I was over at Sissi’s blog last week and was intrigued by her Korean Pancake with Shrimp and Scallop. It really wasn’t the recipe that intrigued me, but her description of this unusual dish: “I was literally spellbound by this extraordinary snack” and as many of you commented I was curious to see why such a simple dish could possibly spellbind a sophisticated cook, like Sissi. So I had to make it.
When I mentioned to JT that we were having this pancake for dinner, he was skeptical, but he is open minded and will try anything once. After he finished 2/3’s of the dish, he turns to me and says “I would like you to make this again”. Now THAT is success in my books.
My first attempt was Sissi’s recipe verbatim (with the exception of the sauce, to which I added a bit of fresh ginger), but sadly the pancake broke in half and was an unco-operative subject for a photo, so of course, I had to make it again, with a twist! The texture of this pancake is really nothing like a North American pancake at all, so if you are expecting light and fluffy batter, you will be disappointed. It is dense (as if you overworked a North American pancake and the gluten’s were invigorated!), slightly chewy with a nice firm texture. There is a touch of sweetness from the corn flour. The sauce is really incredible and I would recommend it for anything, not just this dish (such as scallops on a bed of greens!).
Gluten Free South Western Korean-inspired Pancake
Recipe adapted from Sissi’s blog With a Glass (click here for original recipe)
Serves 2
Sauce Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 stalk of green onion finely cut
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
- It’s best to make the sauce first so it has a little time to blend and allow the flavours to meld together. You can even do it a day ahead, adding the green onions and sesame seeds just when you are ready to serve so they remain crisp.
- Combine all ingredients and set aside.
Pancake Ingredients:
- 3 spring onion stalks, sliced thinly
- 1/2 medium hot green chili, finely chopped
- 1/2 medium hot red chili, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 50 g chorizo sausage, finely chopped
- 30 g fresh or frozen corn
- 40 g red pepper (capiscum)
- 40 g crimini mushrooms
Batter Ingredients:
- 56 g chickpea flour
- 20 g corn flour (take fine cornmeal and run it through a food processor until it resembles the texture of regular flour)
- 200 mL ice cold water
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 egg whites, beaten
Directions:
- Combine all the batter ingredients and mix well with a whisk.
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium and lightly spray with non-stick spray or olive oil.
- Pour about 1/3 of the pancake batter onto the pan, allowing it to fill the entire diametre of the pan.
- Add the pancake ingredients, distributing everything evenly so you can get a small taste of everything in every bite.
- Pour the remainder of the batter over the the pancake and allow it to cook through. You will see the batter become quite a bit denser looking as it cooks. Carefully flip the pancake so that both sides are golden.
- Serve with the previously prepared dipping sauce.
Very interesting savory pancake Eva! So many delicious flavours, though probably a bit too spicy for me with all the hot peppers. It reminds me a bit of okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancake)!
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Hi Amber, Charles of Five Euro Food questioned whether it was similar to the Japanese savory pancake. I’ll let him know that you thought so.
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Hi Eva! I’m a huge fan of Korean Pancakes and yours looks really really good! I also love your selection of ingredients in the pancake, sausage, corn and mushrooms! YUM!! My favourite is usually the seafood pancake but I’d love to give yours a try!! Thanks for sharing!
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The seafood pancake was very delicate and quite tasty, I may have to make it for dinner tonight…
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I still didn’t use my chickpea flour from that big batch of flour I bought a while ago. I’ve been meaning to for a while. I love the look of the pancake, with all those wonderful colourful veggies inside! I wonder if this is the direct equivalent of Japanese Okonomiyaki in Korea?
Looks really nice Eva, and great job on making it gluten free too!
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Thank you kindly, Charles. I like the earthy flavour of chick pea flour. Sorry, but I’ve never had the Japanese Okonomiyaki, perhaps Sissi might have an answer to that.
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This looks really, really delicious, Eva. I love that you used chickpea flour…something I’ve wanted to try and haven’t done yet. What a pretty dish this is, too. I’ve bookmarked it to try once I get the flour.
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Thank you kindly Betsy. The chickpea flour being a protein makes this dish more filling than the standard version with regular gluten flour. Chick pea flour has a particular taste, so you should indeed like chick peas to enjoy the flour version of it.
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I thought that was a loaded omelette at first! Love how this keeps the colour and crispness of the vegetables intact too.
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Thanks BFN. Yes, it does indeed look like that, but the texture is completely different; more like polenta. I loved it.
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Eva, what a beautiful job you’ve done adapting Sissi’s recipe. Your pancake looks fulsome and full of gorgeous colour. The ingredients are truly incredible. Every bite must taste like a little slice of heaven. And that dipping sauce… wow! Your gluten free buddy is going to love you for this one! ;-).
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Thank you for your generous and kind words, Kelly. It was a very tasty pancake. I will definitely make both versions again, depending on our moods.
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I remember Sisis’s post. You adapted her recipe so well and oh my what a delicious pancake! You included lots of goodies and this surely looks and sounds delicious Eva!
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Thank you kindly, Nami. Both versions were very tasty. The scallops and shrimp were a lovely combo in Sissi’s version. I’ll definitely making it again.
