Kimchi pancakes with pork belly (kimchi jeon)

This spicy pancake is the perfect comfort food on a cold rainy day. You can make a simple vegetarian version just by adding kimchi, but I love the addition of crispy pork belly.

Korean kimchi pancake Credit: Billy Law

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) kimchi juice (see Note)
• 150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) Cabbage kimchi (recipe here), thinly sliced
• vegetable oil, for frying
• 100 g (3½ oz) pork belly, thinly sliced
• 1 spring onion (scallion), thinly sliced

Korean pancake mix

• 110 g (4 oz/¾ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 cm (¾ in) piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

1. To prepare the pancake mix, sift all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the garlic and ginger, 185 ml (6 fl oz/¾ cup) iced water and the egg, and whisk until the batter is smooth with no lumps. Add a little more water to loosen the batter if necessary. It should be thick but still runny with the consistency of pouring cream. Set aside.
2. Prepare the pancake mix, adding the kimchi juice and enough water to make a smooth, pourable batter. Add the sliced kimchi, reserving some to garnish. Stir to combine and set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Fry the pork belly slices for 2–3 minutes until lightly browned. Give the batter a quick stir then ladle half of the batter over the pork belly. Use the back of the ladle to spread the batter out to the edges of the pan. Fry the pancake for 4–5 minutes or until browned on the bottom. Use a wide spatula to flip the pancake over. Add another tablespoon of oil, press the pancake down with the back of the spatula and cook for further 4–5 minutes until browned.
4. Transfer the pancake to a baking tray lined with paper towel to catch any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining batter and ingredients.
5. To serve, garnish both pancakes with the spring onion and reserved kimchi.

Note

• This is a great way to use the juice (liquid) from your homemade kimchi.

Recipe and images from Little Korea Iconic Dishes and Cult Recipes by Billy Law, Smith Street Books, RRP $49.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.