Vegan Korean Pancakes

My Nana’s traditional Korean Pancakes, made vegan! Packed full of Asian vegetables, these golden beauties are always a treat – make a big batch, because they’re slightly addicting!

Growing up, my Nana’s pancakes were a family favorite. Korean pancakes are often part of a celebration meal, and my Nana made them every time our family got together. They are packed full of traditional Asian vegetables, including bean sprouts, napa cabbage, and kosari. I definitely recommend trying to track these down. Any Korean grocery like H-Mart should carry them. Usually, Korean pancakes include diced pork meat, but they’re easily made vegan by just leaving that out! My family vouches that the veggie version tastes just as good.

Nana’s Korean pancakes were always a treat. The sound of a sizzling pan and the smell of Korean pancakes wafting through the kitchen are enough to make any mouth water! I have been wanting to learn how to make these Korean pancakes myself for some time now, so I called my Nana up (several times) to learn all the secrets behind her recipe.

MY NANA

My Nana is a force to be reckoned with. She is 92 years old, and still going strong – in fact, we joke that she’s the healthiest in our whole family, and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration! She was born in North Korea and had to flee to the south during the Korean War. When the DMZ went into effect, she never saw her father again because he had stayed behind by himself. She is the strongest person I know, along with my own mother.

Nana very much cooks by feel, so nailing down her recipe was a challenge. During one of our calls, I tried to ask Nana about the process of soaking and blending the mung beans. She sighed, a bit exasperated as if she was trying to explain the simplest concept to a child, and started to explain, ‘Well, all you do is take the mung beans and put them in the water to soak…’

I quickly interrupted, saying, ‘Oh no no Nana, I know how to soak mung beans! I meant how do I blend them after they’ve been soaked, and whether they would need extra water, etc.’ Her response was often, ‘Oh I don’t know. You just try and see for yourself.’ Good advice Nana, good advice.

After several more consultations, I think I’ve finally nailed down her recipe. On my first try, the pancakes came together more easily than I expected. There’s lots of room for flexibility and variation, to use whatever veggies you like or have on hand. Like my Nana says, ‘You just try and see for yourself!’ After my first batch, I proudly called up Nana to show her the finished product, and she gave them her virtual stamp of approval!

KOREAN PANCAKES INGREDIENTS

• Split yellow mung beans – Part of the legume family, these are mung beans that have been stripped of their hull, cleaned and split.
• White onions – These are more of a ‘Western’ food, so you probably are very familiar with these already! They are often used in Korean cooking to add extra flavour!
• Green onions/scallions – These are actually very similar, and can be labelled almost interchangeably in the shops. Scallions have a long white stem that doesn’t bulge out, while spring onions have small onion bulbs at their base.
• Beans sprouts – Most commonly sprouted from mung beans, these add a lovely crunch and light flavour to a dish.
• Napa cabbage – Also known as Chinese cabbage or celery cabbage, this has long, pale green leaves that are thick, crisp, with a mild flavour.
• Kosari – The young stem of edible fern, known as fernbrake. Growing in the hills and mountains, they have a deep, earthy flavor with a chewy texture

HUNGRY HARVEST

I’m super excited and honoured for this recipe to be featured by Hungry Harvest as they celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Month and celebrate some of their favourite AAPI creators! I had the pleasure of reviewing Hungry Harvest a couple of years ago and absolutely love their mission and what they do. Check out my review here, and keep an eye on Hungry Harvest’s instagram for the highlight as well!