Korean pancakes are called jijimi or chijimi and served with a rice vinegar and soy sauce.
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). When I arrived at her place I was surprised to see how different it looked; DVDs after DVDs of Korean TV drama, CDs of famous Korean pop bands, a calendar with pictures of Seoul and Pusan, and tickets to an upcoming concert for… You guessed it: a famous Korean singer.
What was happening to her? Was she going crazy thinking she was somewhere in Korea and not the South of Japan? I thought she’d become so weird until I ate lunch with her friends and realized that there was a major new trend happening in Japan. Everyone was falling in love with Korean culture! Even busses announced stops in Korean (previously it was only in Japanese and English). Korean fever was everywhere which was so strange to see considering the history these two countries have with each other.
For the longest time Japan and Korea hated each other. So much so that Japanese history books falsify any killings or crimes committed against Koreans. History books were then burned in Seoul’s public square, in outrage against the Japanese culture and its people. I even remember that while I lived in Japan, there used to be trucks with loud speakers parked in front of the Korean embassy located near Roppongi, constantly harassing them to leave the country. And now because all of a sudden Japanese TV stations are broadcasting Korean TV dramas during the day because it’s cheaper than filming their own shows, the female population has gone crazy for everything that’s Korean. Japan and Korea are now bffs.
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:
- Japchae (Korean glass noodles)
- Doenjang jjiigae (Korean soybean paste stew)
- Buchujeon (chive pancakes)
- Sookju namul (bean sprout salad)
- Spicy cucumber salad (oi muchim)
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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
Korean pancakes are called jijimi or chijimi and served with a rice vinegar and soy sauce.
Ingredients
Pancake
- 1 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
- 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.
- In a large pan over medium heat, add oil and 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. Transfer to a plate and slice into squares or triangles.
- Repeat this step for the remaining batter. You may need to use more oil.
- Serve with dipping sauce.
For 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.
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!