. The happiness came from not only the expectation of eating delicious food, but also having my father at home with all of us. So when the word pasanjeok comes up, I can’t help thinking about my father. Pasanjeok and my father are overlapped in my imagination. : )
Ingredients
Makes 5 pasanjeok
- 5 6-inch wooden skewers
- 2 to 3 large green onions (daepa) or 10 to 12 regular green onions
- 2 to 3 large carrots, peeled, cut into 4 inch long 1/2 inch thick
- 3 eggs, beaten
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ cup flour
- Cooking oil
For the beef:
- 8 ounces sirloin steak (or any other tender cuts of beef)
- 1 garlic, minced
- 1 or 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the dipping sauce:
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped green onion
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Make dipping sauce
- Combine the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Mix well and set aside.
Marinate beef
- Cut the beef into 10 strips. Each strip should be about 5 inches long and ½ inch thick.
- Place the strips side by side on a cutting board. Tenderize them by gently pounding them with the back of your kitchen knife.
- Add garlic, chopped green onion, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and ground black pepper over the beef strips.
- Use your hands to toss the meat and mix it evenly with the ingredients.
Make the skewers
- Cut the green onions into 4-inch-long pieces.
- Cut the carrot into 4-inch-long by ½-inch-thick strips. Microwave them for 1 minute or steam for 2 minutes until they’re slightly tender.
- Pick up one wooden skewer and add ingredients to it, ony by one, by piercing them near the top. Add alternating strips of green onion, beef, carrot, and more green onion. For each skewer, it’s best to include 2 strips of beef, 2 strips of carrot, and 4 to 5 strips of green onion. Add them in a colorful pattern to make them more appealing. Skewer them carefully, making sure the ingredients don’t slip or fall off.
- Keep skewering ingredients with the green onion, marinated beef, and carrot strips until you have made a total of 5 skewers.
- Place the skewers on a cutting board and evenly sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of salt on the green onion strips.
- Evenly coat both sides of the skewers with ¼ cup of flour. Flip the skewers over as you do it to ensure that both sides are coated.
Pan-fry the skewers
- Beat the eggs and strain them over a large shallow bowl to remove any chalaza. Give the eggs a quick stir to ensure they are well mixed.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Swirl the oil around to coat the skillet evenly.
- Dip each skewer into the egg mixture and place it on the skillet to cook. You can cook 2 to 3 skewers at a time, depending on the size of the skillet. Cook the skewers in batches.
- After about 2 minutes, when the bottom part of the skewers is light golden brown, flip them over with a spatula. Cook over medium or medium-low heat, flipping the skewers over frequently to ensure even cooking.
- When the green onion looks withered and soft, the pancake is done. Now you can add more cooking oil to the skillet and increase the heat to medium high to make the pancake more crunchy. Pan frying takes 8 or 10 minutes total, from beginning to end.
Serve
- Serve the skewers hot or warm with the dipping sauce. You can serve them by themselves as a snack or as a side dish for rice or alcohol.
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the best food i tried in this month, thank you maangchi
Hi Maangchi, I made this recipe and loved it.
But I must say that I used the meat and vegetables (which I had at home): poulty meat, bell peppers, carrots and spring onions. And it worked just as good.
I will definetly make this again.
Thank you for all the yummy recipes you share with us.
Hi Maangchi! I always loved your recipes and your blog is always first one i go to whenever i want to cook any korean food. I was talking to a coworker who recently came back from a long trip from Korea and told me about how delicious the Sanjeok he had was. But from the way he described, it was more like a beef patty made with ground beef. I was wondering if there are variations and such to that and whether or not you have a recipe for it.
Or maybe I heard wrong and it’s not sanjeok but perhaps something else?
Tried this recipe. gave us full stomach. Really good. We’ll do it again. Thanks Maangchi
You made yummy pasanjeok! delicious!
This is incredibly delicious – I just finished making them and had a sneaky taste before dinner – it takes me right back to Korea though I don’t even recall having it when I was on holiday there! Wonderful recipe – thanks Maangchi.
I am going to make this for my parents who are coming for a Korean BBQ Feast tomorrow. Is it okay to serve it cold and to make it one day in advance?
