부추전 (Buchujeon)

Buchimgae (부침개), or pancakes, are a major component of Korean cuisine, with dozens of varieties made with a mix of starches and flours. Some contain vegetables, meat, or seafood…some even contain flowers![1] Buchujeon [2] are simple savory pancakes packed with garlic chives, a great side dish or a filling and nutritious breakfast on its own.

Ingredients

¾ cup flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 egg
1 cup water
6 oz garlic chives
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
Vegetable oil

Begin by combining the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl—the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Mix well to combine. The cornstarch in the batter makes it more difficult for the flour to form gluten, resulting in a lighter and more tender pancake. Then add the egg and 1 cup water, and mix to bring the batter together. Do not overmix the batter, as too much gluten formation will result in a gummy pancake rather than a tender one. Try to minimize the number of whisks until the batter is smooth—small lumps are okay! Wash and chop the garlic chives into 2 inch lengths, discarding the tough stem end. Fold the chives into the batter, making sure the leaves don’t clump up.

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil comes up to temperature, ladle some of the batter into the skillet. The amount of batter will depend on the size of your skillet, but we want to make as thin of a layer as possible—about 1 cup of batter should be enough for a 12 inch skillet. Spread the batter out with the back of the ladle, and try to distribute the chives so that there are no large clumps of leaves. Cook for 5 minutes on the first side, until the pancake is relatively solid and is browned and crisp. Then flip the pancake, and drizzle an extra teaspoon or two of oil around the edge of the pancake. Swirl the skillet to distribute the oil, and press gently down on the pancake with a spatula. Both will encourage better browning on the second side of the pancake. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until both sides are crisp and the pancake is fully cooked.

Remove the pancake from the skillet, and repeat with the remaining batter, adding more vegetable oil as necessary. Cut the pancakes into pieces, and serve with a chili sauce or sweetened soy sauce for dipping.

Substitutions

You can substitute rice flour for the cornstarch for a lighter texture in the final pancake. Some of the storebought mixes include a bit of onion or garlic powder. If you enjoy this flavor, feel free to add them to the dry ingredients in the batter, but I prefer to rely on the flavor of the fresh chives on their own. For a hit of spice, thinly slice a fresh chili and add it to the batter together with the chives. Substituting the chives for kimchi makes kimchijeon (김치전), a spicy version of this pancake. Feel free to experiment with adding other vegetables as well.

[1] These small cakes, known as hwajeon (화전), are made with glutinous rice flour and sweetened with honey. Edible petals of various flowers are used, such as cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums, or rhododendrons.

[2] “Buchu” (부추) means garlic chives in Korean, and “jeon” (전) is a specific form of pancake derived from Korean royal court cuisine.

Recipe

Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 7 min Total Time: 12 min

Difficulty: 1/5

Heat Sources: 1 burner

Equipment: nonstick skillet

Servings: 6

Ingredients

¾ cup flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 egg
1 cup water
6 oz garlic chives
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
Vegetable oil

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add the egg and 1 cup water, and mix the pancake batter until smooth.

2. Chop the garlic chives into 2 inch pieces, and fold them into the batter.

3. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil comes up to temperature, ladle into the skillet just enough batter to make a thin layer, and spread the vegetables out to form a uniform layer.

4. Cook for 5 min on the first side, or until the pancake is browned. Flip the pancake, adding 2 tsp of oil to the skillet around the edge of the pancake for better browning. Cook for 2-3 more min, or until both sides are crisp and the pancake is fully cooked. Remove from the skillet, and repeat for the remaining batter, adding more oil if necessary.

5. Cut the pancakes into pieces and serve.