Spicy Korean Seafood Pancake (짜릿한 해물파전)

Korean Seafood Pancake 4

Korean Seafood Pancake 1

해물파전, literally seafood (해물) & spring onion (파) pancake (전), is one of the most common snacks found at street side stalls and in markets in Korea. As one of the favourite snacks of the Koreans, I’ve watched these pancakes appear many times in variety and drama shows. They always looked huge and delicious with the spread of ingredients embedded in the cooked batter.

I finally had a taste of this pancake in a local Korean restaurant (run by a Korean), which was quite tasty and which looked authentic. Here is my attempt to recreate the taste of the Korean snack, but with an added spiciness to suit our peppery taste buds.

Ingredients (Pancake):

  • Prawn: 500g (1.5 cups), sliced into chunks
  • Scallop: 500g (1.5 cups), sliced into chunks
  • Mussel: 500g (1.5 cups), sliced into chunks
  • Hot water: 4 cups
  • Korean pancake mix (부침가루): 3 cups
  • Glutinous rice flour: 3/4 cups
  • Rice wine: 4 tbsp
  • Egg: 6
  • Spring onion: 12 stalks, sliced to 2″ lengths
  • Oil: 2 tsp per pancake
  • Chilli padi: 9, sliced

Ingredients (Dipping Sauce):

  • Light soy sauce: 3 tbsp
  • White vinegar: 2 tbsp
  • Sugar: 1/2 tsp
  • Chilli flakes: 1/2 tsp
  • Sesame seeds: 1/3 tsp

Method:

  1. Blanch prawns, scallops and mussels in hot water for a few seconds each. Set aside both the seafood and its stock.
  2. Mix the pancake mix and glutinous rice flour with 3 cups of the reserved stock and rice wine.
  3. Stir in eggs and mix till batter becomes runny. Add in more stock if necessary.
  4. Stir in spring onions and mix evenly.
  5. Heat oil in 9″ shallow pan. Spread 1 ladle of batter mixture in pan thinly and evenly.
  6. Scatter seafood chunks and chilli on top of batter. Fry on very low heat for 3-4 min till light brown.
  7. Flip pancake to the other side and leave to fry on low heat for another 3-4 min till light brown.
  8. In the meantime, mix together soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chilli flakes and sesame seeds to make the dipping sauce.
  9. Serve pancakes with sauce once they are ready.

Korean Seafood Pancake 2

Korean Seafood Pancake

Tricks:

  • I used a pot lid to cover and press down on the pancakes so that they would cook faster and more evenly.
  • To make your pancakes look more impressive, use whole pieces instead of chunks of seafood for topping the pancake batter. Add in more of them too. I realised that some of mine looked a bit too barren (that was the last piece that I cooked)… times are hard I guess… 😆
  • Try adding other types of vegetables into the batter – chives, garlic flower, even kimchi. They help to bring out the taste and fragrance of the pancakes even more.

Disclaimer:

  • Some recipes that I’ve found online added beaten eggs separately onto the batter only after frying the batter for 1 min. I find that the pancakes are not as soft and fluffy when done in this manner, compared to how it’s been done here.
  • Tastes so much like local fried carrot cakes…

Serving:
9 big round pieces

Fiery rating:
👿 👿 👿 👿

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