Let’s celebrate the spring of 2018 with yachaejeon, a Korean vegetable pancake!
I introduced this recipe to you in 2007 when I first started YouTube, but it wasn’t exactly yachaejeon because I used seafood. The video is here if you’re interested to see it. This time let’s make a real yachaejeon!
We’ll use a couple different kinds of vegetables and you can add your own, too. I didn’t use perilla leaves (kkaenip) or asian chives (buchu) this time, but they work well in yachaejeon.
These pancakes remind me of my grandmother on my mother’s side, who passed away a long time ago. When I was young, during school vacation my mother used to send me and my siblings to her mother’s house in a small village in the countryside.
Whatever she made, it was so tasty! I remember she made vegetable pancakes all afternoon because she had to feed so many family members. While she was cooking the pancakes, we all waited and eagerly watched what she was doing. Once she brought it out, we ate it very fast!
Serves: 2
For a large 12 inch pancake
Ingredients
About 2½ to 3 cups 0f sliced vegetables
- 4 green onions, cut into 1 inch long
- ⅓ cup leek (optional), sliced thinly 1 inch long
- 3 ounces zucchini matchsticks (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 green chili pepper (or jalapeño), optional, sliced
- 3 ounces onion, sliced
- ⅓ cup sweet potato
- 1 fresh mushroom (white, baby portobello, or shiitake)
Also
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup water
- vegetable oil
Dipping sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru), optional
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Make dipping sauce:
- Combine soy sauce, vinegar, hot pepper flakes (if using), and sesame seeds in a bowl and mix it well with a spoon. Transfer it to a small bowl. Seat aside.
Make batter:
- Combine green onion, leek (if using), zucchini, green chili pepper (if using), onion, and sweet potato in a bowl. Add flour salt, and ¾ cup water. Mix it well with a wooden spoon.
Make a pancake:
- Heat up a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. I use my 12 inch non-stick skillet to make one big pancake, but if your skillet is small, you can work in batches to make smaller ones.
- Add about 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and swirl it around to coat the skillet evenly. Add the batter to the skillet and spread it out evenly.
- Turn down the heat to medium and put the sliced mushroom on top. Gently press them in with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the bottom turns crunchy light golden brown. Grab the handle of the skillet and twirl it around so the pancake moves and is cooked evenly underneath.
- Turn or flip over the pancake.
- Increase the heat to medium high and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil along the edges of the pancake. Lift up one edge with your spatula and tilt the skillet so the oil flows underneath the pancake.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until both sides turn light golden brown, occasionally pressing down with the spatula.
- Flip it over one more time and cook another 2 minutes.
Serve:
- Transfer it to a large plate and serve right away with the dipping sauce.
hi maangchi! ;-)
another additional info about boochoo. Here in the Philippines we call it Kuchay. We also use is to make a stir-fried dish made with tofu, kuchay and shrimps. Some people add it in soups as well. Add we also use it to make siomai. It’s very similar to mandoo without the kimchi.
Is it pronounced “koochay”? Interesting!
Thank you!
Maangchi,
Hi I was one of the people at your NYC meetup- my friend introduced me to your page and asked me to come and since then I’ve tried a lot of your recipes. Pajun is one of my favorite Korean dishes and I’ve made it a bunch of times since trying out the recipe last week. I think the key is a big enough pan- I tried making smaller pancakes in a small/ medium pan but it always comes out undercooked in the middle and not thin enough. Today I tried it with a wok and it came out perfect just like the ones I’d order from Korean restaurants! Thanks for the recipe and demonstration!
Jessica,
Thank you for the good tip!
I remember you! : ) I’m so glad to hear that your pancake turned out good!
Hi Maangchi,
I had buchu jeon for lunch just after watching your utube. I did not have garlic chives instead I increased my zuchinni and spring onions and measured it to 4 cups. It came out perfectly. Was a little worried when flipping it but it came out very well too. Better than using a spatula. I know I will break it if I turn it using spatula. Really like your website, you make cooking tasty food seems so easy and most of all my food comes out good after watching you do it and following your instructions.
Looking forward to trying your other recipes.
regards,
Martha from Hoju.
Martha,
That’s true that flipping jeon (pancake) is much easier than using a spatula! : ) You must be good at cooking!
Thanks for the recipe, I just made it follow your recipe, and it is so yummy, I forget to buy zuchini, but I substitute zuchini with little shred carrot and litlle shred cabbage, I also put scallop. It taste and smell so good, I made two big pieces of pancake, we finish it real fast, next day I do again, but no more scallop, I use Kani (Japanese immitate crab meat, buy from Korean store), It also taste and smell so good, we will made this pancake again and again later, it is our favorite menu now.
Thanks for great recipe ;)
wonderful! I’m so glad you like the recipe. You can use any type of vegetable ingredients. Green onions, Asian chives are always delicious for pancake.
mina,
haha, drank too much?
I checked your kimchi jeon on your blog which makes my mouth water. I should make it tomorrow. : )
what an awesome flip! you make it look so easy, maangchi… i made kimchi jeon last night but i drank too much so when i tried to flip it, the pancake broke… ><
http://atherosclerosis.blogspot.com/2009/03/kimchi-pancake.html
omg. how’d you do that flip? hahahha.
i’m gonna cook this often now that im alone studying in canada. eating out is too expensive, and i really miss the good korean food at home!
Sa,
I used seafood in this recipe. You don’t like to eat it, then just skip it. It will still be delicious.
Hi Maangchi,
I love your website. I came across your website through google search. I’d like to try this recipe except that I don’t eat meat. Do you have any suggestions on what I should add instead of shrimp?
Erika,
I’m in love with you, too! haha! Yachae jeon can be made with any kind of leftover vegetables. I like to use green onions or Asian chives (buchu in Korean)
Hi Maangchi,
I found your site while looking for korean cooking sites this weekend. I never expected to run into such a comprehensive, fun site filled with all my favorite korean dishes and not only are the recipes included there’s video also!! I am in love with your site, so expect to see me here often ^.^. I can’t wait to try making yachae jeon, it’s always been a little intimidating to me! Once again thanks and I’ll let you the results!
Camilla,
hmm, it will be unusual pancake if you add chicken to it. But anyway, try it out. Why not? : )
Hi Maangchi
thanks for all the good recipe for korean food.
can i use chicken insted of seafood for the pancake
love
Aaron,
You need special care for your pan for pancake. It’s very simple! Don’t use the pan for many kinds of different dishes. My pan for pancake is never used for other purpose.
Maangchi,
I’ve been making the pancake successfully for a few weeks and then all of a sudden the mixture has started the stick to my pan. Could it be my pan, which I only bought a few months ago, or could it be my mixture? Ahh prepping the pancake for 20 minutes and then having it turn into a shrinked out pile of mush can be very frustrating albeit not very tasty.