I'm back with another Korean Pancake recipe and this time it's for some Yachaejeon 야채전! or Korean Vegetable Pancakes!
WHAT IS YACHAEJEON?
Yachae, 야채, is vegetable; while jeon, 전, is a general term for pancake in Korean. So put it together and you have vegetable pancakes or Yachaejeon 야채전.
So Yachaejeon 야채전 literally translates to vegetable pancakes.
These Korean Yachae Jeon 야채전 or Vegetables Pancakes can easily be customised to your liking. For my version of Yachae jeon, I used a mix of zucchini, sweet potato, carrots, onions, and scallions but you can also use vegetables such as bell pepper, cabbage, etc.
I also made my own dipping sauce to pair with this vegetable jeon or vegetable pancake.
OTHER KOREAN PANCAKES:
THE PANCAKE BATTER
The batter is a very thick batter and is a simple mix of the following:
Dry Ingredients
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- corn starch or potato starch
- salt or black salt (for an "eggy" flavour)
- turmeric powder optional for colour
The full recipe is down below!
Wet Ingredients
- room temperature water plus more to adjust consistency
THE VEGGIES
You're free to use whatever other veggies you prefer! :)
For my pancakes, I used a mix of the following:
- 1 medium zucchini sliced into match sticks
- 1 small sweet potato sliced into match sticks or shredded (i used orange sweet potato)
- 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
MIX THE VEGETABLES INTO THE BATTER
Mix everything together for the korean vegetable pancakes batter.
TO COOK THE VEGETABLE PANCAKES OR YACHAE JEON
I used a non-stick pan. I highly recommend using one! It's also important that your pan has been preheated well and is hot before you add in the oil and the veggies/batter.
- 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 f the pan. So you’ll want to spread it as thin as possible but still cover the surface of the pan. I use a spoon to spread it evenly onto the pan.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat or until the batter starts to dry up. You can also cover your pan if your pancake is thick, this way the vegetables will better cook down.
- 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.
- Carefully flip the pancake with a spatula. Cook the other side until golden brown and crisp.
- 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.
SERVE AND ENJOY YOUR KOREAN VEGETABLE PANCAKES
- Slice your pancakes into small squares or bite-sized pieces. This is best enjoyed with a good dipping sauce! I also find it a lot easier to cut the pancakes using a pair of scissors.
Find the full recipe for these pancakes below! You can also check out my homemade dipping sauce recipe.
STORING LEFTOVER PANCAKES/MAKING IN ADVANCE
I like to cook pancakes in big batches. I store the cooked pancakes in an air-tight container or wrap these in some aluminium foil and refrigerate for 1-2 weeks. To reheat, I just pan fry the pancakes on a pan for 3-4 minutes on each side or until crisp. You can also heat these in your oven toaster.
I keep these whole because it's easier to flip them on a pan. Afterwards, that's when I sliced these into bite-sized pieces.
OTHER KOREAN VEGAN RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:
- Vegan Kimchi
- Korean Beansprout Salad
- Bibim Guksu (Korean Mixed Noodles)
- Sundubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
- Kimchi Noodle Soup with Dumplings
- Kimchi Noodle Stir-Fry
- Jjajangmyeon
Looking for more Vegan Asian recipes?
You can get a copy of my upcoming cookbook, Vegan Asian!
If you crave vegan-friendly versions of classic Asian dishes, this cookbook is packed with Southeast and East Asian dishes inspired by those I grew up enjoying at home and those I’ve tried from my travels. From iconic Thai dishes to piping-hot Japanese fare and everything in between, the recipes in this will take your palate on a delicious food trip across Asia, and hopefully keep you coming back for more!
Vegan Yachae Jeon 야채전 (Korean Vegetable Pancakes)
Yachae Jeon 야채전, which literally translates to vegetable pancakes, are Korean vegetables pancakes that can easily be customised to your liking. For my version of Yachae jeon, I used a mix of zucchini, sweet potato, carrots, onions, and scallions but you can also use vegetables such as bell pepper, cabbage, etc.I also made my own dipping sauce to pair with this vegetable jeon or vegetable pancake.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (see notes for subs)
- 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
Wet Ingredients
- 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 (i used orange sweet potato and added them raw)
- 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
Cooking
- 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
Instructions
- You can watch the video below to see how to make these.
- In a large mixing bowl, add in all the dry ingredients. Mix well.
