Crispy Buchu Jeon (Garlic Chive Pancake) with Ground Dried Shrimp

Ingredients

• You can use the same amount of squid or mixed seafood instead of dried shrimp.

Steps

1. Prepare the ingredients

   

   I used 300g of trimmed and washed garlic chives (buchu), 2 Cheongyang chili peppers (hot green chili), and some leftover carrot scraps to add color.

   Prepare 1 cup of dried shrimp for a savory, rich umami flavor.

   You can use the same amount of squid or mixed seafood instead of dried shrimp.

2. Cut the ingredients

   

   

   ›

   Cut the garlic chives into 3 to 4 cm lengths, and julienne the carrot into a similar thickness and length.

   Finely chop the Cheongyang chili peppers.

3. Prepare the dried shrimp

   

   

   ›

   Dried seafood kept in the freezer can become damp and develop an off-flavor.

   Toasting it in a dry pan until crisp eliminates any unpleasant odors and enhances its umami flavor.

   Coarsely grind it so it blends nicely into the pancake.

4. Make the batter

   

   

   ›

   Place all the garlic chives, dried shrimp, carrot, and Cheongyang chili peppers into a bowl...

   Add 1 2/3 cups of Korean pancake mix (buchim-garu) (or frying mix (twigim-garu)), and 2 tbsp of tuna extract sauce (chamchi-aek) or soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)...

   

   

   ›

   Pour in 1 2/3 cups of anchovy broth or water and mix thoroughly.

   When making pancake batter, if you mix the flour and water first before adding the ingredients, you often end up with leftover batter or not enough ingredients at the end.

   If you mix the batter by adding the flour and water little by little directly to the ingredients, the ratio turns out just right without running short on either.

5. Pan-fry the pancakes

   

   Heat the pan thoroughly, add a generous amount of cooking oil, then ladle in the batter and spread it out evenly.

   A brisk sizzling sound when the batter hits the pan ensures the pancake absorbs less oil and turns out crispy.

   Lower the heat to medium and shake the pan occasionally so the oil distributes evenly and the bottom cooks to a full golden brown.

   

   

   ›

   Flip it over, press down with a spatula so the bottom makes close contact with the pan, and drizzle a little oil around the edges while shaking the pan to fry it until crisp.

6. Complete

   

   The crispy, savory buchu jeon is finished.

   The pre-toasted dried shrimp also plays a big part in keeping the pancake crispy.

   

   Using tender garlic chives gave it a wonderful fragrance and softness.

   Using dried shrimp instead of watery seafood keeps it delicious and free from sogginess even as it cools.

   If you plan to dip it in choganjang (vinegar soy sauce), just use 1 tbsp of tuna extract sauce in the batter.

Ppunwife's tips

• Toasting dried shrimp in a dry pan until crisp eliminates any off-odors and enhances its umami flavor.
• Adding the flour and water little by little directly to the ingredients makes it easy to get the proportions just right without running short on batter or ingredients.
• There should be a brisk sizzling sound when the batter hits the pan so it absorbs less oil and fries up crispy.
• If you plan to dip the pancake in vinegar soy sauce, reduce the tuna extract sauce in the batter to 1 tbsp.

FAQ

Tags