These vegan kimchi pancakes are made with a rice flour batter and spicy kimchi, pan-fried to crispy perfection.
I'm not done with kimchi just yet. I bought a couple of jars and once I got rolling with yesterday's post, there was no stopping me.
I'm not sure how familiar you guys are with this dish. My husband apparently wasn't at all. He's learned to trust me when I tell him I'm working on something that in the kitchen that sounds a bit odd, but when I told him I was planning on making some kimchi pancakes the other day, he looked at me like I was nuts. It took me a minute to realize he was expecting me to bust out a bottle of maple syrup. I guess that would be a little over the top, even for me.
So, needless to say at this point, these are savory pancakes. Think scallion pancakes, but a bit spongier, thanks to rice flour, and of course sour and spicy, thanks to the kimchi. They're also a little heavier than dishes I'm used to making, and by heavier, I mean containing more oil. Having said that, they were kind of amazing and totally worth it.
You could eat these as an appetizer, alongside some greens and pan-fried tofu as a meal, or as a snack. Yes, you could eat them for breakfast, and I plan on doing so at some point. They're fantastic right out of the pan. If you leave them sitting out for a while thought, they'll get a bit soggy, which is oddly delicious if they're cold, as in refrigerator cold (why, I don't know, but I gobbled the chilled leftovers), and not so good if they've been hanging out at room temperature. If you do leave them sitting on the counter for a while, heat up non-stick skillet and throw them in for a few minutes on each side - they'll crisp back up nicely. You can also serve them with a dipping sauce, or even just soy, but I preferred mine plain.
Vegan Kimchi Pancakes
These vegan kimchi pancakes are made with a rice flour batter and spicy kimchi, pan-fried to crispy perfection.
Ingredients
-
½
cup
rice flour
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- scant ¾ cup water approximate
- 1 cup kimchi thinly sliced, juice reserved
- about 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1-2 scallions chopped (optional)
- 1-2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds optional
Instructions
-
In medium mixing bowl, stir together rice flour, all purpose flour and salt.
-
Add enough water to kimchi juice so that you have ¾ cup total liquid.
-
Add liquid to dry ingredients. Stir until completely blended. Add kimchi and stir again until blended.
-
Coat skillet generously with oil and place over medium-high heat. Working in batches if needed, drop ¼ cupfulls of batter onto skillet. You should get about 4 pancakes, each about 4 inches in diameter. Spread the batter out a bit if needed. Add additional oil to skillet between batches to keep it well oiled.
-
Cook pancakes 3 minutes, until lightly browned on bottoms. Gently flip and cook another 3 minutes on other sides.
-
Sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds, if using. Serve.
OMGoodness, YUM! Two kimchi recipes in a row! These look so good, I wish I could take a bite out of my computer screen right now. LOL! I have to make this recipe. : )
Haha, yup! I'm on a little bit of a kick, so there may even be more on the way!
You know, I've never bought kimchi before. I really want to, but I keep worrying it won't be vegetarian so then I freak out and put it back. But these look super good! I love to make Japanese cabbage pancakes (okonomiyaki), so I imagine kimchi pancakes would be similar but even better due to the fermented flavour. Gotta get over my kimchi phobia and just buy a jar already!
I've been through that too! Now I mostly make my own, but I'm fortunate to have some stores nearby that carry veggie friendly kimchi as well. If you can get some kimchi that you're sure is vegetarian you should definitely give these a try. :)
We bought vegan kimchi in vegan refrigerated area of Target. It’s delicious
Oh nice! I didn't know they carried it. Thanks for the tip!
I have loved these ever since I was a child! My best friends mom use to make these when I would spend the night and we had them for breakfast! I've always loved Korean foods and that is still true today! Now my kids and husband love them too :). I reacently went vegan and normally I make these my way, but I wanted to see if there was anyone out there doing it differently. Thanks to the internet lol, I stumbled across your recipe. I am about to try making your version and thanks in advance because I know they'll be delicious!
I'm glad you found it! Korean food is one of my favorites too! I hope you enjoy them. :)
These were GREAT except they didn't cook all the way through. The flour in the middle was not so great. I would def cook on medium-low next time instead of medium-high.
I ate these with the toasted sesame seeds and green onions, but also with avocado, coconut aminos, and pan-fried tofu. SO GOOD.
Glad you liked them! And yes, you can definitely adjust the heat level as needed. Every cooktop is a bit different. :)