Veggie Pancakes, pt. 1
Just about forever ago I took a trip to my local Korean market (which is one of my favorite markets, ever) and picked up a bag of Korean pancake mix.
It's a combination of rice, potato and tapioca starches and creates a fantastic texture that you can't normally achieve with just regular flour. It's lighter, fluffier and overall more tasty in my honest opinion.
After saying we were going to make savory pancakes forever, my better half and I finally decided we would attempt a version of it last night. The trick with them, I think, is to keep the ingredients list simple and down to 3 veggies, 4 at most. That being said, these pancakes are veggie heavy and definitely are a higher veggie to flour ratio.
I have a feeling this will be the first of many savory pancake recipes because as soon as we sat down to eat them, we immediately said how we couldn't wait to make them again, except with certain tweaks next time.
Not only would they be great with a myriad of vegetable combinations, I would also like to experiment with different flour ratios, and possibly more liquid next time. These pancakes are very hearty and are a meal in itself. Just like there could be an infinite amount of flavor combinations, I feel as though there could be a plethora of ratios to achieve the most desirable pancake texture.
Stay tuned. And until then, enjoy this very simple and very tasty savory pancake that's for dinner (and totally could be for breakfast!).
**Bonus: if you make the kohlrabi salad from the previous post, use the greens in this pancake like I did!!
Carrot | Kohlrabi Greens | Kimchi Pancakes
serves 2-3
2 cups Korean or Japanese pancake mix
3 eggs
2 carrots, grated
1 cup shredded kohlrabi greens (or kale or collards)
1 cup kimchi, homemade or store-bought, roughly chopped
1 small chiogga beet, grated
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/4 cup cooking oil
salt
Dipping sauce:
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp chili sauce
1 tsp ginger powder, or fresh ginger
1 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp fish sauce, optional
Start by placing all of the veggies, including the scallion, into a large bowl. Sprinkle over 1 cup of the pancake mix and start to fold in the veggies so everything gets evenly distributed and coated. I use my hands to do this and it allows me to get into every little crevice. Add more pancake mix if needed.
Crack the eggs directly into the bowl, repeating the above process. Break the yokes with your hands and fold them in, until everything is one sticky mixture.
Add the soy sauce and sesame seeds and give one more good mix. If it looks like it's ready to loosely form together, it's ready to cook. If it's a little crumbly and dry, add some warmish water to moisten it up, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it's looking a little to wet and falling apart when forming it, add more pancake mix -- I approximated the measurement for this because it's subjective and hard to be exact if you keep adding a little at a time. Do what feels right!
Before cooking off the pancakes, prepare the dipping sauce. In a little bowl, add the hoisin and miso together until the miso is smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and give another good mix, again, until everything is smooth.
In a large skillet or pan, heat half of the cooking oil on medium high heat. When the oil thins and becomes viscous, form a 1/2 cup (or so) patty with the mixture. Form and add 4 patties to the pan; this will be the first batch. The patties should sizzle the moment they hit the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook each side for about 3 minutes. Each side should be well-browned and crispy. Lower the heat if they are any darker before 3 minutes has elapsed.
While the patties are finishing, turn the oven on 250 with a baking tray inside. When the first batch of patties has finished cooking, place on the baking tray and put into the oven to stay warm and cook any of the residual raw egg.
Repeat the above process with the second batch and place in the oven with the first batch if not planning on immediately eating.
To serve, place two on a dish and drizzle with the dipping sauce! Or don't do at all and dip with your hands!
