Vegan Yachae Jeon 야채전 (Korean Vegetable Pancakes)

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (see notes for subs)

2 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp corn starch (or potato starch)

1 1/2 tsp salt (or black salt, for an "eggy" flavour)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder (optional for colour)

1 1/2 cup room temperature water (, plus additional 2-4 tbsp water to adjust consistency)

1 medium zucchini (, sliced into match sticks)

1 small sweet potato (, sliced into match sticks or shredded, i used orange sweet potato and added them raw)

1 medium carrot (, sliced into match sticks or shredded)

1/2 medium onion (, thinly sliced)

1 long green chili or jalapeño (, optional for heat)

1 bunch scallions or green onions (, around 2 cups, chopped or thinly sliced)

Other vegetables of choice (sliced)

Neutral oil (I used vegetable oil)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp sugar (, adjust to taste)

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

Gochugaru or chili flakes/powder (optional)

Directions

You can watch the video below to see how to make these.

In a large mixing bowl, add in all the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Slowly pour in the water while mixing. Mix until you’ve reached a thick batter consistency. If the batter is still too thick, you can add 2-4 tbsp more water.Do note that the batter is thick and should coat the vegetables well.

Mix in the veggies of choice into the batter and mix evenly to coat. See notes for other vegetable options and cooking tips.

DIPPING SAUCE

Mix everything together and feel free to adjust to your taste. You can easily make this dipping sauce before hand.I recommend to make this before cooking the pancakes.

COOKING THE PANCAKES

Heat a medium/large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Note that the size of your pancake will depend on the size of your pan. IMPORTANT: I highly recommend using a non-stick pan for the best results and so that your pancakes do not stick to your pan. It's also important that your pan has been preheated well and is hot before you add in the oil and the veggies/batter.

Add enough oil to add to coat the surface of the pan. Once hot, scoop a generous amount of the batter and veggie mix. Spread these over your pan and get these as thin as possible without exposing the surface of the pan.I use a spoon to spread it evenly onto the pan.If there are holes, feel free to scoop some of the batter to cover them.

Cook for 4-5 minutes over medium or medium heat or until the batter starts to dry up. You can also cover your pan to cook down the veggies.

If you covered your pancake, remove the cover and allow the excess steam to evaporate. Press down on the centre of your pancake. Once the top o the pancake and sides start to dry up, carefully scrape the sides and check underneath if the it's lightly brown or golden.

Carefully flip the pancake with a spatula. Cook the other side until golden brown and crisp.

If you want extra crispness, allow the pancakes to cook over low heat for another 3-4 minutes on each side or until its a deep golden brown (a slight char is great too!) to get really nice and crisp on the outside.This way any excess moisture from the batter and veggies will evaporate and you'll get crispier and less doughy pancakes.

Repeat this for the rest of the batter.

See notes for more tips.

Slice your pancakes into small squares or bite-sized pieces. This is best enjoyed with a good dipping sauce (recipe here or in the card above)! I also find it a lot easier to cut the pancakes using a pair of scissors.

How to enjoy your jeon? I love mine with a hearty Sundubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew) or Jjajangmyeon. Best enjoyed with some Vegan Kimchi, too!

STORAGE AND REHEATING TIPS

Store the cooked pancakes in an air-tight container and refrigerate for 1-2 weeks. To reheat, pan fry the pancakes on a pan for 2-3 minutes on each side until crisp. You can also heat these in your oven toaster.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 pancake
• Calories: 375 kcal
• Total Fat: 15 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Sodium: 1119 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 55 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 6 g