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This looks like a cross between pizza and a frittata. I was intrigued by Sissi’s pancake and it sounded like a great weeknight meal. I am getting really tired of the same ole weeknight meals, so I have to give this a try!
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Thanks Barb; we really enjoyed it.
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How wonderful! Sissi’s blog is a great spot for inspiration…and you ran with it here 🙂
PS…yes, I took a damp paper towel and gave my the berries in my roulade a quick swipe! You are on to me, my friend~
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Thanks Liz. The tools of a food stylist are not dissimilar to those of a makeup artist; there is usually a paintbrush, a q-tip and tweezers close at hand. 😉
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I’ve never had one of these before but it’s gorgeous on that plate. Korean pancake had me thinking pancakes like you wrap duck in. 🙂 Definitely something I want to eat.
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Hi Maureen, not sure what you mean about pancakes like you wrap duck in, I’m going to google it now.
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Now this is like nothing I’ve seen before. I’m going to have to remember this one. Spellbinding is always good.
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That’s true Kristy, it’s not a description one would normally use with food. But it was that good.
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A very colorful dish indeed, I was just thinking, you could probably make it in your ebelskivers when you get it for your birthday.
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That’s true Norma. I have a few things on the wish list, so I’m not sure it will happen!
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I’ll admit I didn’t know what to expect when I read a title that included “Korean pancake” but I certainly didn’t expect something so colorful with so many great ingredients and flavors. Your sauce would be the perfect accompaniment, too. Of course, it never hurts for a recipe to come with JT’s stamp of approval. This does sound like a winner!
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Thanks John. The texture is not something I expected to enjoy but it was a pleasant surprise. Both versions are a keeper.
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Wow from both of your descriptions, I really want to try this now! 😀 Love the idea of this thick, delicious pancake with lots of filling 🙂
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Thanks Lorraine, it was very tasty. I will be making it again.
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A splendid adaptation of the dish, Eva.
I was amused by seeing that you replaced the cornflour (cornstarch) in Sissi’s recipe with finely ground cornmeal. A real fusion conversion with the chickpea flour and, of course, critical in your conversion of the recipe into a gluten-free version. 🙂 Chorizo would definitely make it a spicy dish.
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That’s interesting Maria, I researched cornflour and found it to be finely ground cornmeal. It’s a thickener at any rate, and both cornflour and chick pea flour worked well.
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I actually corresponded with Sissi about the term as wiki has 2 possible explanations of the term ‘corn flour’, one being cornstarch and the other being cornmeal, and I was interested in getting it clarified. She said it was cornstarch and changed the recipe to reflect the 2 tbsp she used. Cornstarch is a thickener as well, of course, so whatever works for you. 🙂
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Hmm, I guess I should have done that! The cornmeal worked out well, but next time I’ll us corn starch! Thanks Maria
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Eva, I’m so sorry… You know, I have started to learn British English (difficult to say now that I write in a kind of mixture of AmE, BrE and totally not English expressions 😉 ) and in British books and blogs cornflour=cornstarch. Even though now I read more North American blogs, it must have stayed in my memory forever.
Thanks to A_Boleyn’s comment (thank you again for this clever observation!), I have modified my ingredients list putting “cornstarch” instead of “cornflour”, but I have probably done it too late for you. I haven’t even noticed you have used cornmeal… I’m really sorry 😦
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No worries, Sissi, the corn flour (very fine cornmeal) proved to be a great thickener! It all worked out!
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Eva, thank you so much for so many kind words and compliments! I am extremely flattered and proud that you have trusted my enthusiasm concerning this simple looking dish. Thank you for the link!
I am happy you both liked it and must say your gorgeous pancake looks much better than mine! It is higher and full of amazing colours (not to mention the fact that it’s perfectly fried and not burnt anywhere…). I love your addition of chorizo too. I must try it one day and something tells me chorizo goes well with many other Korean dishes too.
I have also appreciated this refreshing sauce a lot and will certainly copy your ginger twist. It must have been even more refreshing this way.
I have never used chickpea flour, but in case I have it one day I already know it can be substituted here. Thanks for the tip.
Your post has put me in such a wonderful mood for the weekend! Thank you!
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How sweet of you to say, Sissi. It was my pleasure.
We both absolutely LOVED your dish and will make it again, perhaps even with the chick pea flour to cut down on the carbs. The sauce was amazing and I will keep it in mind for other Asian dishes.
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This is such a colourful dish and I think a perfect dish for the hot conditions you are having right now. I haven’t heard of anything like this before and I’m not very familiar with Korean cuisine but I love the ingredient list and I think the flavours would be wonderful xx
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Thanks Charlie. It was a nice change to our ordinary dinner repertoire.
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A perfect slice of a beautiful recipe my friend 😀
I love the flavours in it!
I’m glad you worked on it even though the first time did not result!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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The flavours of the first version were there, it’s just that it broke in half so it wasn’t good for a photo. I’ll make both versions in the future.
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These chickpea pancakes look healthy! I love things loaded with veggies!
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Me too, Angie. It was tasty and filling a lovely combo for a light summer meal.
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This looks really interesting, Eva (and tasty).
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Thanks Sharyn
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