Anyone with any experience at all in Asian food will already be familiar with the Scallion Pancake. But it has a Korean counterpart that is almost unknown in the West. And deserves a much wider audience there. Behold the Yachaejeon!
We’ve previously opined that Korean cuisine is distinct from its Chinese and Vietnamese cousins in spite of the prox-imity of those neighbours. I’ve always thought it should, by rights, show great-er Chinese influence than it does, par-ticularly. But the Yachaejeon is a great example of how Korean food both pays homage to Chinese, but man-ages to be boldly different.
Like the Scallion version, the Yachae-jeon is extremely versatile, enjoyed with equal relish as snack, appetizer, or side dish.
Goes all-in
While the Chinese Scallion Pancake is a great classic, the Yachae-jeon pushes the envelope considerably further. In-stead of just onions, it can incorpor-ate a wide variety of veggies according to your own taste. Or, you can consider it an oppor-tunity – to use up whatever odds and ends of produce you have on hand.
Today’s example recipe uses Carrot, Zucchini, Yellow Onion and Scallions. But there’s no such thing as a bad Yachaejeon. Some are just better than others…
Secret’s in the sauce
As with many Asian dishes, the dipping sauce that accompanies Yachaejeon is the secret to the over-all flavour of the dish. It’s a simple blend of Soy sauce, white vinegar and Sesame seeds. But the sec-ret TO the sauce is a little water, added to render the bold umami blast of the Soy in balance with the rest of the ingredients.
Tips and hacks…
Sliver all the veggies in more or less equal dimensions. A mandolin slicer comes in really handy. Just cut the onion in half top-to-bottom, and slice thinly across the waist.
Recipe contributor Hyegyoung Ford puts special emphasis on the pancake batter that holds all the add-ins together: “I use all-purpose flour for structure, then lighten it with potato starch (or corn-starch in a pinch). Potato starch delivers the crispiest finish,” she explains. “A touch of baking powder helps puff the batter slightly, and ice-cold water keeps the texture light by slowing gluten develop-ment.”
Adding some finely chopped dried shrimp to the pancake will bestow a subtle but definite extra layer of umami, which Ford says, “reminds me of how some home cooks in Korea sneak in flavour.”
Use a high-temp oil for frying. Neutral or flavourless oils are best. Others can easily overpower the flavour of the pancake, itself.
My take
Here’s a fast, easy and truly satisfying dish that screams ‘snack’ to me. There’s nothing to say you can top it or roll it up with stuffing. Likewise, there’s no rule that says you can’t use meat or seafood.
I consider the Yachaejeon a natural evolution of the Scallion Pancake. And an upgrade truly worth trying!
~ Maggie J.