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Jeon, also known as Korean pancakes, represents a number of pancake-like dishes in Korean cuisine that are often served as appetizers, side dishes, or consumed as snacks. Although jeon are typically prepared in savory versions, there are also some sweet varieties of these flavorful pancakes.
At their simplest, it is food that is first coated in flour and eggs, then pan-fried in oil. Jeon incorporates ingredients such as thinly sliced meat, poultry, seafood, and various vegetables. The pancakes are traditionally prepared every year during the Korean Lunar New Year and Korean Harvest Festival, although they are eaten daily throughout the year.
VARIATIONS OF Jeon
MOST ICONIC Jeon
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Gamjajeon is a type of Korean pancake prepared with grated or puréed potatoes, while some varieties may include scallions, chives, carrots, or onions. The pancakes are usually small and round and should be pan-fried until perfectly crispy on the outside.
They make for an excellent snack, side dish, or an appetizer, as well as a light main course. Gamjajeon are usually served with choganjang dipping sauce that combines soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and water, or optionally gochujang chili paste, chili flakes, and sesame seeds.
Hotteok is a popular Korean pancake that is usually filled with cinnamon, brown sugar, and nuts such as peanuts and walnuts. It is commonly sold as street food at numerous Korean street stands, especially when the weather is cold. The pancakes can be either thick or thin, and are characterized by their crispy exterior and tender, chewy interior.
It is believed that hotteok was invented in the late 19th century when Chinese merchants followed their country's soldiers to Korea. Many of them decided to stay in Korea, making Chinese versions of pancakes with savory fillings. However, the Koreans preferred the sweet fillings over the savory ones, and the Chinese then adapted the pancakes according to the Koreans' wishes, thus inventing hotteok.
MOST ICONIC Hotteok
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Pajeon is a variety of jeon (Korean pancakes), made with a batter of rice flour, eggs, and green onions (pa), the key ingredient in this dish, hence the name. It is a popular snack or an appetizer that is usually served with rice and a combination of soy sauce and vinegar, used as a dipping sauce.
There are endless variations of the dish prepared by adding other ingredients to it, such as vegetables, kimchi, or seafood. The pancakes, which are easily recognizable by the green onions sticking out from all sides, can either be cooked as small discs or one large pancake that is then cut into individual portions.
MOST ICONIC Pajeon
View moreIn its simplest form, this South Korean pancake incorporates sliced kimchi, preferably ripe version, with a simple flour batter. The dish belongs to a wide group of jeon—savory Korean pancakes—and it is easily adapted with various ingredients such as chili paste (gochujang), ground meat, or other vegetables.
The pancakes are occasionally served with a dipping sauce on the side and may come sprinkled with sesame seeds. They are usually enjoyed as a quick, filling snack or an appetizer, but they can also be served as a main course or a side dish.
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Bindaetteok is a savory mung bean pancake which first appeared in a cookbook in the 1670s under the name binjatteok. Originally, it was topped with savory chunks of pork and was mainly enjoyed by the rich, while the plain varieties were reserved for the lower social classes.
Next to ground mung beans, modern-day bindaetteok usually employs a wide variety of other ingredients such as cabbage kimchi, sprouts, onions, glutinous rice, or ground pork. Fried in shallow oil, bindaetteok is best eaten fresh when it is still crispy on the exterior.
MOST ICONIC Bindaetteok
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Hwajeon is a unique South Korean rice pancake topped with edible flowers. It is traditionally prepared in spring with either Korean azaleas, pear blossoms, rose petals, or wild chrysanthemums. It is believed that hwajeon has origins in the Koryo Dynasty, when it was consumed at a traditional picnic called Hwajeon Nori.
The women used to make hwajeon and socialize, dance, or write poetry at the picnic. The name of this sweet dish means flower cake in Sino-Korean, and along with being a flavorful treat, hwajeon can also be considered a true work of art.
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