- 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.Do note that the batter is thick and should coat the vegetables well.
- 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.I recommend to make this before cooking the pancakes.
COOKING THE PANCAKES
- Heat a medium/large non-stick pan over medium high heat with enough oil to coat the surface of the pan. 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.
- Once the oil is 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Carefully flip the pancake with a spatula. Cook the other side until golden brown and crisp.
- 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.
- Repeat this for the rest of the batter.
- See notes for more tips.
- Slice your pancakes into small squares or bite-sized pieces. This is best enjoyed with a good dipping sauce (recipe here or in the card above)! I also find it a lot easier to cut the pancakes using a pair of scissors.
- How to enjoy your jeon? I love mine with a hearty Sundubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew) or Jjajangmyeon. Best enjoyed with some Vegan Kimchi, too!
STORAGE AND REHEATING TIPS
- Store the cooked pancakes in an air-tight container and refrigerate for 1-2 weeks. To reheat, pan fry the pancakes on a pan for 2-3 minutes on each side until crisp. You can also heat these in your oven toaster.
WATCH Video
Notes
VEGETABLES + TIPS
- You can really opt to add whatever veggies you have for these pancakes! Other great additions are cabbage, mushrooms, bell peppers, potatoes, etc.
- I usually use a total of 5-6 cups of sliced/chopped vegetables.
- Cooking your veggies: I used all raw vegetables for this, even for the sweet potatoes. They cook down nicely on the pan but be sure to evenly spread them so they can be as thin as possible. You can also opt to cover the pan to be sure the vegetables cook down, especially if your pancake is a bit thick.
- Veggies releasing liquid: certain vegetables will release quite a lot of liquid over time as it sits in the batter. If this is the case, you can add an additional 1-3 tbsp of flour and mix it with the batter to thicken it before cooking.
- I personally like to get my pancakes as thin as possible so both sides are very crisp and it’s thin so you won’t notice the insides being a bit chewy/doughy from the veggies/flour mix.
- Do note that as it cools, the pancakes will sog especially as it sits on a plate. It may also be due to the veggies since some veg tend to continue to release extra moisture as it sits after cooking.
- A great way to remove excess water is to salt your veggies first and squeeze out excess liquid before mixing it in the batter. This way the extra moisture draws out. This is completely optional and I actually always skip this step but this could help maintain that crisp longer. If doing so, I recommences to skip the salt in the batter or the overall batter mixture may be too salty form the salted veg.
FLOUR
- I personally haven't tried other flour alternatives for this recipe but some have used gluten-free flour mixes, whole wheat flour, and even chickpea flour. Do note that the texture and consistency can change but if you don't mind then it shouldn't be a problem!
- Since some flours can be dense, you can add an additional 1/4 tsp of baking powder if needed. You may also need to add some more water if the batter is too thick. But ideally the batter should be thick enough to coat the vegetables and not be runny when spread out on the pan.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1119mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 7257IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 3mg
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I made these today since I didn’t know what to eat and they are AWESOME. I ate them with some gochujang bibimbap sauce since I keep that on hand in my fridge and that worked really well! Next time I’ll try your dipping sauce.
I can imagine how good this is with that gochujang sauce. Thanks for trying it out Lynn! ◡̈
Love this recipe! Just wondering though if you only want one serve and have leftover batter, would it be better to store the batter for another day or make up all the pancakes at once and just reheat the pancakes? Thanks ?
Hi Grace! I recommend to cook all the pancakes and just reheat on a pan or in an air-fryer when ready to enjoy. Since if you leave the batter to sit overnight, the vegetables will continue to release water and run down the batter. Hope this helps!! ◡̈
I just made this! My first pancake was a little thick , but still delicious! as the batter sat with the veggies in the bowl they were better coated and my 2 nd one is thinner and cooking now! This is really delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe and your video!!!!
Thank you Heidi! And yes the vegetables continue to release water so as they sit the batter gets a bit runnier! Hope you enjoyed yours! ◡̈
Looks great can’t wait to try this. You’re like a samurai with that knife!
Thank you Theresa! ◡̈
Excellent Pancakes! Excellent Directions! I can’t believe I nailed it with the first one too. I was worried about having undercooked vegetables so I used a vegetable peeler just on the sweet potatoes and carrots. Everything was delicious even dipping sauce. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you!
So happy it turned out great! And so glad you liked it. Thank you Jacqueline! ◡̈