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.
dear maangchi..i really love ur site..
i really curious about zucchini…
i saw some vid, she use a vegetable that physically looks like zucchini
just the inside colour different..(little bit orange like pumpkin).
b’cause i saw on your vid the colour of the inside part is white, or there are another kind of zucchini in korea?
thanks alot^^
My pancake sticked to my pan, so I couldn’t flip it and it didn’t look very nice. However, the taste made up for it!
Note to self: buy a non-stick pan…
I put my non-stick pan in my secret drawer so that nobody else can touch it. : )
omg! i almost broke my pancake when i flipped it! >.<
Thank you, Maangchi!
I just made this pancake for dinner. It is so unbelievably delicious! It is my new favorite Korean dish!
Can I use the mushroom flour I see in the E-Mart? I see an aisle with a couple of different pancake flours and I am interested in what looks like the mushroom based one. What do you think? Is there a difference in the measurement?
Hi Maangchi!
I have one question want to ask you. In this recipes, you used flour for it. So, what kind of the flour was you use? Can you tell me? Also, I really love Korean food, I’m trying cook Korean food now ^^ … anyway, hope you success with your cooking
Thanks and bye
I use all purpose flour for this. Good luck with Korean cooking, let me know how it turns out. Thanks!
Hi Maangchi,
I’m a New Yorker living in Seoul, Korea for the last year. I love Korean food but have no idea how it’s made most of the time. When I leave Korea, I’d like to be able to recreate the dishes I’ve eaten here. So I’m very thankful for your food blog. I love your videos and wish I could do the same on my food blog but I have a tiny kitchen so that’s not possible. FYI, you’re also the most fashionable food blogger I’ve seen so far.;D
Wow, you are such a cool food blogger! I love it!
http://thetravelingtastebud.blogspot.com/
Hi Maangchi! I tried out your recipe and it was AMAZING! I’m really glad that I found your site. I’m an Adopted Korean and have many Adopted Korean friends. We all love Korean food, and I am definitely sensing a Korean dinner soon ^-^ I do have one question though. I have heard of a Kimchi pancake. Would/Should I add anything else besides the Kimchi? Also, what kind of vinegar do you use in the dipping sauce?
Hi, Lauren!
Sorry about my late reply! To make kimchi jeon (kimchi pancake), I make the batter with chopped kimchi (sour taste), and some kimchi juice, sugar, flour, and water. I use apple vinegar. Thank you very much for your interest in my recipes!
Hehe, today i just made this but i think i put too less flour. It looked lke a patch of grass and also i had trouble with flipping. But it still ended up delicious :)
It looked like a patch of grass? haha! Your expression is so funny!
I will try that again, and will let you know how it comes out! thanks a lot maangchi.
HI maangchi, I made the pancake tonight, and it was not like yours at all. mine came out soft not crispy, and can you tell me what I’ve done wrong? I put 1/2 cup of flour like you, but i didn’t have 2/3 measurement cup, so I used 1/3 cup twice~ I wonder if thats the problem.
I use 2 of 1/3 cup to make 2/3 cup, too.
Why don’t you cook longer with more vegetable oil? You could use more flour to make thicker batter.
Hi happymom: You can use 1/4 cup cornstarch + the 1/4 cup flour. I use this measurement in Maangchi’s recipe and it comes out crispy.
Would you know how to make potato pancake? i had it at a korea restaurant and it was very good =)
Thank you for your request. Potato pancake recipe will be posted someday.
Maangchi,
O my goodness, I am so thankful for your videos. I’ve always loved Korean food, and love to make it myself now.
Something I had tonight was this recipe, but there was squid added into the dish. Or maybe octopus… not sure, but one of the two for sure. My wife fell in love with it as well. And she is usually not very adventurous. I keep trying to get her to put the red pepper paste in her bimbim-bap, and mix it up, but she insists on eating all the parts separately… hehe.
Thanks again for the service you are providing to us online foodies!
My mom would make this all the time, she would put squid/octopus (not sure what it is either, have to ask her) and little bits of kimchi, plus vegetables. This dipped in Cho Kanjang (soy sauce + vinegar) OMG mm mm good!!
Hi Maangchi: Can you make the vegetable pancake using whole wheat flour instead of white flour? Also, is there a easy way to turn the pancake over if you don’t know how to flip the pancake over? I guess, slide the pancake onto a plate and then turn over the plate back into the pan?
We had a great dining experience for our first time in a Korean restaurant. We were surprised that along with your meal, your meal includes an array of side dishes (kimchi, anchovies, bean sprouts, green salad, picked vegetables, seaweed, fish cakes, etc.) All were delicious, especially the green saiad – very healthy). Our waitress had to show us how to eat the side dishes along with seaweed, rice and our main entree. It was all good! Can you do a video demonstration on proper dining etiquette in eating Korean foods, including soups and stews?
Also, I know you’re going to say I’m asking in the wrong area, but what I like to know how to make the dressing for the green salad. It was salty and sweet and delicious! I can eat that every night.
I use plain white flour when I make my vegetable pancake. I don’t like the taste of pancake made with whole wheat flour.
Use your spatula to flip your pancake.
Green salad? Check the recipe for seasoned green onion salad here
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/grilled-beef
You can replace green onions with your favorite vegetables.
so glad i found your site! :D
and now i know why my pajeon always come out wierd.
i’ve been following a recipe that says to mix the egg in the mixture as well. maybe that’s why the pajeon always becomes thick, almost like the western kind of pancakes. lol.
i’m going to try kimchi pajeon for dinner tonight with your recipe, hope it goes well! :D
My fingers are crossed! Good luck with making pajeon!