Made this dish with Soybean sprout side dish, kongnamul muchim
콩나물 무침 tonight and my husband loved it. Thanks Maangchi for the recipes. I’m so glad to have found your site. (No photos as we ate it too fast!) :)
I’m so glad to be found by you, too! Pasanjeok and kongnamul muchim sounds very colorful and delicious! My kongnamul muchim recipe (soybean sprouts) is here: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kongnamul-muchim
hi Maangchi, I do not eat any fish, chicken or meat and I can’t find the big mushrooms in my country so what else would you suggest to use? I love your site!!
You still can make delicious pasanjeok without beef.
Maangchi i love your cooking! I have been making lots of korean foods with your recipes, thank you! Just one question… the dipping sauce for this recipe, what kind of vinegar is used?
You can use any type of vinegar. I like the flavor of apple vinegar though.
Oh maangchi… what would I do without you.. my life would have been so…… tasteless! lol
my mouth is watering as I watch this as well! Will make this tomorrow!
omg, thanks a lot! You make my day!
Dear Maangchi I love your recipes and videos! This looks delicious and i can’t wait to try it this weekend. I have a question though , my father in law doesn’t eat beef ( very observant buddhist ) so i was wondering if this would be good with crab sticks instead of beef ?
http://s2.thisnext.com/media/230×230/Osaki-imitation-crab-sticks_1FC2A129.jpg
Thank you for the photo. It’s artificial crab meat. Even though it’s artificial crab meat, it usually contains fish (minced pollack), so your father in law may not be able to eat it.
Fish is ok! he just doesn’t eat beef or lamb . I hope it will taste as good as yours look . I will try it with beef for my husband sometime soon :D
Hello!
I want to make this recipe! lol I am not sure how well it will go along with my diet! lol If I make it without the beef and mushroom instead, it could work! lol So then my question would be… What kind of mushroom could I use?
allo, Amber!
Any edible mushroom that has long stem will be good because you will have to skewer it : ) When you go to a Korean grocery store, you will find them easily. The white or a little brownish mushrooms with long stems are sold in a package long and white mushrooms. It’s called Song yee beoseot: 송이버섯 in Korean.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsutake
AMber, hi
I would like to suggest Shitaki’s only because they have that meaty taste..without the guilt…just soak the large ones for about 1 to 2 hours in hot water…then slice them to go onto the screwers. I think you like them and no worries about the diet. Veggies are always a great source of energy and if I’m not mistaken, you get the protein from them as well. See guilt free eating!
Hi Maangchi! I will prepare this for Jade’s upcoming birthday at the park. It will be a change for our visitors to see this on the grill instead of the usual beef patties or hotdogs. Thanks!!!
Please say “Happy birthday!” to Jade for me!! Let me know how it goes!
Hi Maangchi,
This looks like a wonderful appetizer for a party! Since I don’t eat beef, I’m going to make this dish with chicken instead (Is that okay?) Would it be called “Dak Sanjeok”?
Anyway, your recipes are very tasty. Looking forward to more dishes!
yay! You are so smart! Yes, chicken is dak, so it is called “dak sanjeok”.
maangchi i love your recipes…i use your tips for everything i cook now! you are awesome! i tried your sweet chicken and it was a great success!
Thank you for your update! Cheers!
Wow! long time no see.
I have been waiting for your news so far.
I think your cooking style is getting better.
I am looking forward to having a time for other cook as well.
thanks and see you!!
Isn’t it amazing how food can bring back such lovely memories?
My father died when I was six years old but I still have the orange juice squeezer that he used to make my glass of orange juice in the morning. So, whenever I use it I always think of him!
xxxx
What a touching story it is! The orange juice squeezer is worth more to you than any diamond! Even simple items become very important because of our memories!
I can’t wait to try this.
The green onion looks yummy.
Email a photo to me when you make it. I like to see yours!
I’ve seen this skewered using steak, vegetables and the ddukbokkie ricecake as well. Yummy!!!
i just watched your video on youtube and i came over the minute i saw that you’ve updated with the full recipe XD
omg the pictures look amazingly mouth watering maangchi! =D … can’t wait to try this recipe out for my housemates when we move in next semester..hopefully they’ll be game enough to try my cooking hehe
thanks loads for the all these wonderful recipes ^^
wow, we were sitting at the computer at the same time! Happy cooking!