Pajeon
파전 · Dongnae-style spring onion pancake, crisp at the edges and soft in the middle
Pajeon (파전) is a savoury pancake packed with whole spring onions held together by a thin batter. Dongnae, a district of Busan, is famous for its version, made with rice flour in the batter and finished with beaten egg poured over the top; Dongnae pajeon is usually loaded with seafood, which is left out here. Korean families often make it on rainy days and eat it with a soy and vinegar dip. Keep the batter ice cold and the pan hot for the crispest edges. Chef's tip: use just enough batter to glue the spring onions together. Dongnae cooks want you to taste spring onion first and batter second, so it should look lacy, not cakey.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the batter
- 4 oz plain flour
- 1 oz rice flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup ice-cold water
For the pancakes
- 10 spring onionsabout 200 g, cut into 15 cm lengths, thick white parts halved lengthways
- 1 red chillithinly sliced on the diagonal
- 1 green chillithinly sliced on the diagonal
- 2 eggsbeaten
- 4 tbsp neutral oil
For the dipping sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp water
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) (optional)
- ½ tsp toasted sesame seeds
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Stir 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp water, ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) and ½ tsp toasted sesame seeds together for the dipping sauce.
Step 2: Whisk 4 oz plain flour, 1 oz rice flour, ½ tsp salt, 1 egg and 1 cup ice-cold water together until just smooth; a few small lumps are fine. Keep it cold, adding an ice cube if your kitchen is warm.
Step 3: Heat half the 2 tbsp neutral oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat until it shimmers.
Step 4: Lay half the 10 spring onions in the pan side by side, all pointing the same way, to make a rough rectangle or circle. Spoon half the batter over and around them, just enough to bind them, and scatter with half the ½ red chilli and ½ green chilli.
1 minStep 5: Drizzle half the 1 eggs over the top. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the underside is deep golden and crisp and the edges look lacy.
4 minStep 6: Flip the pancake with a wide spatula (or slide it onto a plate and turn it back in) and press it down. Cook for another 3 minutes, adding a little more oil around the edge, until crisp underneath.
3 minStep 7: Make the second pancake the same way with the rest of the 2 tbsp neutral oil, spring onions, batter, ½ red chilli, ½ green chilli and 1 eggs.
7 minStep 8: Cut into squares or wedges and serve hot with the dipping sauce.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pajeon take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of egg?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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