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Jeon is a savory, fried pancake (fritter) in Korean cuisine that can consist of various ingredients. Carol Pak, founder and CEO of Màkku, shows us the three different ways her family makes them. Màkku is an unfiltered rice beer based on Korea’s oldest alcoholic beverage made with rice: makgeolli. Makgeolli is always on the Chuseok table, and jeon is makgeolli's most popular food pairing.
Jeon base:
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (potato starch also works)
- ¾ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
Kimchi jeon:
- 1 cup of thinly sliced, fully-fermented kimchi (plus 2 tablespoons of brine)
- 3 scallions, cut 1 inch long
Vegetable jeon:
- ½ of a zucchini, julienned
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- 1 small potato, julienned
- ½ of a small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 scallions, cut 1 inch long
- ½ of a hot pepper, seeded and sliced
Shrimp jeon:
- 1 cup of peeled, deveined, and chopped shrimp
- 5 scallions, cut 2 inches long
- 2 hot peppers, seeded and sliced
Dipping sauce (optional):
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of water
- 1 teaspoon of rice or white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- Add all the dry base ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix well.
- Slowly add in the water and mix.
- For your desired jeon, add in additional ingredients and mix until evenly coated. Batter should be runny (a little thinner than pancake batter) and fall from the spoon.
- Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add a generous amount of cooking oil. Add a thin layer of batter, spreading it out evenly. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side until light golden brown and crispy. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
- Serve with dipping sauce and makgeolli!
Photos by Jason LeCras
