Crispy Late-Night Kimchi Jeon
김치전·(gimchi-jeon)
Gyeran Bap & Quiet Comforts
If it is raining in Korea, or if it is past ten at night and a craving hits, someone in the house is making Kimchi Jeon. It is the ultimate quiet comfort—a brilliant, thrifty vehicle for the over-fermented kimchi sitting neglected at the back of the fridge. There is no manufactured flair here, just the pure, unadulterated smell of home and the crackle of hot oil. The tragedy of most homemade jeon is a soggy, doughy center, but the traditional secrets remain infallible: ice-cold water to halt gluten, a dusting of frying mix for a shattering edge, and a simple chopstick technique to fry the pancake from the inside out.
Before you start
Chill the water thoroughly.
Literally put ice cubes in a glass of water, let it sit for a few minutes, and measure out exactly what you need without the ice.
Ingredients
- fully fermented sour kimchi2 cup
- Buchimgaru1 cup
- Twigimgaru or cornstarch1/2 cup
- ice-cold water1 1/4 cup
- sugar1/2 tbsp
- Gochugaru1 tbsp
- scallions3 med
- Spam1/2 cup
- neutral cooking oil4 tbsp
Method
- 01
Toss the chopped kimchi, scallions, sugar, gochugaru, and Spam together in a large mixing bowl.
- 02
Whisk the pancake mix and frying mix in a separate bowl before pouring over the kimchi.
- 03
Pour in the ice-cold water and mix gently just until the dry flour disappears.
If you treat it like bread dough, it will taste like rubber; it should look a bit lumpy and slightly thinner than an American pancake batter.
- 04
Heat three to four tablespoons of neutral oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Pour half the batter into the center of the pan and immediately spread it out as thinly and evenly as possible with the back of a ladle.
- 05
As the edges start to sizzle and solidify, use a wooden chopstick to poke several small holes right through the center of the pancake.
The hot oil will bubble up through these little vents, frying the center from the inside out and permanently fixing the dreaded soggy middle.
- 06
Flip the pancake after three to four minutes when the bottom is a deep, crispy brown.
Add another splash of oil around the edges, then use your spatula to gently but firmly press down on the pancake to force out trapped steam and ensure maximum contact with the hot pan.
- 07
Cook for another two to three minutes until the second side is equally shattered, then slide it onto a cutting board.
A properly seasoned jeon needs no fancy dipping sauces; serve it immediately, tearing it apart with chopsticks exactly the way it is eaten in a real Korean home.
Notes
Fake the funk if your kimchi is too fresh.
Freshly made kimchi lacks the requisite lactic acid developed through prolonged fermentation; add a teaspoon of white vinegar to the batter to artificially mimic the tang of advanced fermentation.
From Cook Korean in America.