Korean leeks pancakes (Buchu buchingae)

Crispy at the edge, soft and light in the middle, these savory Korean leeks pancakes will leave you asking for more.

What I like about eating at the Korean restaurant is that they will literally bombard you with so many side dishes to go with your meal. The side dishes come in little dish and there were probably 7-10 different items presented. I really don’t mind this bombardment to be honest. I think I get full just eating all the side dishes, which btw, you can ask to refill without charge (at least at the Korean House restaurant we ate at). Korean leek pancakes or buchu buchingae is one of my favorite side dishes.

Korean leeks look like a bundle of long grasses but have a bit of chive flavor. It can be found in the produce section of Korean groceries. If you can’t find one, don’t sweat it, you can use the chinese chives as well, or even the regular leeks. I really enjoy this pancake served with seasoned soy sauce (yangnyeom ganjang).

Recipe is adapted from Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee’s

KOREAN LEEK PANCAKES/ BUCHU BUCHINGAE

Servings 8 -10 pancakes

5 from 2 reviews

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Ingredients

  

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• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup rice flour
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups cold water plus more as needed
• 2 bundles Korean leeks cut into 2-inch lengths
• ½ red bell pepper or any color you like julienned
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground white pepper
• Vegetable oil for pan frying

Seasoned soy sauce (1/2 cup):

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 green onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp Korean chili powder
• 1/1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

Prepare the sauce:

• Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for 1 week.

Prepare the batter:

• Combine the flour, rice flour, egg, and water in mixing bowl. The consistency should be that of thin pancake batter
• Add the leeks, red pepper, salt, and pepper and combine
• Heat about 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. With a ladle, spoon about a cup of the batter into the pan and spread it thin and wide into a large circle about 8 inches in diameter. Cook until the edges get slightly brown and the center starts becoming slightly translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes. Place the cooked pancake on a cutting board
• Repeat until all of the batter is used, stacking the pancakes on top of each other. Carefully cut the pancakes into wedges or other manageable pieces and serve immediately with seasoned soy sauce for dipping

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