Green Onion Pancakes, and the story of a blue frog

Once upon a time there lived a young frog boy named "Blue".
They called him "Blue" because he was a very unusual blue frog.
Blue lived with his mother in a small cottage near a little stream deep in the mountain of South Korea.
His mother loved him very much and did the best she could to teach him, so that he could grow up to be well mannered and respectful. But alas! Blue was not the most obedient boy you can imagine. In fact he was quite rebellious and often showed the contrary behaviors.

Bindaetteok - Savory Mung Bean Pancakes

 

I am very excited to present a special recipe today.

A while ago I was contacted by "Kimchi Chronicles", the sentational PBS series on Korean food. 

Marja Vongerichten, the wife of famous chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, shared true beauties of not only many Korean delicacies but the cultures that follows. I have been a big fan of the show and enjoyed many episodes.

It is my honor to be as their first guest blogger to present a post.

So here I am, presenting a wonderful savory mung bean pancakes called Bindatteok.

Hotteok, the Korean sweet pancakes

There is something about rain that makes you crave greasy sweet food.

It must be a global phenomenon thing... 

My American friends, Japanese friends, European friends, they all love to eat something sweet, something slightly greasy when there's water falling down from heaven.

It's been raining every single day here and I finally decide to make some Hotteok, the Korean sweet pancakes.

Besides I found a very special treasure the other day to make this sweet Goddess.

Cabbage Pancakes

Hello there!!!!

Have I gone too long?

I am so sorry that it took so long to be back, but boy! what a summer I had...

First of all, I traveled to Korea to visit my hometown.

Then, my family had to cross the pacific ocean again to relocate onto a tropical land in SE Asia. Where? well, I will let you know in my next post.

It always takes some time to settle into a new place no matter where you go. I finally was able to put my family onto a routine so that I can come back to blogging.

Pan Fried Rice Cakes, do you dare a devil?

I am a rice cake lover.
Yes, I know.... It is white food.
But I eat small portion and enjoy every bite of them, and go for a walk, sometimes, to remove the guilt out of my belly.

Anyway...
One of the first thing I do in the morning is to check Korean newspaper via online, usually after CNN.com or FoxNews.com
-- Good thing that I speak two languages. Although neither of them I speak perfectly...

Kimchee Shrimp Cakes, farewell my Kimchee...

Oh, no! My winter cabbage Kimchee came to an end... :(

There was only one head of Kimchee left lonely in my Kimchee container. Alas! Tears streaming down on my cheeks (just the imaginary tears)... I have to say goodbye to her.

I have enjoyed stews, pan cakes, fried rice, and patties, etc with it all through the winter. It has been a wonderful culinary journey with my fabulous Kimchee this winter.

So for my final farewell party, I made Kimchee cakes with the help of shrimp and tofu.

If you have some nasty fermented Kimchee abandoned in the back corner of your fridge, bring them out to the world. This recipe will bring the dinner in snap. It is quick and easy to make, wonderful for weeknight menu.

Let's get our hands in action! But first, allow me to wipe off my tears... Thank you.

*****

The guest lists are; Kimchee, shrimps, tofu, chives, panko crumbs, eggs, sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. 

I used 8 of 21-25 counts big shrimps. Dice them into small chunks.

Squeeze your kimchee to remove her juice. 

Chop her as fine as you can. 

Wrap the tofu tightly with the cotton cloth and squeeze him to remove his juice as well.

In a bowl combine shrimps, kimchee, tofu and some chopped chives (or green onions).

Add panko crumbs, sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt, pepper, and an egg. Then I realized...

One egg was not enough to hold the mixture together. They looked too crumbly.

So I added another egg and mixed all with hand by massaging them around. Looks just right.

You want to massage them so the tofu will get mashed and incorporated with everything.

Scoop a spoonful of mixture onto hot oiled skillet. Press gently to flatten down a bit.

I wouldn't worry about making perfect shape on these cakes. Save your worries to other things in life...

Pan fry them for 3-4 minutes on each side over medium to med-low heat, until nice and brown.

That is all to it. Quite simple and easy, right?

My sweet angel loved it.  I meant to serve them as a snack but she ate them like a dinner with some rice.

Time to say goodbye to my dear winter cabbage kimchee.

So long,

Farewell,

and

Auf Wiedersehen.

Winter has ended and the spring buds are popping everywhere.

My favorite season has arrived...

Cherry blossom festival is coming soon here in D.C.

I bet the blossoms will be in their peak in Japan as well.

My thoughts and prayers are with them.

Words can't describe their losses.

But there's always a hope blossoming somewhere,

and

I believe they will make it happen,

with their noble and strong spirit to unite...

Kimchee Shrimp Cakes

(새우 김치전, saewoo kimchee jeon)

makes about 15 patties

1/3 head (about 1/3 pound) Kimchee

8 (21-25 counts) large frozen shrimps, thawed and chopped

8 oz firm tofu, drained

1/4 cup chives or green onion finely chopped

2 large eggs

1/2 cup panko crumbs

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sesame seeds

pinch salt and pepper

some canola or grape seed oil for sauteing

Squeeze kimchee to remove its juice and moisture, chop finely, reserve about 1 cup.

Wrap tofu with a cotton cloth tightly and squeeze out to remove as much water as possible.

In a mixing bowl combine kimchee, shrimps, and tofu. Add chives, eggs, panko crumbs, sesame oil, sesame seeds and season with salt and pepper. With your hand, massage them around to mix so the tofu will get mashed and everything gets incorporated. The mixture should feel wet and sticky.

Heat about 1 Tbsp of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Scoop a spoonful of kimchee shrimp mixture on the skillet and gently press down to flatten a little bit. Saute for 3-4 minutes on each side until nice and brown.

Adjust heat so they won't burn. Drizzle more oil in the skillet if needed.

Serve hot with some rice or eat as it is.

Printable recipe

Seafood Pancakes(해물파전), the spring onions and the three amigos

 

 My friend Lily called me the other day and asked if I can post the recipe for Korean seafood pancakes. Her 17 year old son, who is fighting with a cancer, is craving for this pancakes and she would like to know how to make it. I am thrilled to introduce this dish for anyone who loves seafood and spring onions. Lily, this one is especially for you and Alex!

This is traditional Korean afternoon snacks on the rainy days. Why rainy days? I don't know exactly why but if you ask any Koreans what dish they are craving most on those rainy days, I promise you that 9 out of 10 will answer for this dish. Who could resist greasy, yummy, fried fritters? Its glorious Korean name is "Haemul Pajeon" (해물 파전,  seafood pancakes or fritters). It basically is a pancake/fritter with any type of shellfish and spring onion batter fried in oil. If you are seafood lover this dish will throw you up in the heaven. I promise!