green onion pancake – Korean Convenience

Today, I’m going to show you how I simplify cooking green onion pancakes or pajeon 파전. Because I have severe shellfish allergies and sensitivities to nuts and bananas I’m going to cook a vegan version without any protein. With this recipe and supplemental video I’m going to show you how I manage food allergies and still make Korean food that’s delicious and fits my dietary requirements.

So whether you’re a novice cook like myself, a foodie or just looking for new recipes I’m going to show you how I enjoy Korean food as easily as possible. In the past I’ve tried to lay the green onions horizontally in the pan and cover with a flour mixture. Which is the traditional Korean cooking method.

I’m still trying to find the perfect combo of ingredients and cooking technique. This time I’m going to cut up the green onions into little pieces to make it quick and easy.

Follow along as I create my version of green onion pancakes a.k.a pajeon. Read more below.

Green Onion Pancakes

The ingredients I have seen made with pajeon are flour, corn starch or potato starch, onions, green onions, water and lastly cooking oil. Pajeon can be shared with family, friends or enjoyed by itself for a savory snack.

Because of various dietary requirements the ingredients will change depending on the person creating the dish. This pajeon pancake is another perfect beginner appetizer to cook for novice cooks such as myself. You don’t need a lot of ingredients, and the cooking time is relatively short.

The recipe I will be referencing is from Maangchi, you can see her recipe, get the ingredients, instructions and video here.

Traditional Cooking

The traditional method to cook pajeon is to wash and cut the green onions. After washing the small/medium size green onions cut in half. Heat the pan with 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil. After heating the pan, place the green onions parallel to each other inside the pan and pour your pancake mixture.

However, I have tried this method and failed twice before. Both times I tried this recipe I found that my pancake is never fully cooked and the green onions are burnt at the ends. In order to try an easier method I will cut up the green onions and mix it in the pancake batter.

Sauce + Ingredients

In a bowl mix the ingredients and set aside before you cook your pajeon. *I added an additional tablespoon of water to the sauce because for me the soy sauce is too strong. Feel free to leave the teaspoon of water out!

2 tablespoons soy sauce (all purpose)

1 tablespoon vinegar (brown rice)

1 teaspoon sugar (white), but you can use brown or honey

½ chopped onion

1 green onion (single serving)

1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon of water

Pancake Ingredients

2 green onions

½ onion

½ Korean pancake mix

⅓ cup of cold water *you may need more or less water depending on the amount of vegetables you add

3 tablespoons of cooking oil

*More vegan options: If you want to add more vegetables you can add carrots and supplement mushrooms for a protein.*

Directions

First, I’m going to make the dipping sauce.

I’ll add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoons of brown rice vinegar

1 teaspoon of sugar, ½ chopped onion, 1 green onion, and

½ tablespoon of roasted sesame seeds.

I’ll add 1 tablespoon of water later to dilute the dipping sauce and set the dipping sauce to the side.

To make the green onion pancakes.

I still have my Korean pancake mix from making kimchi pancakes.

I’m going to use the mix instead of using flour, and potato starch.

Because it’s easier and the mix is already seasoned.

I’ll add ½ cup of Korean pancake mix, ⅓ cup of ice cold water,

And stir until the mixture is completely clump free.

Next, I’ll add ½ chopped onion, and two chopped green onions.

You can double the green onions if you really like a lot of vegetables in your pancake.

After frying the pancake on each side for 4 to 5 minutes.

It’s done, time to enjoy!

Recipe Notes

The recipe will make 2 medium size pancakes or 1 large pancake. It depends if you want to practice your pancake flipping skills.

If you have any tips to make the pancake even crisper, taking great photos or a recipe you want to share leave it down in the comments below.

Allergy Aware

This recipe is fairly simple with wheat and sesame being the only top nine allergens. You can substitute the Korean pancake mix for gluten free flour and gluten free corn starch to make the pancake gluten free. The sesame seeds included within the dipping sauce can be omitted or you can try sunflower seeds.

Final Thoughts

What is the Korean Convenience Foodie Recipes?

These recipes blog posts are a fun way for us to join together, cook, and share recipes! The community gets to see how we enjoy Korean food, the changes we make, ingredients we add, and more. Being a content creator and entrepreneur has its benefits, however, sometimes it can be incredibly lonely. It helps to get in the kitchen, cook, and commune with each other although virtually!

If you like this recipe then you might also like this recipe Kimchi Jeon Pancake. Or if you like to buy your snacks and appetizers check out the blog posts on Where To Buy Korean Food, How To Read Korean Food Labels, and Korean Convenience Store Lessons.

If you’re looking for more information about prepackaged Korean snacks and grocery products check out our product page where we provide the top 9 food allergies, gluten information, ingredients, weight, calorie, and cross-contact information whenever available.

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