KimChi Pancakes

One of the very best things about living in Los Angeles is the abundance of Korean All You Can Eat BBQ's. It's the best deal in town and how can you possibly say no to a never ending supply of bulgogi? At my favorite place, which I will fail to mention in fear of it blowing up like whoa, they have accoutrements such as kimchi fried rice, tofu soup, tempeh, and potato salad in addition to rice papers, daikon, and lettuce with a soy dressing to wrap your meat in. But the star of the side dishes is the kimchi pancake. Thin and flavorful without being overpowering, the pancake warms up on the grill and gets crispy on the outside but stays moist on the inside. I attempted to make my own at home with a recipe found on The New York Times. The recipe turned out great and definitely one to hang on to when I'm craving Korean.

KimChi Pancakes

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1 egg

2 scallions, cut into 1 1/2-inch-long pieces

1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, sliced thinly

1 1/2 tablespoons Korean red pepper powder or 1/2 tablespoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup prepared cabbage kimchi, cut in 3-inch-long pieces

2 tablespoons kimchi juice

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, potato starch and egg until smooth. Add scallions, garlic, red pepper powder, salt, kimchi and its juice. Mix well. Batter will be pale pink.
2. Place an 8- or 9-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. When oil is hot, pour in one-third of the pancake batter. Fry until golden and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Lift pancake with a spatula, add 1 tablespoon oil to pan and swirl it. Flip pancake and fry other side until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip again, without adding oil, and fry for 1 minute. Flip one more time and fry 1 to 2 minutes. Pancake should be dark gold.
3. Repeat with remaining batter and oil, making 3 pancakes. Remove to a large round plate and cut each pancake into 6 wedges. Serve with dipping sauce.
Yield: 3 pancakes.