Korean kimchi pancake (Kimchijeon)
- Published: 30 Dec 24
- Updated: 15 Jan 25
Kimchijeon is a delicious Korean pancake. Chef Dana Choi shares her recipe for this much-loved dish, loaded with kimchi and thin strips of pork belly.
“Cooking the kimchi mellows it out, and the inclusion of thin bacon-like slices of pork belly makes the dish even more enticing,” says Dana.
Born in Gwangju, Dana studied Korean royal cuisine before she moved to London and worked at two-Michelin-starred restaurant The Square. She’s now the head chef at Jang in London, combining Korean and Japanese cuisine. Follow Dana on Instagram @chefchoidana
Why not have a go at making your own kimchi?
Ingredients
- 300g kimchi, finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped, plus extra to sprinkle
- ½ tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tbsp gochugaru
- 80g pork belly slices, very finely sliced widthways
- 120g plain flour
- 70g glutinous rice flour
- Vegetable oil to fry
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tbsp gochugaru
- ½ tbsp sesame seeds, crushed
Method
- Mix the kimchi, spring onions, sugar, gochugaru and pork belly together in a large bowl. Tip both flours into a separate bowl, add 250g water and mix until smooth, then add it to the kimchi mixture. Gently mix until combined – don’t overwork or it may turn chewy.
- Combine the sauce ingredients with 1 tbsp water. Set aside.
- Put a frying pan over a mediumheat. Drizzle in plenty of oil – enough to cover the base. Once shimmering hot, pour in the pancake batter and spread it flat so it fills the pan. If you’re using a 20cm pan, it’s best to do 2 pancakes; if your pan is larger, it can be cooked in one go.
- Cook the pancake for 3-5 minutes until the edges turn crisp. In a smooth motion, flip it and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate or board, slice into pieces, top with extra spring onions and serve with the dipping sauce.
- Recipe from January 2025 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 554kcals
- Fat
- 16g (3.8g saturated)
- Protein
- 18g
- Carbohydrates
- 80g (8.6g sugars)
- Fibre
- 5.8g
- Salt
- 4.5g
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