Korean Chive Pancake is a savory pancake made with chives. It’s easy to make and is perfect as an appetizer, snack, or side dish!
This Chive Pancake or Buchu Jeon recipe is inspired by a restaurant I tried out in LA called Jinsol Gukbap and it was mad fire!
When I tasted it, I knew it had a few subtle ingredients that made it super tasty. I wanted to recreate this so that my family and my followers could also taste it. It was a random moment of inspiration and I free-styled making it along the way, but it turned out so good!
Savory pancakes are very common in Korean cuisine, whether it be kimchi pancakes, potato pancakes, or vegetable pancakes. Usually with simple ingredients and seasoning and a lot of patience, they turn into tasty crispy bits that may just become your go-to snack or Korean BBQ appetizer!
What is Buchu or Chives?
Chives look very similar to scallions, but it is darker green, flatter, and taste more in the garlic family.
For this recipe, we’ll be using Korean chives which are also very similar to Chinese chives, however, the Korean variant tends to be thinner and more tender than the latter.
It can all be very confusing, but it helps to ask when you buy from Hmart or you can also easily grow these in your backyard. They should be brightly colored and not wilted when you buy them.
Other recipes you can make with chives are buchu kimchi or mandu.
How to make Korean Chives Pancake?
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Secret Ingredient
For this recipe, the main ingredients are chives and squid. Prepare the chives by removing the roots and chopping them into 3-inch pieces.
On the other hand, it may be surprising, but the squid will be our little secret ingredient. When buying squid, you can get the frozen kind. They are usually already cleaned out so it wouldn’t be much of a hassle preparing them. Remove the middle part of the eyes and use the head and tentacles in the recipe.
Mince them really small to the point that no one will notice it’s there. It’s important to do this because squid tends to be chewy, so bite size will keep it from obstructing when you’re about to chop or eat the pancake.
Pancake Batter
For the batter, I’ve seen several recipes that use the ready-made Korean pancake mix. But actually, the batter is super easy to make from scratch. We’ll be using…
- Flour. This is the main base of the pancake.
- Potato Starch. While it is possible to use only flour, I also add a little bit of potato starch to make the pancake super crispy. You can substitute this with cornstarch if potato starch is not available.
- Salt, Pepper, and Garlic. The seasoning for this is very simple. When you plan to dip the pancake in soy sauce, use less seasoning. If you will not be using a dipping sauce then season it more. This should be enough to bring out the taste of all the elements in your buchu jeon.
- Half a beaten egg. This will become a binder for the pancake. We are not putting a whole egg because this is still moisture that will prevent the pancake from crisping up.
- Water. We’ll be using a 1:1 ratio for the water and flour, but gradually add it until the right consistency is reached.
When all of these are mixed together, it should be a little loose. Gently mix in the chives and squid in the batter to keep from bruising and just enough to coat everything.
Making Crispy Chives Pancake
When frying, there are several things you can do to ensure the pancake turns out super crispy.
- Make sure the pan is hot enough once you place the mixture in. This will allow it to set quickly. Don’t move the pancake until it’s ready, it should separate from the pan on its own.
- When placing the mixture in the pan, flatten it out evenly so it crisps up better. Avoid holes in the pancake as well.
- The basic time to follow in cooking the pancake is:
- 1 minute on high heat for both sides
- 1 minute on medium heat for both sides
- Check if it still needs more time. If so, do 1 minute in low heat for both sides. Continue patting down with a spatula to make it crispier!
- When there’s white smoke coming from the pancake, it’s a sign that it’s browning at the bottom, make sure to flip it.
- Add oil on the edges after flipping so it crisps up better.
If you’re not comfortable flipping by tossing, use a spatula for assistance. Scoop the pancake, and then lift the pan and in that motion tip the pancake upward to flip. Use a nonstick pan so it’s easier to do all these.
Buchu Jeon Sauce
Serve the pancake right out of the pan so it’s hot and crispy. You can have it with a dipping sauce made with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, pepper flakes, and sesame seeds.
You can also dip in the sauces I made in Eggplant with Spicy Sauce or Soy Marinated Onions. Rip it up with chopsticks or use a pizza cutter and cut in triangles or squares, and enjoy!
Other Korean appetizers you may like:
Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!
Korean Chives Pancake (Buchu Jeon)
Equipment
- Nonstick Pan
Ingredients
- 100 grams Chives
- 50 grams Squid
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp Potato Starch
- Salt and Pepper To taste
- 1/2 tbsp Garlic
- 1/2 of Beaten Egg
- 1/2 cup Water
- Vegetable or Canola Oil For frying
Instructions
- Wash the chives, cut out the root, and slice them into 3-inch pieces. Set aside.
- To prepare the squid, remove the eyes and mince the head and the tentacles. Set aside.
- To make the batter combine flour, potato starch, salt, pepper, garlic, and egg.
- Gradually add the water while mixing until right consistency is reached. It should be a little loose.
- Mix in the chives and the squid gently until every piece is covered with the batter.
- High heat, using a big nonstick pan, put in oil. Once it’s super hot, place your pancake mixture, shaping it to the edges, avoiding holes, as thin as possible.
- Before flipping, try to move the pan in a circular motion to see if the pancake has set and separated itself from the pan.
- Cook for 1 minute on high heat for both sides, then 1 minute on medium heat for both sides and as needed 1 minute on low heat for both sides. Oiling the edges in between.
- Continue to cook as needed or as crispy as you like. Do watch out for white smoke as it's a sign of burning, flip as needed.
- Serve hot, crispy, and with a dipping sauce. Enjoy!
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