This recipe is vegan, easy to adapt, and perfect for serving alongside chili garlic oil or simple dipping sauce. It is crisp on the outside, chewy, and flaky on the inside. Plus it’s kids approved and a treat to have. Crispy, crunchy yet soft, savory veggies that have never tasted better than this. Let’s learn to make it with an easy step-by-step process and video. If you guys have been following me for a while, you would know that I love Asian-inspired recipes. Other than Indian, these recipes are what I love to share most on the blog. I love not only their flavors but also the ease of making them. Whether it’s Ricepaper dumplings, Korean braised tofu, Tofu peanut curry, or this Yachaejeon. They are quick, flavorful and so so delicious. So today I am sharing one of my son’s favorite recipes Yachae Jeon.
What is Yachaejeon?
In Korean, Yachae means vegetable, and jeon means pancake. So Yachaeneon means vegetable pancakes. These Korean Vegetables Pancakes are easy to customize to your liking. For my version of Yachae jeon, I used a mix of zucchini, potato, carrots, mushrooms, kale, bell pepper, and scallions but you can also use vegetables such as sweet potatoes, cabbage, etc. I also made my dipping sauce to pair with this vegetable jeon or vegetable pancake.
Why do I love this recipe?
It’s filled with veggie goodness and easy to make.You’ll love it as the perfect appetizer, side, or snack any time of the day.They’re great for lunchboxes and on picnics, too!It is one of the genius ways to use up any leftover vegetable you have laying in the refrigerator.These Korean pancakes make a quick and simple weeknight dinner.
Ingredients required
Flour: I have used all-purpose flour along with rice flour for crispier results. You can substitute the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. The taste and texture might differ a bit. Salt and pepper: just a bit to season the batter. Vegetables: I used a combination of carrots, mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, potato, and scallions (green onions). You’re free to use whatever other veggies you prefer! Green chili: For the heat. You can skip it if you are making for kids or don’t prefer spice. Oil: use neutral-tasting oil such as avocado, canola oil, or vegetable oil.
Step by step process
For dipping sauce
Mix Soy sauce, rice vinegar, gochujang chili flakes, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Your dipping sauce for pancake is ready. The soy dipping sauce makes every bite even better!
For pancake
Thinly cut bell pepper, carrots, potato, scallions, and zucchini. Slice the mushrooms and finely chop the green chili. Keep everything aside.Combine all the vegetables including green onion and green chili in a bowl. Add all-purpose flour, rice flour, salt, pepper, and 1 ½ cup water. Mix it well with a wooden spoon.Note – Batter should be thick and should coat the vegetables. It should look like you have added the creamy dressing to the salad.
Heat a medium/large cast iron or non-stick pan over medium-high heat.Note: I highly recommend using a well-seasoned cast iron pan or a good non-stick pan for the best results.Once your pan is medium hot, add 1 tablespoon oil to coat the surface of the pan.Once hot, scoop a generous amount of the veggie mixture.Spread these over your pan and get them as thin as possible with the help of the spatula. Make sure to spread it as thin as possible but still cover the surface of the pan. I use a spatula to spread it evenly onto the pan.Cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat or until the batter starts to dry up.Once it’s golden brown underneath and crisp, carefully flip the pancake with a spatula. Add 1 teaspoon more oil to the sides.Cook the other side until golden brown and crisp. Repeat this for the rest of the batter.
Slice your pancakes into small squares or bite-sized pieces and serve them immediately with dipping sauce or Chili garlic oil.
Cut the vegetables thinly. Because the veggies are mixed in with the batter and will be cooked at the same time, you want to make sure they are cut into thin, equal sizes.Don’t skimp on oil for crispy and crunchy edges. I’ve tried making the pancakes with less oil, but the result is not great.Certain vegetables will release quite a lot of liquid over time as it sits in the batter. If this is the case, you can add a few tablespoons of flour and mix it with the batter to thicken it before cooking.If you are making this for the first time, I would suggest you start making pancakes with smaller sizes first. Once you are confident, you can make bigger sizes.Let the pancake batter cook well until it firms up before flipping. That will take about 4 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of the pancakes. If you flip too early, the pancake will break. It should be golden and crunchy before you flip.Over mixing the batter can develop the gluten and lead to soft pancakes. So don’t over-mix it.You can use pre-shredded veggies or even coleslaw mixture to save up some time.
More Appetizer recipes
Dal Makhni fondueTomato BruschettaChinese samosa
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