Jeon are Korean pancakes filled with various ingredients such as seafood, meat, and kimchi. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and often served with a vinegar, soy sauce, and chili pepper sauce. Jeon is a staple at Korean dinner tables and served during ceremonies.
Jeon are Korean pancakes that can be filled with any number of foods and ingredients. Seafood, beef and poultry are all popular choices. Korean pancakes differ from their American counterparts. They are soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and most often filled with kimchi. Made from fermented cabbage, cucumber, or radish, kimchi is then chopped and marinated in a concoction that can sometimes include garlic, ginger, and chili peppers.
The meat, seafood and kimchi are mixed in a batter of flour and egg and then fried in a pan coated in oil. Often cooks will omit the meat and simply use squash, ground green beans, or lotus root to create a crispy veggie pancake. The jeons are then briefly dipped in a sauce made from vinegar, soy sauce, and chili peppers for added flavor. A common type of jeon is hwajeon, a sweet pancake filled with rice and flower petals such as chrysanthemums and azaleas. Another popular type of jeon is pajeon, which is made from green onions.
Preparation and cooking times vary according to the jeon. A simple jeon made with kimchi will obviously be a little quicker than one made with meat. Kimchi pancake is simple to make and can be delivered from pan to table in minutes.
Eggs, flour, kimchi and water are mixed together until the consistency is uniform and then allowed to sit for a few minutes before cooking. The mixture is poured into a pan and fried on both sides until crispy and brown. Small amounts of oil can be added while cooking to keep the pancake from sticking to the sides and bottom of the pan.
When beef, fish, or poultry fritters are made, the meat is first cooked, then cut into thin strips. The strips of meat are added to the mix of kimchi, egg and flour. The batter is then poured into the pan and fried. One of the keys to making jeon with meat is making sure the strips of meat are thin enough that they don’t stick out from the batter.
Korean dishes can vary by province, but side dishes, or banchan, including jeon, are usually a staple at dinner tables throughout the region. Jeon is served during Korean ceremonies such as Jesa. This ceremony serves as a tribute to the diners’ deceased ancestors. Korean cuisine dates back thousands of years, and side dishes such as jeon were also consumed by members of the Korean royal court during the Joseon Dynasty, which lasted from 1392 to 1897. The dish is also a popular finger food to eat with alcohol.
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