Recipe #9
Kimchi or Sauerkraut Pancake

Perfect for a (rainy evening) dinner with friends. These are actually two recipes but since they are quite similar (not the outcome, but most ingredients) I decided to put them together in one.

I usually try to make kimchi and sauerkraut at least once a year at home. In case you've never tried to make kimchi yourself, I dearly recommend you Maangchi‘s recipe ↗. You need napa cabbage, daikon radish, carrot, ginger, scallions, garlic, chili flakes, sugar, rice flour and — salt. And if you'd like to vary and try the pancakes with sauerkraut you can check the sauerkraut recipe here ↗.

INGREDIENTS

For the pancake:

200 grams of fermented napa cabbage kimchi* (click for recipe), chopped into small pieces (or fermented white cabbage / sauerkraut)

3 tablespoons of the kimchi brine (or sauerkraut brine)

120 ml water

3 spring onions, chopped (for the sauerkraut pancake onion works better)

1 shallot

a pinch of brown sugar

80g all–purpose flour

4 tablespoons sesame oil (for the sauerkraut pancake vegetable oil)

For the dipping sauce:

soy sauce, 3 tablespoons

rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon

a pinch of brown sugar

roasted sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon

(a little bit of chili, if you like it spicy)

or for the sauerkraut pancake: a little sour cream with chopped parsley or chive, a pinch of salt, a few sprinkles of fresh lemon juice.

PREPARATION

1. Start with: cutting the fermented cabbage and onions into small pieces.

2. Mix the flour with the kimchi brine, water, salt and sugar and then add to the chopped vegetables.

3. Mix the ingredients for the dip together.

4. Fry the dough with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil for about 3–4 minutes (in a non–stick pan) until golden–brown and you can flip it.

5. Add two more tablespoons of oil carefully around the edges of the pancake. Fry it until crispy and golden.

6. Put your pancake on a big plate and cut it into small pieces. It always goes well with a cold drink.

Side note: If you’re not a big kimchi fan you can replace it with other ingredients such as spring onions and leek (pajaeon), this also tastes great!