I probably shouldn’t be advertising that my kids are bingeing on Netflix right now, but it is the new Michelle Obama kids’ show about food, “Waffles + Mochi.” My kindergartner came to get me for the pickling episode (she knows me so well!) and I can report it was a delight and utterly charming. Aside from learning about good bacteria, food burping and the art of patience, the pickling episode also took us to Seoul, South Korea, where we watched kimchi being made on a mass scale.
Which reminded me that I had a recipe I needed to share with you. It’s a kimchi pancake from one of my favorite cookbooks of the past year, “EAST: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Beijing.”
Like so much of the book, it was fast, easy enough for a weeknight, plus vegan and delicious. My husband absolutely flipped for them last week and requested them again just a few days later. I will admit that the other recipe I’ve shared from this book, the mushroom baos, were much more time-consuming but absolutely fantastic.
Although I have made my own kimchi in the past using my CSA, I didn’t this year, so mine is from the refrigerated section of Trans World Market, one of my favorite food stores in the area. For vegetarians out there, be careful of added shrimp paste in the kimchi. I had tofu in the fridge that needed using, along with green onions. I skipped the mung beans, so you can, too. I didn’t have spinach in the house, but will include the directions for its use here.
The goopy batter of white flour, rice flour, tofu and kimchi juice comes together quickly, although you have to have it rest for 10 minutes before making your pancakes. My batter actually ended up sitting much longer but had no effect on the outcome of the dish.
Although the dipping sauce calls for dark soy sauce, you’ll be fine using regular. I happen to have dark soy sauce in the house — I did mention that Trans World Market is one of my favorite stores, and for good reason!
I served my pancakes with rutabaga fries, which were not my best work. Such are the travails of trying to eat seasonally and locally in gloomy March.
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as part of a larger meal
Ingredients
1 heaping cup chopped kimchi
Two-thirds cup rice flour
Two -thirds cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
7 oz firm tofu, drained and cut into thin slivers
A big handful of mung bean sprouts, if using
5 green onions, trimmed and finely chopped
4 packed cups baby-leaf spinach
Canola oil
For the dipping sauce
3 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1.5 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, plus extra to garnish
Directions
Tip the kimchi into a sieve over a liquid measuring cup, and press down to extract as much juice as possible, Measure the juice and, if need be, top it up to just under 1 cup with tap water. Roughly chop the drained kimchi.
In a large bowl, use a fork to whisk the flours and salt, then stir in the kimchi juice. Add the kimchi, tofu, bean sprouts and most of the green onions — saving a small handful of the onions for the sauce — and stir again. The batter should be wet but scoopable. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, chile flakes, the reserved green onions and the sesame seeds. Shred the spinach and put into a salad bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the dipping sauce and toss to coat.
To cook the pancakes, heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a medium frying pan (ideally nonstick) on a medium flame and swirl it around to coat the base of the pan. Pour in a quarter of the batter (I used a ladle) and spread it out with the back of the spoon until it’s 6 inches in diameter.
Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the bottom is crisp and golden, then flip and cook on the other side until that, too, is crisp and golden. Transfer to a warm plate, cover with foil, and repeat with the remaining batter, adding a little extra oil to the pan for each pancake, if need be.
Serve warm with a big handful of spinach salad scattered on top and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Serve the sauce in little bowls on the side.
Molly Parr lives in Florence with her husband and two young daughters. She’s been writing her food blog, Cheap Beets, since 2010. Send questions or comments to molly.parr@gmail.com.