Kimchi is everything in South Korea

I have fond memories of my time in South Korea, particularly when it comes to food.  Aside from that wok-fried silkworm pupae, I ate on a dare, I never had a bad meal.   Everything was delicious, especially the kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage).

 For anyone who knows about Korean food, kimchi is a big deal.  No meal is complete without it and there are a plethora of different kinds to choose from.  All of which are amazing.   When out at my favorite Korean restaurant, I used to ask for seconds as I could never help but to snack on it while waiting for my entree to arrive.  That and Bibimbop always tasted better with a big heap of the spicy fermented cabbage thrown on top.  At home, I made Gochujang pork and kimchi stir-fry along with one of my all-time favorite quick meals: kimchi-bop (kimchi and rice stir-fried together and topped with a sunny side up egg).

Start your meal off right with a savoury pancake (pajeon)

However, these days, if I am feeling particularly decadent and want to forego the healthy Korean recipes, I make this pancake or pajeon as they say in Korea.  It has all my favorite things: kimchi, bacon, and carbs pan-fried together.  Cook this if you want a spicy and salty snack or need a starter to a dinner of fried chicken and boozy iced tea.

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Bacon and Kimchi Pajeon (Savoury Korean Pancake)

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• Author: Spicepaw
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 10
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 1-2 pancakes 1x

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Description

Spicy Korean cabbage kimchi and scallions mixed into a savory and crispy Korean style pancake (aka pajeon) with salty bacon for added deliciousness. #bacon #kimchi #pancakes #easyrecipes #appetizer

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3/4 cup rice flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 scallions finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 cup chopped cabbage kimchi (with juices)
• 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 egg
• 2–3 oz (60-90 ml) water (you want just enough water to make the batter fluid but not too runny and thin.  The amount of water you put in will usually depend on how much fluid is in the kimchi.)
• 3–4 strips of streaky bacon
• 1 tsp red chile flakes

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Instructions

1. Mix together flour, salt, sugar, egg, vinegar, water, chopped scallions, red chili flakes and chopped kimchi.  Mix until thoroughly combined and set aside.
2. In a non-stick frying pan, cook bacon until just cooked but not too crispy.  Take out the bacon and set aside.
3. Keeping the bacon grease in the pan, turn heat to high and let the fat get really hot, this should take 1-2 minutes.
4. Add pancake mix to the non-stick frying pan and cook on high heat for 1-2 minutes.
5. Place strips of bacon on top and push down slightly so that pancake batter is covering it but it is not pushed down to the bottom.
6. Turn heat to low/medium-low, cover and cook until crispy at the bottom and partially cooked on top (around 5-6 minutes).
7. If you are feeling courageous, carefully flip the pancake over and continue cooking on the opposite side until crispy.  If not, simply brush the top lightly with vegetable oil and place under the broiler until pancake top has reached that nice and brown crispy coating.
8. When all done, take out and cut into 8 pieces and serve.  Garnish with sesame seeds or finely chopped scallions and enjoy!

• Category: Side, Snack, Appetizer
• Method: pan fried
• Cuisine: Korean

Keywords: kimchi, bacon, pancakes, appetizer, easy recipes, Korean

This kimchi pajeon goes extremely well with Korean Iced Tea (Green Tea Soju cocktail) and Ginger and Garlic Brined Spicy Fried Chicken.