Beautiful kittens, how are you? Last week has been hectic, was back to work after a couple of days off and felt it would have been nice to treat myself to some delicious food for my dinner: I already eyed this recipe not long ago and was waiting for the perfect time to make it, a Monday night after a busy day. I ended up making a bit more and it lasted for Tuesday’s lunch and dinner: from one recipe I got out 3 meals! So, without further ado, here is the recipe for delicious Vegan Yachaejeon (Korean Vegetable Pancakes) by TheFoodieTakesFlight!

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp corn starch or potato starch
• 1 1/2 tsp salt or black salt (for an “eggy” flavour)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder optional for colour
• 1 1/2 cup room temperature water, plus additional 2-4 tbsp water to adjust consistency

Vegetables of Choice (see notes)

• 1 medium zucchini, sliced into match sticks
• 1 small sweet potato, sliced into match sticks or shredded
• 1 medium carrot, sliced into match sticks or shredded
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 long green chili or jalapeño, optional for heat
• 1 bunch scallions or green onions, around 2 cups, chopped or thinly sliced
• Other vegetables of choice sliced
• Neutral oil (I used vegetable oil)

Dipping Sauce to Serve

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar, adjust to taste
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
• Gochugaru or chili flakes/powder optional

Method 

1. In a large mixing bowl, add in all the dry ingredients. Mix well.
2. Slowly pour in the water while mixing. Mix until you’ve reached a thick batter consistency. If the batter is still too thick, you can add 2-4 tbsp more water. The batter has to be thick and should coat the vegetables well.
3. Mix in the veggies of choice into the batter and mix evenly to coat. See notes for other vegetable options and cooking tips.

DIPPING SAUCE

• Mix everything together and feel free to adjust to your taste. You can easily make this dipping sauce before hand.

COOKING THE PANCAKES

1. Heat a medium/large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Note that the size of your pancake will depend on the size of your pan.IMPORTANT: I highly recommend using a non-stick pan for the best results and so that your pancakes do not stick to your pan. It’s also important that your pan has been preheated well and is hot before you add in the oil and the veggies/batter.
2. Add enough oil to add to coat the surface of the pan. Once hot, scoop a generous amount of the batter and veggie mix. Spread these over your pan and get these as thin as possible without exposing the surface of the pan.I use a spoon to spread it evenly onto the pan.If there are holes, feel free to scoop some of the batter to cover them.
3. Cook for 4-5 minutes over medium or medium heat or until the batter starts to dry up. You can also cover your pan to cook down the veggies.
4. If you covered your pancake, remove the cover and allow the excess steam to evaporate. Press down on the centre of your pancake. Once the top o the pancake and sides start to dry up, carefully scrape the sides and check underneath if the it’s lightly brown or golden.
5. Carefully flip the pancake with a spatula. Cook the other side until golden brown and crisp.
6. If you want extra crispness, allow the pancakes to cook over low heat for another 3-4 minutes on each side or until its a deep golden brown (a slight char is great too!) to get really nice and crisp on the outside.This way any excess moisture from the batter and veggies will evaporate and you’ll get crispier and less doughy pancakes.
7. Repeat this for the rest of the batter.
8. Slice your pancakes into small squares or bite-sized pieces and enjoy with the dipping sauce!

I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did!

Love,

TVCL xx