Best for: Using up well-fermented kimchi on a rainy day.
Kimchi jeon turns the sourest, oldest kimchi in the jar into something crisp and golden: chopped kimchi and its brine folded into a simple batter and fried on the griddle until the edges lace and shatter. The tang of the ferment is exactly what a jeon wants.
Griddle: Flat-top griddle or large cast-iron skillet over direct medium-high heat; about 400°F surface. Equipment: Griddle or cast-iron skillet, bowl, wide spatula.
Ingredients
Rest: 3 minutes. Total: 25 minutes.
Pancakes
- 2 cups chopped well-fermented baechu kimchi
- 1/4 cup kimchi brine, from the jar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup potato starch or rice flour
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
Dipping sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Stir the dipping sauce ingredients together and set aside. Whisk the flour, potato starch, kimchi brine, cold water, and sugar into a thin batter — it should pour like heavy cream.
Fold the chopped kimchi and scallions through the batter. The kimchi is the seasoning here, so no extra salt is needed.
Heat the griddle to about 400°F and coat it generously with half the neutral oil. Pour in half the batter and spread it into a thin, even round.
Cook for 3–4 minutes, until the bottom is deeply golden and the edges look lacy and crisp. Flip in one confident motion and cook 2–3 minutes more, pressing gently with the spatula.
Slide the pancake onto a cutting board to rest for 3 minutes and repeat with the remaining oil and batter.
Cut into wedges and serve hot with the dipping sauce.
Grilling tip: The older and sourer the kimchi, the better the jeon — save the fresh jar for the table and cook with the funky one.
