Cycle 4 – Item 180

4 (Thu) July 2013

Kimchi Jeon

2.5

by me

at home

-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with W

Kimchi Jeon is a Korean dish.  A type of jeon made with minced kimchi, the riper the better, ideally mugeunji.  Additional aromatics, such as sliced onions or scallions, or animals, such as ground pork or chopped octopus, may be included according to personal preference.  It works as a side dish, snack, or anju, especially with makgeolli.  The dish was featured in a prior post, though not really described (see 1.204 Kimchi Jeon).

By sheer coincidence, I’m eating kimchi, Korea’s most iconic dish, on the 4th of July, American Independence Day.   On June 25th, the day in 1950 on which North Korea invaded the South to start the Korean War, I happened to eat a burger, America’s most iconic dish, from “1955” in fact (actually not) (see 4.171 1955 Burger).

RECIPE

(makes 3 pancakes)

This recipe is an easy way to use up leftover kimchi stuffing, the melange of radish + garlic + scallions/chives + ginger + shrimp/fish paste + salt + gochugarur that remains in the bottom of the container once the cabbage has been eaten.  I used to throw it away, as most people do.  But then I realized that the stuffing is ideal for jeon because it’s already diced/minced/shredded, contains even more flavor than the kimchi itself, and has become super ripe.  I love this kind of “use the whole buffalo” mentality.

• • 1/2 cup kimchi stuffing
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup sliced scallion
  • 1/2 cup sliced onion
  • 1/2 cup ground fatty pork
  • 1 tsp canola oil
  • 4 tbsp sesame oil

1. In a pan over medium heat, add the pork + canola oil and sauté until browned.

NOTE: While the meat per se isn’t really important, the pork fat makes the pancakes crispy.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pork, including all the fat in the pan + flour + water + oyster sauce + sugar + kimchi stuffing.

3.  Using the same pan, reduce the heat to medium, add 2 tbsp of sesame oil, and ladle about 1/3 cup of batter into a think pancakes, about 15 cm in diameter.

4.  Cook for 1 minute, until the edges begin to set, flip and cook for 1 minute, flip and cook for 30 seconds, flip and cook for 30 seconds.

TIP: At any point, add a little extra oil if the skillet starts looking dry; the pancake shouldn’t be swimming in oil but should be in constant contact with it.

5.  Transfer the finished pancake to a plate lined with paper towels.

6.  Add another tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan.

7.  Repeat steps 3-6 until all the batter has been used.

8.  Serve immediately when it’s still hot and crispy (room temp or even cold is okay, but the texture will be kinda mushy).

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)