Carrot Pancake (당근 전 - Dang Geun Jeon)

I was walking on the street a few days ago and saw a woman going about her way with the bright green carrot top peeking through her grocery bag. It was just a moment in a day, but it reminded me of this post that I missed to share last fall. Now we've come out of the long, gray months and heading right into the colorful season, I want to share this with you before I miss the timing again.

During my visit to the Brooklyn Grange last October, I bought a bunch of carrots that had been just picked from there. Carrot tops are perfectly edible, and I find more of the carrot bunches with the leaves attached these days than, say, a few years ago. A couple of little tips that taste like carrot could be used as a delicate garnish. This time, since I had a bunch of carrot tops as well as carrots, I wasn't going to waste any of them. Making savory pancakes out of any vegetable could be an easy Korean-way out, but it's also a simple and delicious way to make a good use of lots of vegetables.

I went with my simple savory pancake batter. The amount of the vegetable ingredient you get is not always exact, but the batter for this vegetable pancake should be similar to the consistency of the breakfast pancake batter, thick yet runny. Some people prefer their joen (전) a bit loose or dense, thinner or thicker, so it is ultimately your call once you're comfortable with making basic Korean savory pancakes. Although vegetable pancakes in Korea are widely known as a rainy day dish (does the sizzling sound remind you of the raindrop?), it can be an everyday dish accompanied by just a dipping sauce of soy sauce and a splash of rice vinegar.

Yields: 3 6-inch carrot pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 C Carrot leaves, rinsed and roughly chopped
3 Small carrots, rinsed and thinly sliced

Neutral tasting oil, such as canola oil or sunflower seed oil, to pan-fry pancakes

Batter
1 C          All-purpose flour
1 C          Water
1               Egg
1/2 t          Salt
Pinch Black pepper

Dipping Sauce
2 T Soy sauce
1 T Rice vinegar
Optional) A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the batter by whisking together flour, water, egg, salt and pepper.

2. Mix in carrot leaves. Do not overmix.

3. Heat a pan over medium heat. Drizzle oil to generously coat the pan. When the oil is heated and shimmering, add in 1/3 of the batter and spread to an evenly thin pancake. Press down carrot slices on top of the pancake while it's still wet.

4. When the edges turn golden brown, check the bottom to make sure it is turning golden brown. Flip to the other side and cook until both sides are golden brown. Repeat the steps with the rest of the batter.

5. If there are any leftover carrot slices, saute with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle on top of the pancakes.

5. Serve hot with the simple dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and if using, toasted sesame seeds.

6. Any leftover can be refrigerated for a day or two. You can put it in a microwave to warm it up, but heating it on the pan over stovetop (without additional oil) brings back its crispy outer layer. That extra minute or two on the stovetop is worth it.

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