Kimchi Pancake (Kimchijeon)

These crispy and flavour-packed Kimchi Pancakes are so easy to make with a few simple ingredients. Perfect as part of a meal, appetizer, or snack, you’ll have restaurant-quality kimchijeon in a few quick steps!

Whenever I need a quick and easy side dish, I always turn to kimchi pancakes as they go with everything. Plus, H loves his kimchi! They come together in a few simple steps and with pantry staples, making them ideal for when we haven’t planned ahead.

 

Soft and tender on the inside, but crispy on the outside, you’ll love these kimchi pancakes. While you can purchase a pre-made pancake mix for the pancakes, it only takes a few pantry staples to make the batter if you haven’t had the time to run to the store.

These pancakes are perfect when they’re fresh off the pan, that’s when they’re at their crunchiest. This recipe makes enough batter for 4 to 5 pancakes, depending on the size of your pan, so I always eat the first one as I make the rest.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• flour — all-purpose flour is perfect for these kimchi pancakes.
• potato starch — potato starch increases the crispiness of the pancakes but if you don’t have any, you can use cornstarch instead.
• seasoning — I season the pancake batter with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
• water — I recommend icy cold water or bubbly water.
• eggs
• kimchi and kimchi juice — I love using aged kimchi for pancakes as they are more tangy and flavourful. The juices add a ton of flavour as well. There’s always a ton of kimchi in the fridge so this is one of my recipes using kimchi.

How to Make Kimchi Pancakes

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, potato starch, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, water, eggs, and kimchi juice.
• Add the kimchi to the batter and mix until fully coated.

• In a skillet over medium heat, add around 2 tablespoons of oil and allow it to heat up. Add between half a cup to one cup of the batter, depending on the size of your pan. The pancake batter should sizzle when added. Working quickly, try to spread the batter out as thinly as possible.
• After 3 to 4 minutes, or when the bottom of the kimchi pancake turns crispy, flip the pancake. Add more oil to the edge of the pan if needed.
• Pan fry for another 3 to 4 minutes. Flip again if desired or if your top side wasn’t as crispy as you’d like. Then transfer the kimchijeon onto a plate or a cutting board as you repeat the process with the rest of the batter.

How to Make the Dipping Sauce

Kimchi pancakes are usually served with a dipping sauce. I’ve made it so often that I usually just eyeball what I add. It’s super easy to make and you can adjust it however you like. Here’s what you’ll need if you want to make a dipping sauce. Simply stir to combine and then taste to adjust it to your liking.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• I use a large spatula to flip the pancake. You could also use tongs to flip the pancakes as the tops of the pancake should be partially cooked.
• Be generous with the oil as it really helps make the pancakes crispy, like the ones you get at the restaurants. I have tried to make this with less oil but it doesn’t crisp up as well.
• I like to cut mine into square pieces to make serving and dipping easier.
• You can cut (with a knife of scissors) the kimchi into smaller pieces if you’d like. I try to cut any large pieces so it’s easier to eat.
• You can add some green onions to the batter if you’d like.
• Add a bit of gochugaru to the batter to make the pancakes spicier.

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