{"id":147219,"title":"Authentic Pajeon – Korean Scallion Pancake","modified":"2026-07-01T18:26:15+02:00","plain":"A crisp yet tender Korean pancake packed with seafood and scallions, served piping hot with a tangy soy-vinegar sauce.\n\n\n\nThe sound of rain starts in the skillet before it ever reaches the window: the oil crackles, the batter quivers, the scallions soften and release a fresh, mellow, almost sweet aroma. A good pajeon is easy to spot: long scallions laid in neat rows, held together by just enough batter to bind them. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe edges turn beautifully crisp, while the center stays tender and full of scallions. If you’re looking for close cousins, the Vietnamese b\u00e1nh x\u00e8o and Japanese okonomiyaki also combine batter and filling, but in a completely different form. In short, it’s a dish well worth discovering.\n\n\n\nAnother Korean classic, bibimbap is a complete meal in a bowl\n\n\n\nWhat is pajeon?\n\n\n\nThe name is simple. Pa means “scallion,” while jeon refers to a family of batter-coated foods that are pan-fried. In Korean cuisine, jeon preserves the identity of the main ingredient, whether it’s zucchini as in aehobak jeon, assorted vegetables as in yachaejeon, or, here, whole scallions. \n\n\n\nPajeon differs from buchimgae, where the batter takes center stage and the chopped ingredients disappear into a dense pancake. In an authentic pajeon, the scallions remain visible and intact, often jjokpa (Joseon scallions) lined up side by side in the pan.\n\n\n\nThe batter is there to bind, not to steal the show. Wheat flour provides structure, starch adds delicate crispness, and ice-cold water slows gluten development. Classic pajeon is served with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce. \n\n\n\nDongnae pajeon, from Busan, follows a different approach: richer, softer, and packed with seafood, it is served with chojang, a lively sauce made with gochujang and vinegar, similar to a bibimbap sauce.\n\n\n\nFor a warming Korean dish, try dakgalbi\n\n\n\nFrom American flour to rainy evenings\n\n\n\nThe history of pajeon is part of the broader story of jeon. At the Joseon court, these refined dishes were called jeonyuhwa, “flowers fried in oil.” Yet pajeon does not appear in any of the major culinary texts of the period: neither the Eumsik Dimibang of 1670 nor the Siuijeonseo of the late 19th century, which nonetheless includes a sparrow jeon.\n\n\n\nThe first printed mention dates to 1946, in Bang Sin-young’s Chosun Eumsik Mandeuneun Beop: wheat flour, egg, salt, scallions, cooked on an iron griddle. After the Korean War (1950-1953), American aid brought large quantities of wheat into the country. \n\n\n\nWheat, once expensive, became widely accessible, and home cooks adapted their traditional pan-frying methods. This also helps explain why flour plays such an important role in other popular dishes, such as the Korean corn dog.\n\n\n\nFor a truly hearty dish to share, gamjatang is hard to beat\n\n\n\nThe Dongnae district of Busan developed its own version in the 1930s around Dongnae Market. Rich with rice flours, seafood, and scallions, this lavish style of pajeon shares with eomuk the same roots in Busan’s seafood culture. \n\n\n\nIn Korean culture, pajeon remains closely associated with rainy days. It is often shared with makgeolli, whose gentle fizz and lactic tang balance the oil and salt. A kimchi jjigae also hits the spot on a damp evening.\n\n\n\nKey ingredients in pajeon\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJoseon scallions (jjokpa) are the foundation of the dish. Whole or halved, they are arranged in parallel to give the pajeon its structure. The batter combines wheat flour for body with potato, corn, or tapioca starch for thin, shatteringly crisp edges. Ice-cold or sparkling water slows gluten formation and keeps the texture light. Egg, if used, acts as a subtle binder.\n\n\n\nFor haemul pajeon, oysters, shrimp, squid, and mussels are added, well drained so they don’t make the pancake soggy. Red and green chilies, sliced on the bias, add color and gentle heat. Korean cuisine also loves them stuffed and fried, as in gochu twigim. \n\n\n\nMinari, crisp and herbaceous, is essential to the Dongnae version.\n\n\n\nFor something sweet, hotteoks are a Korean street-food favorite, filled with cinnamon\n\n\n\nWhen it comes to sauces, classic pajeon is served with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce. Dongnae-style pajeon prefers chojang, tangy and lightly spicy. Its batter, made with glutinous and non-glutinous rice flours, has a chaljin texture—supple and sticky—also found in gyeongdan. Anchovy and dasima broth season the batter from within, echoing the briny notes of jjamppong.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tAuthentic Pajeon - Korean Scallion Pancakes\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tSeafood100 g mussel meat (weight without shells)70 g clam meat (weight without shells)70 g oystersSalt Water for Rinsing600 g water2 g saltSeafood Seasoning1 teaspoon salt1 pinch pepperTopping200 g scallions15 g green chili (about 1 chili)10 g red chili (about 2\/3 of a chili)Batter95 g wheat flour30 g non-glutinous rice flour1 g salt (about 1\/4 teaspoon)200 g water1 egg (beaten)For Cooking85 g vegetable oilSoy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce1 tablespoon light soy sauce1 tablespoon rice vinegar1 tablespoon water1 teaspoon pine nuts (ground)\t\n\t\n\t\tPrepare the SeafoodStir the water and salt together to make a light brine.Gently rinse the mussels, clams, and oysters in the brine, taking care not to damage them, then drain in a colander.Cut the seafood into roughly 1 cm pieces.Season with the salt and pepper, then marinate for about 10 minutes.Prepare the VegetablesTrim and thoroughly wash the scallions, then cut them into 10 cm lengths.Slice the green and red chilies on the bias into pieces about 2 cm long and 3 mm thick.Prepare the BatterIn a mixing bowl, whisk together the wheat flour, rice flour, salt, and water until smooth.Beat the egg in a separate bowl.Prepare the SauceCombine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, and ground pine nuts. Set aside until ready to serve.CookingHeat a frying pan over medium heat, then add the vegetable oil.Pour in a layer of batter to form a round about 10 cm in diameter and 8 mm thick.Lay the scallions over the batter, then scatter the seafood on top. Add the green and red chili pieces.Pour about 30 g more batter over the topping and spread it gently to hold everything together.Finish by pouring the beaten egg over the top.Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the bottom is set and lightly golden.Flip the pancake, cover the pan, and cook for about 3 minutes more.Serve hot with the soy-vinegar dipping sauce.\t\n\t\n\t\t\nHandle the seafood gently while rinsing so it does not break apart.\nFor the best texture, keep the pan over medium heat so the pancake browns well without burning.\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\tAccompagnement, Plat principalCor\u00e9enne","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147219"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147580,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147219\/revisions\/147580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}