Fragrant and Crispy Minari Jeon (Water Dropwort Pancake)
A fragrant water dropwort pancake made crispy by adding toasted dried shrimp and sparkling water.
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 pancake dish combines in-season spring water dropwort with minced dried shrimp to fry up crisp without excess moisture. Mixing the batter with sparkling water so it lightly clings to the greens and pan-frying it slightly thick makes it crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.
- Servings
- about 1–2 servingsOriginal: 1 pancake, 23 cm across
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Water dropwort (minari)200 g
- Dried shrimp1/2 cup
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
Pancake batter
- Korean pancake mix (buchim-garu)6 tbsp (heaping)
- Cold water (or sparkling water)1/2 cup
- Tuna extract sauce (chamchi-aek) (or salt)1 tbsp
- I toasted about 1/2 cup of dried shrimp in a pan until crispy.
- Making the batter with sparkling water instead of plain water makes the pancake much crispier, but you must use unflavored sparkling water with no taste or scent added. You can also use ice water or cold water instead of sparkling water.
Steps
Cut the ingredients
Cut the water dropwort into lengths of about 4 to 5 cm.
Finely mince the dried shrimp with a knife, and finely slice the Cheongyang chili peppers.
Place all the ingredients in a bowl.
Make the batter
Pour in 6 tbsp Korean pancake mix and 1/2 cup sparkling water. You can also use ice water or cold water instead of sparkling water.
Season with 1 tbsp tuna extract sauce or three pinches of salt.
Toss gently by hand to mix well, and instead of a runny batter, the batter will lightly cling and stick to the water dropwort.
When pan-frying, the batter liquid will not pool toward the bottom, giving you a pancake that looks the same on both sides.
Pan-fry
Heat a pan over high heat, swirl in plenty of oil, and add the batter.
Spread it out evenly, then reduce the heat to medium and pan-fry so the inside cooks through.
Shaking the pan occasionally so the oil spreads evenly helps the entire pancake fry up crispy.
After flipping, swirl in more oil and pan-fry the same way.
Finish
Usually, 200 g of water dropwort makes two thin pancakes, but the key to this water dropwort pancake is frying it slightly thick so you can enjoy it crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.
Tearing the edge with chopsticks, the surface is audibly crispy, while the inside is moist and the soft aroma of water dropwort rises up.
Because moisture-free dried shrimp is added instead of fresh seafood, it does not get soggy and brings a bonus of savory umami.
Enjoy something delicious and have a relaxing weekend.
Ppunwife's tips
- Shaking the pan occasionally so the oil spreads evenly helps the entire pancake fry up crispy.
- The key to this water dropwort pancake is frying it slightly thick so you can enjoy it crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.
FAQ
What can I substitute if I do not have sparkling water for the batter?
If you do not have sparkling water, it is fine to use cold ice water or regular cold water.
Why do you add dried shrimp instead of fresh seafood?
Using dried shrimp, which has little moisture, prevents the batter from becoming soggy and adds savory umami.
Is there a trick to making the whole pancake crispy?
Heat the pan, swirl in plenty of oil, and occasionally shake the pan while frying so the oil reaches everywhere evenly to make it crispy.
