Secret Chewy Seafood Pa Jun (Savory Korean Pancakes)

I recently discovered something new and I thought I would share it with you.  To be completely honest, I hesitated a little bit because it was my little cooking secret.  But hey, I guess this is what blogging is all about, right?  (BEWARE: If I ever see this in a cookbook that doesn't have my name of it - I will sue you).  

Ah-hem, where was I... Oh yes, one of the first Korean recipes I learned to make was pa jun (savory Korean pancakes).  Preme always rags on me bc I always say everything is so easy to make, but I'm not lying.  Pa jun is seriously so easy to make.  I promise!  And it's very versatile.  Add some chopped up kimchi and you have kimchi pa jun.  Chop up some seafood and you have seafood pa jun.  Just chop up veggies and you have veggie pa jun.

Anyway, my eternal beef with pa jun was that it was good and all, but it was too dry.  It needed more texture.  More chewiness!  So with a little experimentation, I came up with this recipe.  Maybe you like traditional pa jun and may not like my chewy-take on it.  But give it a go and let me know :)

Cook-to-Eat-to-Be Happy Time: 20 min

Difficulty: 1 2 3 4

Ingredients:

Pancake:

• Scallions - 2 stalks
• Carrot - 1
• Zucchini - 1/2
• Onion - Small
• Calamari - 1/4 cup (You can also add small shrimp, if you like)
• Buchim mix (savory pancake mix) - 1 cup
• Potato starch - 1/2 cup (** Secret Ingredient **)
• Water - 1 cup
• (Will yield about 8 small pancakes; 3 large pancakes)

Sauce:

• Soy sauce - 3 parts
• Vinegar - 1 part
• Gochu garu (red pepper flakes) - 1 teaspoon
• Sugar - 1 teaspoon

Directions:

1. Chop scallions diagonally (bc it's prettier) into 2 inch lengths.

2. Chop onion into 1/4 in slices

3. Use a mandolin to slice carrot and zucchini.

4. Chop calamari into 1/2 bite-size pieces.

5. Mix pancake mix, potato starch, and water in large bowl.

6. Add chopped veggies and calamari.

7. Consistency should be slightly thinner than breakfast pancakes.  

NOTE: The veggie:batter ratio is really personal preference - and like I said, this is supposed to be easy so there's no real wrong way.  But my advice is, you want your veggies thin enough that it'll cook fast and evenly on a pan.  I actually cut my onions too thick here.

8. Add a little oil to a medium-high heat pan and fry small pancakes.

NOTE: If you want to be a pancake rockstar, go ahead and make a big one and cut it up with a pizza cutter and serve them like they do at the restaurants.  My attempts to do this in the past have resulted in half flipped, half ripped, ugly pancakes.  So I stick with the minis.  My mom used to make minis so that we could sit at the table and eat fresh hot minis one after another while she fried them up on the stove.  Mom - We used to complain cuz you were always busy cooking while we ate, but now I get it.  You are so smart!  :)

9. Make your sauce.  It should be salty, yet tart, with a lil sweetness.

10. Eat & Be Happy!