The Korean name for kimchi pancakes is ‘Kimchi Buchimgae’. These savoury kimchi pancakes are usually made with wheat flour, some spices and lots of kimchi. ‘Gamjajeon’ is another type of Korean savoury pancake which is made with grated potatoes, onions and chilli flakes. I combined my favourite aspects of both of these savoury pancakes to create these deviously crispy and spicy pancakes.
Do you guys prefer sweet or savoury pancakes? I like both, but today I felt like making something savoury so I made these spicy Korean pancakes. This is my vegan take on Korean potato pancakes (Gamja-jeon) and kimchi pancakes (Kimchi-buchimgae). I love both of these pancakes so I thought I'd combine the two and the end result was delicious! These spicy, flavour-packed pancakes are crispy on the outside with a soft centre, they're gluten-free, super easy to make and perfect for an appetizer, light dinner or lunch!
INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED
These pancakes have now become one of my go-to dishes I create when I have a few too many potatoes or some kimchi that needs to be used up. It’s just a matter of placing all the ingredients into a food processor and then shallow frying the batter – so easy! There are some crucial ingredients you’ll need for this recipe – potatoes and kimchi are the obvious ones, but you’ll also need flour to bind these ingredients together. I’ve used quinoa flour but you could use all-purpose flour instead. Some other ingredients you’ll need are spring onions, garlic, Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru) and Korean chilli paste (gochujang). The garlic and spring onions add a really delicious depth of flavour and the chilli flakes and paste adds some heat without being overly spicy. If you prefer your pancakes to not have any heat you could omit the chilli flakes and paste, though I would recommend possibly adding more garlic and seasoning to compensate for it.
UNIQUE TEXTURE OF KOREAN PANCAKE
For this recipe, I used quinoa flour instead of all-purpose flour. Quinoa flour looks and feels like all-purpose flour but it’s higher in protein and its gluten-free. I’ve tried this recipe with both all-purpose flour and quinoa flour but I prefer making it with quinoa flour because it’s more nutritious and it gives it a lighter and crisper texture. I would suggest serving these pancakes as soon as they’re cooked as the crispiness subsides the longer they are left to sit.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
Food Processor
HOW TO MAKE THESE KOREAN PANCAKES
STEP 1:
Blend the potatoes, onion, kimchi & garlic in a large food processor until completely smooth.
STEP 2:
Transfer the potato and kimchi puree to a large bowl & add the gochujang, gochugaru, quinoa flour, spring onions and seasoning. Stir until thoroughly combined.
STEP 3:
Add the oil to a large, non-stick pan & let it heat up. Once the oil is hot, scoop a heaped TBSP of the pancake mixture into the pan & cook for about 4 minutes on a medium heat and press down. Once one side of the pancake is about 70% cooked, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
STEP 4:
When one side of the pancake is golden a crisp (lift it up to have a look), turn it over & cook for 4 more minutes. If you prefer extra crispy pancakes, then cook them for a few minutes longer.
STEP 5:
Place the pancakes on some kitchen towel to drain any excess oil. Serve warm with some Korean pancake sauce.
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