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 haven’t tried this recipe yet but I will soon!! These savory korean pancakes look amazing!! Only have one question and it’s about putting the sweet potatoes raw or if you cook them a lil before hand. Thank you.
I add them raw ◡̈
I’ve made this a couple of times lately with whatever veggies I have to hand and it’s so good! Tonight was with sweet potato, cabbage spinach, onion & brussel sprouts. The dipping sauce is tasty. Thanks!
Glad you liked it! Thanks sonia ◡̈
Just made this tonight and loved it! I couldn’t get it as crispy, but that’s on me, as they were pretty thick. Overall taste was yummy, esp with black salt! My non-vegan mom loved it too 🙂
Yay glad to hear she loved it too ◡̈ thanks Sandy!
Hi! Would it be ok to make this batter 1 day before before frying it?
I like to meal prep as much as possible. Thanks!
Hi Kristen! You can but the vegetables will release extra moisture as it sits in the batter so the batter may turn a lot runnier than desired. So I recommend to add 2-3 tbsp or more flour to the batter again before cooking. Hope this helps ◡̈
Hello Jeeca,could I just make a suggestion?
Maybe you could give us amount of vegetables in cups ,all vegetables I mean ? As your recipe call for 2 cups of scallion or green onions only and with all other vegetables ( plus additional ) on end we can have 5- 6 cups or more and then adjustments must be made with dry ingredients as there is not enough butter for proper coating. So dry ingredients + ? cups of veggies.
Thank you for sharing.
Iva
Hi Iva, for the amount of batter I’d day 5-6 cups is enough to coat the amount of vegetables but if you want more of the doughy bite from the pancakes and less of the vegetables, you can lessen vegetables to 4 cups. Hope this helps!