Korean Scallion Pancakes ~ Pa Jun

Photo by Jennifer Jagusak

Korea is not officially part of the Silk Road, but East-West trade extended there, and as a result, Korea’s cuisine influenced and was influenced by the travelers on the Silk Road. Pa Jun is a Korean pancake that can be served as a snack, appetizer, or side dish and is commonly found in Korean street markets. It’s a crispy scallion pancake that is chewy and moist on the inside, with fillings of carrots, mung beans and seafood. Today you can find it made in many different variations in most Korean restaurants, where it is served as a starter with a dipping sauce. Though Pa Jun is typically made with a pancake like batter, my Pa Jun is gluten free, made with rice flour. It’s speckled with zucchini and carrots and served with a ginger-soy dipping sauce--all together, a sure recipe for no leftovers. These pancakes can be eaten alone without the dipping sauce, just make sure to add some salt to taste to the batter.

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

Pancakes

1/4 cup rice flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup water
5 scallions, green parts only, cut into 3-inch lengths on the bias
1 medium carrot, grated
1 small zucchini, trimmed and grated

Dipping Sauce
3 tablespoons gluten-free or regular soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Directions

       1  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, eggs and 1 tablespoon of the oil with the water until a smooth batter is formed. Stir in the scallions, carrot, and zucchini and mix to combine. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the rice flour to swell.

                       2   Coat the bottom of an 8-inch nonstick skillet with the remaining oil. Set over medium heat. When the pan is hot, ladle in about a quarter of the batter and spread it out into a circle, tilting the pan slightly to spread it evenly. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until the bottom is browned and you see holes in the pancake. With a spatula, flip the pancake and press firmly on the top to squeeze out any remaining batter that is not cooked.

                      3      Cook for another 8 minutes, or until the batter is cooked thoroughly and the pancake is browned. Repeat with the remaining batter.

                      4      In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, vinegar, ginger, red pepper flakes and sugar.

           5      Cut the pancakes into small triangles and serve with the dipping sauce.