These Impossibly Crispy Kimchi Pancakes Are Surprisingly Easy to Make (2024)

FAQs

Why is my kimchi pancake not crispy? ›

But all too often, cooks end up with a soggy kimchijeon rather than the crispy version you know and love. The main reason? Not using enough oil. To get the right amount of oil in the pan, think of this cooking process as a kind of deep fry rather than a saute.

I tend to serve this Kimchi Pancake as a snack, but you could easily turn it into a meal. Serve with some quick banchan like Spicy Bean Sprouts and Lemon Zucchini for a satisfying, Korean inspired dinner.

The longer the Kimchi ferments, the more salty and sour it gets, the Kimchi will also get less crunchy as time goes by. The best part about Kimchi is that it is a natural preservation method, so you get to enjoy it for a long time at anytime!

Batter consistency: if the batter is too thick, it might not spread thinly enough in the pan, resulting in a thicker pancake that is less likely to crisp up. Cooking oil: insufficient oil in the pan can hinder the pancake from achieving the desired crispiness.

Along with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, kimchi contains natural probiotic bacteria. If you eat them regularly, the probiotics in fermented foods can be beneficial to your gut microbiome. Studies suggest that eating kimchi on a daily basis could help to improve some digestive problems.

Kimchi Pancake actually freezes well, so you can simply make a big batch in advance and you can reheat it in the oven until crispy or in the pan with a little bit of water for steam until it has crisped up again.

Even if it's refrigerated, mold can still grow on kimchi that's been kept for too long. Throw out your kimchi immediately if you see any blue, black, white, or green masses starting to form on the kimchi itself or on the jar. The kimchi will taste a lot more sour if it's gone bad.

Making Korean pancakes is easy to do at home, so it's definitely one you should try and let me know how you get on. I have used the following ingredients: 2 cups of white plain flour(300g) or 2 cups of Korean pancake mix. 2 cups of water (450-490ml)

Kimchi spoilage and over-fermentation

It will continue to ferment at a cool temperature. If kimchi over-ferments, it will have a very vinegary odor and taste. It is not pleasant to eat raw, so it is often used for soups and stews. If any fermentation gets soft and slimy, then it is a sign of spoilage.

Is kimchi supposed to be crunchy? ›

“Kimchi is usually crunchy but depending on the vegetable it could be otherwise. But it'll still be flavorful from all the ginger, garlic and scallions, salty from the fish sauce, and tangy from the sugar that turns into lactic acid in the process,” Yamash*ta says. “Kimchi gets more and more tangy as it ferments.”

My pancakes are soggy

You may have undercooked them or not used enough fat to cook them properly. Alternatively, the batter may be of the correct consistency but you may have used too much of it for each pancake. Batter which is too thick can also make the pancake difficult to roll or fold.

If you stir your pancake batter too much, the gas bubbles that your acid and base just produced will be released. Over stirring causes tough, rubbery pancakes.