Hearty Kimchi Jeon (Kimchi Pancake) with Pork Dumplings
A special pancake made conveniently by finely chopping leftover meat dumplings and aged sour kimchi.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This kimchi pancake makes easy use of the rich filling in leftover meat dumplings without needing to prep extra ingredients. Mixing in gochugaru first brings out a lovely color, and frying the batter thin over medium heat or higher keeps the texture crisp. Spicy Cheongyang chili peppers cut through any greasiness, making it a great accompaniment for drinks.
- Servings
- about 2–3 servingsOriginal: 6 pancakes, 10 cm across
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
- Aged sour kimchi2 cups (300 g)
- King dumplings (wang-mandu)2, 200 g
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)1
- Korean pancake mix (buchim-garu) (or deep-fried food (twigim))1 cup
- Water1/2 cup
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1 tbsp
- Kimchi pancakes turn out best when made with pleasantly sour, well-ripened kimchi.
- You can prepare either Korean pancake mix or frying mix.
- Thaw the meat dumplings in the microwave until softened, then snip them finely with kitchen scissors.
Steps
Chop the ingredients
You do not need to squeeze out the kimchi juice too tightly, since water will be added to the batter anyway. Shake off any excess filling from the kimchi and chop it finely.
Thaw the meat dumplings in the microwave until softened, then snip them finely with scissors.
Thinly slice the Cheongyang chili pepper into rounds.
Season the mixture
In a bowl, add the finely chopped kimchi, dumplings, Cheongyang chili pepper, and 1 tbsp of gochugaru, then mix well.
If the kimchi is too sour or salty, add about 1/2 tbsp of sugar to balance the acidity.
It was a bit stiff, so I added 3 tbsp of water and mixed it in. If your kimchi has plenty of moisture, you do not need to add it.
Coating the ingredients with gochugaru first like this gives the kimchi pancake a much prettier color.
Make the batter
Add 1 cup of Korean pancake mix and 1/2 cup of water, then mix well until it reaches the right consistency.
Because the kimchi itself has softened and wilted, keep the batter from becoming too runny so it can fry up crispy.
Adjust the amount of pancake mix to taste as you check the consistency.
Fry the pancakes
Heat a generous amount of cooking oil in a preheated pan, then spread the batter thinly into rounds.
Before the batter sets, you can push the edges inward with a spoon or ladle to give them a neat, smooth shape.
Frying them large at about 17 cm across yields 3 pancakes, while 10 cm rounds yield 9.
Once flipped, press down gently with a spatula as you fry.
Fry over medium heat or higher so the pancakes do not turn soggy and cook up crispy.
Fry until nicely browned on both sides, and your kimchi pancake is done.
Ppunwife's tips
- If the kimchi is too sour or salty, add about 1/2 tbsp of sugar to balance the acidity.
- Coating the ingredients with gochugaru first like this gives the kimchi pancake a much prettier color.
- Because the kimchi itself has softened and wilted, keep the batter from becoming too runny so it can fry up crispy.
- Before the batter sets, you can push the edges inward with a spoon or ladle to give them a neat, smooth shape.
- Fry over medium heat or higher so the pancakes do not turn soggy and cook up crispy.
- Chopping the kimchi finely rather than in large pieces helps the batter hold together so it does not tear.
FAQ
Can I use a different flour instead of Korean pancake mix?
Besides Korean pancake mix, using frying mix also works well.
What is the secret to frying kimchi pancakes crispy instead of soggy?
Keep the batter from becoming too runny, add plenty of oil to the pan, and fry over medium heat or higher to get them crispy.
How do I adjust the flavor if the aged sour kimchi is too sour or salty?
Adding about half a tablespoon of sugar will gently mellow out the sharp sourness.
In what state should the frozen dumplings be chopped and added?
It is convenient to thaw them briefly in the microwave until softened, then snip them into small pieces with kitchen scissors.
