Kimchi Bindaetteok,Kimchi Jeon ( Kimchi pancake)

Main ingredients

Mixed main ingredients

Pancake batter

On the hot oiled pan

Cooked, crispy pan-cake

On the serving dish with sauce

Kimchi Pan-cake is one of my Korean comfort food, this dish were originated by accident using well fermented old kimchi as a side dish ( banchan)  as getting use of old kimchi but it became much popular dish , I love with drinks or just a light snack. Specially with Korean rice wine ( makguli) can be a perfect match.
This is a very clever way to use left over or too fermented  spicy cabbage  kimchi.

This recipe needs  fermented kimchi, not newly made kimchi because when kimchi is fermented gives special taste, not only sour but more complex taste with depth.
If you have Korean ready made ( bought from shop)kimchi, leave in the fridge for 3-5 days to get mature and slowly ferment.
This is very important, if you use newly made kimchi for the pan cake, it does not give any special tangy , deep taste, just spicy, garlicky cabbage pan cake.

Ingredient: well fermented cabbage kimchi, 1/4 of whole cabbage . 100g of minced lean pork, 3tbsp thinly cut spring onion ,
1 tsp grated garlic. 4 cups of mung bean flour  or strong flour and rice flour. 2tsp Korean chilli flake , 2-3 chopped green chiili (not bird eye chilli, prefer long Turkish green chilli)
Rape seed oil or any vegetable oil for frying.

Dipping sauce: 3 tbsp dark soy, 1tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar, 2tsp sugar, 1tbsp chopped spring onion, 1tsp Korean chilli flake or chopped red chilli.

If you have mung bean flour you can use, can be substitute with 2/3 strong bread flour mix with 1/3 rice flour.
Open the kimchi and get rid of all the stuffing and cut very thinly , add minced pork, spring onion, garlic and mix well.
Add flour to the mix and pour water little by little , make thick pancake mixture, add chilli flake and green chilli, mix well season with salt( taste first), Leave in the fridge 30 minutes.

Heat small non stick frying pan with oil, when oil is hot pour a ladle of pancake mixture, spread out with spoon, when oil is sizzle reduce heat slightly leave until brown and crisp and cooked, turn over
add more oil and cook .

It is important do not turn over until bottom part is nicely light brown and cooked.

Make dipping sauce: mix all ingredients in the bowl and taste, you can add more vinegar if you like but not too much.

Cut pan cake 1.5cm square, serve with dipping sauce.


Hint: use mung flour batter is traditional , original recipe, but mung flour is not widely available, I often make with strong flour.
Made kimchi pancake with mung bean flour batter mix is called  kimchi bindaetteok.