Zucchini Flower Pajeon
Hetty Lui McKinnon
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Makes
4 x 12cm or 2 x 20cm pancakesIngredients
150g (1 cup) plain or gluten-free plain flour | |
2 tablespoons potato starch or rice flour | |
1 teaspoon sea salt | |
½ teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, grated | |
2 teaspoons doenjang or white (shiro) miso | |
250ml (1 cup) ice-cold water | |
12–16 zucchini flowers, stamen/pistils and stems removed | |
neutral oil | |
DIPPING SAUCE | |
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari | |
1 tablespoon rice vinegar | |
1 tablespoon maple syrup | |
2 teaspoons roasted sesame oil | |
1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds |
Pajeon are savoury Korean pancakes. This recipe is based upon one shared with me by New York-based artist and author Erin Jang in my book Family. The wonder of pajeon is that they are endlessly adaptable – when Erin first made them for me, hers comprised artfully arranged carrot, capsicum and zucchini, the vegetables swathed in a light, fragrant batter. Sharing this meal with Erin and her family was a special moment for me and, to this day, I always think of them when I devour these light, crispy pancakes. I love the celestial beauty of zucchini flowers in pajeon – while mellow in flavour, they provide a lovely silkiness. If you don’t have the flowers, I also use finely sliced discs of zucchini (but basically any vegetables that are fast to cook will work). There are generally two ways of making pajeon – you can add the vegetables to the pan first, lightly pan-frying before spooning the batter over, or you can mix the vegetables straight into the batter before frying (like I have instructed below). The latter is the slightly easier option, so it really depends on how you want your finished pajeon to look.
Instructions
1. | To make the dipping sauce, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. |
2. | In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, potato starch or rice flour and sea salt. |
3. | In another bowl, whisk together the garlic powder or garlic, doenjang or miso and cold water. |
4. | Combine the wet and dry ingredients and whisk until smooth and lump-free. |
5. | The mixture should be thick, but just pourable. If it looks too thick or stiff, add another 1–2 tablespoons of cold water. |
6. | Add the zucchini flowers to the batter and gently fold them through. Don’t overmix – the flowers don’t need to be completely coated in the batter. |
7. | Heat a frying pan over medium–high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. |
8. | Add one-quarter of the batter for small pancakes or half of the batter for larger pancakes. |
9. | Cook for 2 minutes, until golden underneath, then flip over. |
10. | Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes. |
11. | Uncover and cook for an additional 1–2 minutes, using a spatula to press the pancake into the pan, until golden and crispy. |
12. | Repeat with the remaining batter (make sure you increase the heat to medium–high before cooking more pancakes). |
13. | Slice into squares or wedges and serve immediately, with the dipping sauce on the side. |
This is an edited extract
from Tenderheart
by Hetty Lui McKinnon,
Macmillan Publishers,
RRP $69.99. Food
photography by Hetty
Lui McKinnon, author
photo by Shirley Cai.