Korean-inspired vegetable pancakes

Name: Chickpea salad sandwich
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: 2-3
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Cooking oil

pancakes

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Difficulty

Intermediate

Cooktime

45 min

Crispy on the edges, chewy in the middle and loaded with perfectly cooked vegetables.

About this recipe

Looking for a new way to get your vegetables in? What about pancakes? These crispy, savory vegetable pancakes are one of the best ways to transform the random vegetables in your fridge into a crave-worthy meal. A light rice flour batter and Just Egg work together to create golden-brown edges and a tender interior that’s loaded with perfectly cooked vegetables. Served with a simple soy-sesame sauce, they make for a delicious healthy snack, appetizer, or easy plant-based dinner.

This recipe is inspired by Korean yachaejeon (야채전), but we’ve added Just Egg to boost the protein and binding power of the batter. You could also compare these kimchi pancakes to Japanese okonomiyaki, a savory cabbage pancake with an eggier battier and custardy center. More traditional Korean recipes for yachaejeon often include a portion of wheat flour, but in this recipe, the simple combination of rice flour and cornstarch produces perfectly crispy pancakes that have the added benefit of being gluten-free. For more vegan Korean recipes, we recommend exploring The Korean Vegan’s cookbooks and blog. And for more easy vegan meal ideas or ways to cook Just Egg, check out our cookbook page.

A few key tips:

If you have one, making these in a waffle maker is highly recommended. It’s easier, crispier and requires less oil.
Save time on all the vegetable chopping by using a mandolin slicer or food processor.
Consider doubling the recipe to serve more people.

Serves 1-2

1-2

Cooking oil

Batter

⅓ cup (120g) white rice flour
2 tablespoons (15g) cornstarch
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
50 mL (3 tablespoons) Just Egg
¼ cup water

Vegetables

½ a medium zucchini, julienned
¼ cup kimchi, drained and finely chopped
½ a small yellow onion, julienned
½ red bell pepper, julienned
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced lengthwise into thin strips (optional)
2 green onions, whites and green parts separated and halved, and all sliced into thin, 2-inch strips

Dipping sauce

sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon white or rice vinegar
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon sesame seeds

Equipment

Large knife
10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet

01 / 06

Make the dipping sauce

sauce

Whisk together the dipping sauce ingredients and set aside.

02 / 06

Cut the vegetables

vegetables

For all the vegetables you’re julienning, aim for 1.5- to 2-inch-long strips. First, cut the zucchini as directed, transfer it in a small colander, and sprinkle with ½ a teaspoon of salt. Let that sit for about 10 minutes while you cut the kimchi, yellow onion, bell pepper, jalapeño (if using) and green onions. Combine the chopped vegetables in a large bowl. Use your hands or a cheesecloth to squeeze as much moisture as you can from the salted zucchini, then add that to the bowl as well. Altogether, you should have about 2 heaping cups of vegetables.

Note: Feel free to substitute in other vegetables, like carrot, spinach, celery or mushrooms. If omitting kimchi and/or the jalapeño, increase the quantity of the other vegetables accordingly.

03 / 06

Whisk the batter

batter

Add the rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the Just Egg and water and whisk together to create a thick, pancake-like batter. Combine the batter and the vegetables and stir to coat the vegetables thoroughly.

04 / 06

Cook the pancake (skillet)

(skillet)

Heat a 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and swirl the pan to spread it out. Add the batter to the skillet and spread it out evenly. Cook the first side for about 5 minutes. Starting around the 4-minute mark, use a thin spatula to peek under the bottom to check the cooking progress. Once it’s golden-brown, loosen the pancake and swirl the pan to ensure it’s not sticking in any spots before flipping.

Carefully flip the pancake. You can use a turner spatula or slide the pancake out of the skillet onto a large plate. Layer a second plate on top of the pancake and flip everything over. Remove the top plate and slide the pancake back into the skillet. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil and pour it evenly around the edges of the pancake. Lift the pancake and tilt the skillet to help the oil distribute under the pancakes. Press down lightly on the pancake with your spatula to help compress it into shape and cook evenly. Cook for about another 5 minutes, until the second side is golden-brown and the pancake is set. Flip the pancake one more time and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes.

05 / 06

Cook the pancake (waffle maker)

maker)

Once the waffle maker is preheated, coat it with nonstick cooking spray or brush with cooking oil. Add the batter – using about half of the batter for a standard Belgian waffle maker. Use your hands or a fork to spread the vegetables out evenly in the waffle maker, tucking in any stray pieces of vegetables that are hanging over the edges. Keep in mind that the batter will expand while cooking. Cook on medium-high heat for about 6 minutes, until the amount of steam coming from the waffle maker has reduced to a small wisp.

06 / 06

Serve

Transfer the pancake onto a large serving plate or cutting board. Slice into desired shapes for serving and serve immediately, with dipping sauce. Reheat any leftovers in a toaster oven or air fryer to crisp them up again.