Yachaejeon is a popular dish or snack in Korea made with vegetables. Chef Sarah shows us what it means to eat the rainbow and how each color provides vitamins and health benefits. Making Korean vegetable pancakes is a great way to incorporate a variety of vegetables into a dish and an opportunity for young chefs to practice their knife skills on the vegetables. Be sure to serve with a savory dipping sauce made with soy sauce and sesame oil!
Yachaejeon (Korean Vegetable Pancake)
Yield: one large 12-inch pancake
Ingredients
(About 2½ to 3 cups of sliced mixed vegetables)
4 green onions, cut into 1 inch long pieces
⅓ cup mushrooms, sliced thinly (white, baby portobello, or shiitake)
½ cup zucchini matchsticks or shredded
⅓ cup carrot matchsticks or shredded
1 green chili pepper (or jalapeño), optional, sliced
3 ounces onion or leek, thinly sliced
¾ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup water
For the Dipping Sauce
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons white vinegar or rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes, optional
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons honey
Preparation
- Combine soy sauce, vinegar, hot pepper flakes, honey and sesame oil in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- Set aside the mushrooms, and combine the remaining mixed vegetables in a bowl. Add flour, salt, and water. Mix until well combined.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. If you don’t have a large 12-inch skillet to make one big pancake, you can work in batches to make smaller ones.
- Add about 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and swirl it around to coat the skillet evenly. Add the batter to the skillet and spread it out evenly.
- Turn down the heat to medium and put the sliced mushroom on top. Gently press them in with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the bottom turns light golden brown and crisp. Swirl the pan around so the pancake moves and is cooked evenly underneath.
- Flip over the pancake. Increase the heat to medium high and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil along the edges of the pancake. Lift up one edge with your spatula and tilt the skillet so the oil flows underneath the pancake.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until both sides turn light golden brown, occasionally pressing down with the spatula. Flip it over one more time and cook another 2 minutes.
- Transfer it to a large plate, cut into wedges and serve right away with the dipping sauce.
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