[jeon: Korean pancakes or dish cooked in oil with flour and egg batter, boochu: Korean or Asian chive]

Over the weekend, my sister-in-law requested that I post pa-jeon (파전), or scallion pancakes. Unfortunately, I used all my scallions to make pa-kimchi (파김치, scallion kimchi) so I decided to make jeon or Korean pancakes with kimchi and boochu (부추, Korean or Asian chives). You can replace the boochu with scallions to make pa-jeon (파전). I added some squid and shrimp that I had in the freezer but this is optional for vegetarians or for those who don’t have or like seafood. Another option is whether to add an egg in the batter or not. Traditionally, Koreans use egg in the batter but I personally found that it tastes fine without it if you prefer. It’s totally up to you. I did not use an egg for the kimchi-jeon but used one for the boochu-jeon. Additionally, I added about 2 tablespoons of potato starch to the batter. This makes the jeon more crispy. You can replace the potato starch to corn starch or omit the starch all together.

Kimchi-jeon (김치전, Kimchi Pancakes)

Ingredients:

• About 50g of seafood such as shrimp, squid or scallops – optional
• 1 cup of kimchi, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 tablespoon of agave syrup or sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 1 red chili pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips – optional
• 1 cup of Korean pancake mix known as buchim-garu (부침가루)
• 2 tablespoons of potato or corn starch – optional
• 1 cup of ice water
• Vegetables oil
• Soy sauce
• White vinegar or rice vinegar

1. Cook the seafood in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Rinse in cold water, drain and cut into small bite pieces. Cooking the seafood ahead helps the pancakes get crispier but you can all raw seafood directly into the batter if you are pressed for time.
2. Split the seafood into half so you can use 1/2 in the kimchi-jeon and the other in the buchu-jeon.
3. Mix the kimchi with agave syrup (or sugar) and sesame oil.
4. Heat a large skillet or griddle on medium-high heat.
5. Mix the Korean pancake mix (buchim-garu, 부침가루) with 2 tablespoons of potato or corn starch.
6. Add  ice cold water to the dry ingredients. Mix well to make the batter.
7. Mix in the seafood, red chili and kimchi and stir.
8. Drizzle oil about 3-4 tablespoons of oil on the skillet or griddle and spread the oil evenly. Spoon the mixture and shape it into a round shape. The size of the jeon is completely up to you, large or small.
9. Flip the jeons when you see the edges browning, about 3-4 minutes later. Press the flipped jeons with your spatula. This helps the cooking process.
10. When each sides of the jeons are golden brown, remove them to a plate. Repeat the process until you cooked all the batter.
11. Serve with a soy and white vinegar mixture. The ration for this sauce is soy sauce: vinegar= 4:1 or 3:1.

Boochu-jeon (부추전, Korean Chive Pancakes)
Ingredients:

• About 50g of seafood such as shrimp, squid or scallops – optional
• 200g (about 1/2 pounds) of boochu (Korean or Asian chives) or scallions, cleaned and drained
• 1 red chili pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips – optional
• 1 cup of Korean pancake mix known as buchim-garu (부침가루)
• 2 tablespoons of potato or corn starch – optional
• 1 egg – optional
• 1 cup of ice water
• Vegetable oil
• Soy sauce
• White vinegar or rice vinegar

1. Cut the cleaned boochu or Korean chives into about 3 inch (7cm) pieces.
2. Mix the Korean pancake mix (buchim-garu, 부침가루) with 2 tablespoons of potato or corn starch.
3. Add the egg and ice cold water to the dry ingredients. Mix well to make the batter.
4. Mix in the seafood, red chili and boochu.  Gently stir the mixture with a spoon so the chives do not get bruised. You will notice that the batter in just enough to coat the chives and seafood, which is perfect.
5. Drizzle oil about 3-4 tablespoons of oil on the skillet or griddle and spread the oil evenly. Spoon the mixture and shape it into a round shape. The size of the jeon is completely up to you, large or small.
6. Flip the jeons when you see the edges browning, about 3-4 minutes later. Press the flipped jeons with your spatula. This helps the cooking process.
7. When each sides of the jeons are golden brown, remove them to a plate. Repeat the process until you cooked all the batter.
8. Serve with a soy and white vinegar mixture. The ration for this sauce is soy sauce: vinegar= 4:1 or 3:1.