Green onion pancake skewers

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

1. Combine the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Mix well and set aside.

Marinate beef

1. Cut the beef into 10 strips. Each strip should be about 5 inches long and ½ inch thick.
2. Place the strips side by side on a cutting board. Tenderize them by gently pounding them with the back of your kitchen knife.
3. Add garlic, chopped green onion, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and ground black pepper over the beef strips.
4. Use your hands to toss the meat and mix it evenly with the ingredients.

Make the skewers

1. Cut the green onions into 4-inch-long pieces.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Keep skewering ingredients with the green onion, marinated beef, and carrot strips until you have made a total of 5 skewers.
5. Place the skewers on a cutting board and evenly sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of salt on the green onion strips.
6. 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

1. 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.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Swirl the oil around to coat the skillet evenly.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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

1. 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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