Here is an Easy Recipe for Pajeon (Korean Green Onion Pancake)

Okay I admit it. I don’t actually cook much.

My cooking style has been described as “reheating” as opposed to “cooking.”

Don’t judge! I know I’m not alone in letting my microwave do the “cooking.” 😉

Furthermore, I hate to waste. How many times have you followed some complicated recipe only to have a bunch of left over ingredients you didn’t know what to do with afterwards?

But don’t get me wrong. I do actually like to cook. Since I’m usually too short on time to cook anything complicated I like simple recipes. I like recipes that generally fulfill three criteria:

First, it must have a minimal number of ingredients. Waste not, want not!

Second, it must require minimal prep time. Although I love Korean food, the prep time for a lot of things is ridiculous!

And third, the ingredients required must be easy to acquire.

This easy recipe for pajeon meets all three criteria. When I say this is an “easy” recipe, I mean it!

You probably have the ingredients for pajeon already in the fridge and pantry.  So you don’t have to make a special trip to the store for it. Although you might need to have a clean bowl or two. 😆

Also, this is technically haemul pajeon (seafood and green onion pancake) because of the addition of shrimp. But I’ve seen other variations of seafood such as oysters or squid instead of, or in addition to, the shrimp. The shrimp and green onion pajeon is always a big hit in my house.

But feel free to omit the shrimp if you want. And don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment. In fact, my mom used ham!

Haemul Pajeon

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Brown rice flour – 3/4 cup (You can use white rice flour instead, if that’s what you have.)

Unbleached all-purpose flour – 1 1/2 cups

Salt – 1 teaspoon (omit salt if you’re adding something already salty like ham)

Shrimp – at least 12 pre-cooked (this is a time saver!), peeled, deveined, tail-off

Green onions – about 1/2 cup cut up

Directions:

1. Drain the shrimp and let dry a bit.
2. Chop/roughly cut up the green onions.
3. Add the dry ingredients (both flours and salt) into a large bowl.
4. Stir in about 2 1/4 cups of cold water to the flour and salt. (*Note: If you accidentally use too much water, just add more flour.)
5. Mix in the shrimp and green onions.
6. Heat about 1 tablespoon (larger pan = more oil, smaller pan = less oil) of sesame oil  in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. (*Note: While most recipes call for vegetable oil, I like the nuttiness of sesame oil.)
7. Pour a hand-sized amount (oh no it’s come full circle!) of batter into the pan.
8. Cook until brown and then carefully flip. Each side will take approximately 4 minutes.

Don’t Forget the Sauce!

Pajeon Sauce

I totally make this sauce by taste, just like mom used to. But I’m going to try and put some actual measurements (not hand measurements) down for you.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Soy sauce – 1/4 cup

Rice wine vinegar – about 1 1/2 tablespoon

Sesame oil – 1 teaspoon

Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) – 1 teaspoon

Sugar – 1/2 teaspoon

Directions

1. Add all ingredients into a bowl that’s large enough for a little whisking.
2. Use a fork (or chop sticks) to stir the ingredients together.

Note: It’s best to make the sauce first and let it sort-of combine. Who has time to wait? We’re hungry now! 😝

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know how it goes and feel free to share your own recipe in the comments!