Meatless Mondays - Korean Scallion Pancake

If you find yourself with a surplus of leftover or frozen vegetables, scallions in particular, Korean pancakes, or pa jun, are a quick and delicious way to use up some of your plenty.  (You can use meat and seafood, too!) The pancake itself is pretty simple - eggs, water, flour, and veg; what makes the dish sparkle is a tangy/spicy vinegar-based dipping sauce.

I like to serve pa jun with some Korean-style pickled vegetables. This time I chopped up some cucumber and tossed it with a bit of Korean red pepper flakes, and generous dashes of soy, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil.

Korean Scallion Pancakes

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups ice water
2 eggs
1 cup scallions (light and dark green part), cut into inch long pieces
1 cup roughly chopped vegetables (I used raw corn, cooked edamame, raw mushrooms, and blanched green beans)
vegetable or canola oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine the flour, water, and eggs, stirring with a fork until the batter is no longer lumpy. Add the vegetables and stir to combine.

Over a medium flame, heat 1/2 teaspoon of oil in a large sauté pan. Spoon in some batter, spreading to make a 6" circle. Cook about 2 minutes per side, until each is lightly browned and dry and a bit crisp. (For some reason, the pancakes never really get uniformly brown or dark.) Continue this step until all batter is used.

Serve with dipping sauce. Serves 4.

Dipping Sauce

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoons agave syrup
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Big pinch of Korean hot red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Let rest for a few minutes to blend flavors.