Korean pancakes are called jijimi or chijimi and have a light and chewy texture. While many jijimi pancakes are cooked with chives, my recipe contains a mix of thinly sliced sausages, cabbage, and scallions.
About 5 years ago I was in Fukuoka for my yearly family visit. My mother picked me up at the airport and asked if I was hungry or too tired to eat. I wasn’t starving but could use a snack before passing out from the very bad jet lag (16 hour flight + 13 hour time difference). While we usually stop at a conbini (Japanese for convenient store) to pick up some zaru soba – my go-to jet lag meal – this time we drove straight to her place. Colorful plates of japchae, jijimi, kimchi, and other Korean favorites were put in front of me as I listened to my mother explain what each dish was.
My mother cooking Korean food? What was going on here? I thought it was a bit strange until a few days later when we met her friend Hisako at a Korean restaurant for lunch. That’s when it became clear that there was some sort of a Korean craze happening between her and her girlfriends. My mother had recently told me about her love for Korean tv dramas but I hadn’t realized that it was about a lot more than just tv.
Since my mother never does anything half-assed, she not only redecorated her apartment into a Korean HMV store and took language lessons, but also ordered food directly from Seoul. Included in her grocery bag was a flour for a pancake called jijimi. Jijimi is more dense than a crepe but lighter and crispier than a pancake, and is usually filled with scallions, ham and/or kimchi. It’s accompanied by a dip that’s a little sweet and vinegary, and it tastes absolutely wonderful. It’s a a quick and easy side dish to make and the Korean pancake flour can be easily found in Chinese, Korean or Japanese supermarkets. As my Korean obsessed mother would say “Mashikeh mogoseyo!” (enjoy your meal!).
Other Korean dishes you might like:
- Doenjang jjiigae (Korean soybean paste stew)
- Buchujeon (chive pancakes)
- Sookju namul (bean sprout salad)
- Spicy cucumber salad (oi muchim)
- Kimchi jjigae
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Jijimi – Korean pancakes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: Korean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Savory and chewy Korean pancakes served with a tangy dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Pancake
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups Korean pancake flour (chijimi)
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1/2 cup cabbage kimchi, chopped and drained
- 4 small sausages, cut into strips
- 3 stalks scallions, cut into strips, lengthwise
Dipping sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Other ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Make the batter: In a large bowl, mix egg, flour and water first. Make sure all lumps are gone, then add the remaining ingredients for the pancake. Mix well.
- Make pancakes: Use a large skillet and put it over medium high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil and swirl it to coat the skillet evenly. Use about a ladle full of batter to create as thin a pancake as you can make. The pancake won’t be thin like a crepe, it will have some volume, that’s the way it should look. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until almost crispy.
- Cut the pancakes: Transfer the pancakes to a plate and slice into squares or triangles. Repeat this step for the remaining batter. You may need to use more oil.
- Make the dipping sauce: Add all the ingredients for the dipping sauce into a microwave safe bowl and mix well. Microwave for 20 seconds or until sugar has dissolved. Stir and set aside.
- Serve: Serve the pancakes with the dipping sauce.
Notes
Save leftover jijimi in a storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 396
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 669mg
- Fat: 13.3g
- Saturated Fat: 7.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 57g
- Fiber: 2.2g
- Protein: 11.4g
- Cholesterol: 56.1mg
Hello! This is exciting to find your blog. You use a lot of ingredients that I have around and I really like what you are doing with them! So many more ideas! Thanks : )
When I was on a choir tour through South Korea a bunch of years ago, I remember eating Korean pizza (or maybe Korean pancake?) It was like this, but even fuller of ingredients, so that the batter barely covered enough for it to stick together. And it was filled with squid and cuttle fish, and maybe other stuff. Would your pancake be the same base recipe, with the fish added in? Or do you have a separate recipe from your mom for what I remember?
Thanks!
Hi Christine, yes you can definitely use my recipe to make your pancakes. They should hold just as well with plenty of veggies and seafood 🙂
I have only have tried this once … and loved it … I will try to replicate at home!