Apologies for not posting sooner, but Internet was down here. Back in action with 2 great Korean recipes! First tried these pancakes at Korean Grill and Ice Cream and they were an awesome appetizer. To upgrade the pancakes to a dinner, I have prepared the Korean Chicken Stir Fry.
Hobak Buchim (Zucchini Pancakes)
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini about 8 ounces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 medium sweet onion thinly sliced
- 2 green hot chili peppers thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup buchim garu (Korean savory pancake mix) or flour (see note)
- 1 large egg (omit for a vegan version and add some water)
- vegetable or canola oil for frying
Dipping Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- pinch of black pepper
- pinch gochutgaru (red chili pepper flakes)
- OPTIONAL baby shrimp and chopped green onions
Instructions
Cut the zucchini into matchsticks. Place them in a bowl, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let sit for about 10 minutes until wilted and released some liquid. Squeeze the liquid out from the zucchini as much as possible, reserving the liquid in the bowl. Set the zucchini aside.
Add the egg and pancake mix (or flour) to the bowl with the zucchini squeezed mix. Mix everything well with a spoon, and then combine with the zucchini, onion and chili peppers. The zucchini mix may look stiff when mixing, but it will become more liquidy after a few minutes. If it’s still too stiff, mix in some water (2 to 3 tablespoons to start with).
Heat a skillet with two tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Add about 2 heaping tablespoons of the batter and spread it evenly into a thin round shape. Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook 3 to 4 pancakes at once. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the bottom is light golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve hot with a dipping sauce.
Notes
Use 5 tablespoons all purpose flour with 3 tablespoons cornstarch if available.
This recipe makes 6 to 8 3-inch round pancakes, or two large pancakes.
Korean Chicken Stir Fry
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs chicken breasts boneless and skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
Korean Sauce
- 3 tbsp butter unsalted
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp. Red curry paste or sambal oelek
Garnish
green onions toasted sesame seeds red chilis sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
Toss the chicken pieces through the egg first, then dredge through cornstarch.
In a large bowl whisk together all the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Add about 3 inches of oil to a heavy bottom pan and heat to 375 °F.
Add chicken to the pan and fry in batches about 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Stir in the brown sugar and honey and cook for about 1 minute until the brown butter dissolves. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and gochujang sauce to the skillet and stir. Cook for 30 seconds then add the chicken to the skillet and toss well with the sauce.
Serve garnished with green onions, toasted sesame seeds and red chilis.
Buen provecho...2022 