Recipe: Kimchi Pancakes

This winter we promised ourselves that we’d spend some time getting to know the various cuisines of Asia. (We thought we’d make a resolution we could actually keep this year!) We researched renowned books from all the leading traditional and up-and-coming chefs, and went to work exploring new techniques, flavor profiles and ingredients.

As we’ve moved through each country and region, we’ve slowly accumulated a pantry full of kitchen staples from cuisines around the continent - and we’ve been pleasantly surprised by how many locally produced options there are for us to experiment with. Now we always have at least one variety of South River Miso in our fridge - usually hearty brown rice - along with a couple of bottles of Kitchen Garden’s sriracha. We’ve also bulked up on Korean chili flakes and garlic powder from Yung Yuk of Et Cetera Farm in Hillsdale, NY and of course, we’re never without a few jars of Hosta Hill kimchi.

Hosta Hill kimchi has always been in our fridge, long before this continental cooking kick. Our Sunday morning breakfasts often consist of a fried egg, some left over rice or noodles and big, hearty scoop of kimchi right on top. But recently we’ve really been plowing through it; in kimchi and pork stew, along side miso glazed haddock, finishing off tatsoi stir fry, you get the idea.

These kimchi pancakes are one of our favorite new discoveries. Serve them as a side with marinated steak and sauteed greens, or pile them high and give them the spotlight.

Kimchi Pancakes

Makes 8 pancakes

+ 2 cups cabbage kimchi (or one full jar of Hosta Hill)

+ 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

+ 1/2 cups rice flour

+ 1 teaspoon kosher salt

+ 4 scallions, finely chopped

+ Vegetable oil - we used Safflower

1. Drain the kimchi, reserving the juice. Get in there with your hands and squeeze out the liquid. Measure the juice and top off with water if needed to make 1 cup. Coarsely chop the kimchi and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flours, salt, and kimchi juice. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes then stir in the chopped kimchi and scallions.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with a tablespoon of oil. For each pancake, add about a third of a cup of the mixture to the skillet and spread it out with the back of a spoon. Cook until the bottom is crispy and golden, about 2 minutes. Flip over and cook until the other side is crispy and golden, about 2 more minutes. Remove from skillet and drain on towels. Continue in batches.

Serve the pancakes warm with a simple dipping sauce on the side. Here’s a recipe we really like, and it makes just enough sauce for one batch of pancakes.

Dipping Sauce

Combine in a small bowl:

+ 3 tablespoons soy sauce

+ 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

+ 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar

+ 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, crushed or whole

+ 1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey

+ 1 clove garlic, crushed

+ 1 scallion, chopped

Both recipes adapted from TheKitchn.com

Note: This recipe originally appeared on RuralIntelligence.com on April 13, 2015. It's been back-dated here on our blog so that it falls, seasonally, in the right place.