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Korean Vegetable Pancake (Pajeon)

Name: Korean Vegetable Pancake (Pajeon)
Prep time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: all-purpose flour — 121 g; cornstarch — 30 g; salt — 3 g; cold water — 237 g; egg — 100 g; soy sauce — 44 g; rice wine vinegar — 11 g; dark sesame oil — 5 g; garlic — 3 g; ground toasted sesame seeds — 3 g; scallions — 800 g; carrot — 60 g; red bell pepper — 50 g; vegetable oil — 54 g

Korean Vegetable Pancake (Pajeon) reads richness 6.9, umami 5.6 and sweetness 5.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Korean main, about 28 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.4 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 5.9 / 10
Sour & Bright — 3.6 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.8 / 10
Rich & Fat — 8.3 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 2.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 6.9 · Umami 5.6 · Sweetness 5.3 · Salinity 5.2 · Nutty 4.8 · Sourness 3.3 · Funk & Ferment 3.0 · Herbaceous 2.1 · Fruity 2.0 · Allium 1.7 · Bitterness 1.5 · Earthy 1.5 · Citrus 0.9 · Warm Spice 0.7 · Floral 0.6

What's in it (14)

all-purpose flour — 121 g
cornstarch — 30 g
salt — 3 g
cold water — 237 g
egg — 100 g
soy sauce — 44 g
rice wine vinegar — 11 g
dark sesame oil — 5 g
garlic — 3 g
ground toasted sesame seeds — 3 g
scallions — 800 g
carrot — 60 g
red bell pepper — 50 g
vegetable oil — 54 g

Time & effort: about 28 min (18 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 86.5 kcal, 2.4 g protein, 4.8 g fat, 8.8 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

Whisk the flour, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk in the cold water and egg until you have a smooth, thin batter about the consistency of heavy cream, then let it rest at room temperature 10 minutes while you prep the vegetables.
Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce: stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and sesame seeds in a small bowl; set aside.
Add the scallions, carrot, and bell pepper to the rested batter and fold gently until every piece is coated.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Pour in half the vegetable-batter mixture, spreading it to the edges of the pan in an even layer no thicker than 1/2 inch and pressing any stray scallion pieces flat so they crisp.
Fry undisturbed until the underside is deeply golden brown and the edges look dry and lacy, 4-5 minutes.
Flip carefully with a wide spatula (or slide onto a plate and invert back into the pan), press down gently to flatten, and fry until the second side is deeply golden and crisp and a skewer inserted into the center meets no raw batter, 3-4 minutes more.
Slide the pancake onto a cutting board, then repeat steps 4-6 with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining batter to fry a second pancake.
Cut each pancake into wedges and serve immediately, crisp side up, with the dipping sauce alongside.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Salade Paysanne De Clementine — French
Miso-Glazed Eggplant with Steamed Rice — Japanese
Vegetable Lo Mein — Chinese-American
Guo Bao Rou (Harbin Sweet and Sour Pork Slices) — Chinese · Dongbei
Teriyaki Beef Skewers — Japanese

Keep reading: what richness, umami, sweetness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.