Haemul Pajeon

Ingredients

• 5⅔ ozWheat flouror Korean pancake mix (buchimgaru)
• 1⅓ ozRice flourfor crispness; starch works too
• 1 cupWaterice-cold, for the batter
• 2Eggin the batter or drizzled over the pancake
• 10½ ozMixed seafoodshrimp, squid, mussels; cleaned, patted very dry, cut bite-size
• 5¼ ozScallioncut into 5–7 cm pieces, thick parts halved lengthwise
• 1Red chili pepperthinly sliced, as topping
• 4 tbspVegetable oilneutral, for frying; add more around the edges
• 1 tspSesame oiltoasted, for batter or seafood
• 1 tspSaltfor batter and seafood
• Black pepperto taste
• 2 tbspSoy saucemainly for the dipping sauce
• 1½ tbspRice vinegarfor the dipping sauce
• 2 tspSugarfor the dipping sauce
• 1 clovesGarlicfinely chopped, for dip or batter
• 1 tspGochugaruKorean chili flakes, for dip and batter
• 1 tspSesame seedstoasted, for the dip and for sprinkling
• 1Onionthinly sliced into the batter or diced into the dip (optional)
• 1Bell pepperred and green, thinly sliced; extra topping (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the seafood, pat it very dry, cut it into bite-size pieces and season with salt and black pepper; toss it with a little sesame oil if you like.
2. Trim the scallions and cut them into 5–7 cm lengths, halving the thick white parts lengthwise. Slice the red chili into thin rings; if you're using them, slice the onion thinly and cut the bell pepper into thin strips.
3. Combine the wheat flour (or buchimgaru), the rice flour or starch, salt, pepper, chopped garlic and gochugaru, then whisk in the ice-cold water and the egg to make a thin, smooth batter.
4. For the dip, stir together soy sauce, rice vinegar, a splash of water, sugar, sesame oil, chopped garlic, gochugaru, sesame seeds and finely sliced scallion greens, and let it sit until serving.
5. Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Spread the batter thinly in the pan in batches, lay the scallions, seafood and chili rings on top and press everything flat — or fold the toppings into the batter beforehand.
6. Drizzle beaten egg over the pancake if you like.
7. Cook the pancake for 4–5 minutes, until the underside is golden brown, then flip it, add a little more oil around the edges and cook for another 3–4 minutes. Fry the remaining batter the same way.
8. Cut the hot pancake into bite-size pieces, sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like and serve straight away with the dip.

Tips and variations

Ready-made Korean pancake mix (buchimgaru), sometimes cut with tempura flour, works just as well as wheat flour with starch and seasonings, and you can leave the egg out entirely. You can mix the toppings straight into the batter, add sliced onion and strips of bell pepper, and season the batter with onion and garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. If the soy-vinegar dip isn't your thing, serve a sweet fruity chili sauce or gochujang instead. Make either one big pancake for sharing or small individual ones per portion — and put it on the table hot, cut into pieces, right in the middle.