South Korea: Pajeon

Every once in a while, a food discovery comes along that changes your life. For example, some of mine are:

• When I found out avocado was good for so much more than guacamole. 
• When my college boyfriend took me out for Chinese food and we ordered hot and sour soup.
• When I made homemade salad dressing and immediately regretted all the years I'd spent buying the bottled stuff.
• When my sister told me about this recipe for Pajeon, or Korean Pancakes, on David Lebovitz's blog. 

Okay, so maybe I'm being a bit dramatic. But seriously, this is very good. It's typically made with green onions, but you can use whatever you have on hand. My sister's made it with broccoli and cabbage, and I intend to make it with shrimp. With so few ingredients, and so many possibilities, this will definitely become my new go-to for a quick dinner.

Ingredients:
.5 cup flour
.5 cup cold water
.5 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
5-7 scallions, cut into 2 inch pieces (don't use the white parts)
Oil for frying
Soy sauce
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil

Step 1: Mix together water and flour.
Step 2: In a thick 9 inch pan, cook scallions in oil until soft, but not browned. Add a splash of soy sauce.
Step 3: Pour flour/water mixture over the scallions and spread as evenly as possible in the pan.
Step 4: Cook until the bottom of the pancake is browned (4-5 minutes over medium heat).
Step 5: Pour the beaten egg over the top of the pancake, and tilt the pan to distribute it evenly over the top.
Step 6: Flip the pancake and cook until egg is crispy.

For the dipping sauce:
Mix together 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar, and a few drops sesame oil.