Savory Vegan Korean Pancakes
I will never forget the first time I tried Korean food. It was salty, and spicy, and sometimes pickle-y. It was plentiful, and ritualistic, served in many small dishes and eaten with special metal chopsticks. Another thing that makes Korean food special for me is the delicious chewy-ness from foods like rice cakes, and even in the wonderfully savory Korean pancake,-pageon.
I mean, pancakes are so good, why should there only be a sweet version of them? There shouldn’t be! In fact, Chinese cuisine has a myriad of savory pancakes from smaller dense ones to large thin ones, each unique in it’s own way.
Korean pancakes are sort of a comfort food, and it makes sense. They are moorish and starchy, and said to be eaten on a rainy day. Since it is rainy season here in the Philippines, it’s the perfect time to enjoy some!
Often you will find these pancakes made with scallions and seafood. I decided to make some vegan squid as I had some awesome king oyster mushrooms on hand! King oyster mushrooms are often featured in dishes like vegan calamari, or vegan scallops. It’s texture makes a perfect squid replacement. You won’t believe how easy and delicious it is!
Now, let’s dig in to some delicious vegan Korean food!
Vegan Korean Pancakes
A savory, filling, and fun food to eat. Vegan Korean savory pancakes are a crowd pleaser-even the little ones will love them!
Ingredients
- 3 small king oyster mushrooms
- 1.5 C water
- 2 sheets of seaweed (nori)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white miso
- 1 C all purpose flour
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 flax egg
- 3/4 C cold water
- 5 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- oil for cooking
Instructions
- Wash and slice king oyster mushroom stems into 1 inch wide rounds. Using a paring knife, cut a circle out of the middle. Store the mushroom cap and cut out circles aside for use at another time.
- For the "squid" marinade, add 1.5 C water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Add salt, miso, and shred the sheets of nori into the pot. Lower heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Place prepared mushroom "squid" in a glass dish and pour prepared marinade over it. Allow mushrooms to marinade for at least 30 minutes.
- When the marinading time is almost up, start to prepare the pancake batter. In a medium mixing bowl, add flour salt and corn starch, mix well with a fork. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the cold water and flax egg. Mix wet ingredients together in the well before mixing the wet and dry ingredients together. The batter should be a bit thinner than regular pancake batter, so add a bit more water if you need to thin it out.
- Remove mushroom from the liquid, making sure none of the seaweed is sticking to it. Set aside.
- In a small non-stick pan (if possible, make sure it's got a really good non-stick coating on it so you need less oil), add a bit of cooking oil and heat over medium-high. Add 1/3 to 1/2 of the prepared white parts of the sliced scallion, sliced red pepper, and mushroom "squid" pieces (whether or not you can make 2 or 3 pancakes depends on the size of your pan). Next, using a large spoon, pour pancake batter evenly into the pan, making sure to cover the bottom evenly, as well as to coat the other ingredients.
- After about 3 minutes, check the pancake, when it's golden brown, it's ready to flip. It won't bubble up like regular pancakes do to help you know when they are done, so you need to check the bottom to know when the time is right.
- Carefully flip the pancake over and cook the other side for around 2 minutes. Reduce heat as necessary so as not to burn the pancakes. When it's done, remove from heat.
- Repeat process with the remaining ingredients. Top completed pancakes with sliced green scallions and sesame seeds. Serve simply with soy sauce for dipping, or another sauce if you like. We like to use our own version of awesome sauce (vegan mayo and chili garlic sauce).
Notes
If you would like to add a bit of citrus flavor to your "squid" you can squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the mushrooms before putting them in the pan to cook.
Looking for more Korean inspired vegan recipes? Check these out!
Vegan Sweet and Sour Korean Tostadas