Description
If you need a way to use up those vegetables in your fridge, make these Tofu Vegetable Pancakes inspired by Korean Yachaejeon. A thick, bouncy pancake perfect for dipping!
Ingredients
Vegetable Pancake
- 1, 16 oz container silken tofu, 454g
- 1 tsp kosher salt (plus more if needed)
- 1/2 tsp kala namak also known as black salt (can be replaced with same amount of kosher salt)
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled, 188g
- 1/2 cup potato starch or 6 tbsp cornstarch, spoon and leveled, 85g
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 small zucchini (can be replaced with 1/2 cup more cabbage)
- 6 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 green chili pepper or jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- Avocado oil for cooking
Dipping Sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- If using zucchini, shred or julienne it until you end up with about 1/2 cup. Transfer it to a bowl with a pinch of salt over top to draw out moisture. Allow the zucchini to sit for 5 minutes. Gather the zucchini in your hands, then squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Discard the liquid and set aside with the other shredded vegetables.
- To a blender cup add the silken tofu, salt, and kala namak if using. Blend until completely smooth.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, potato starch, and baking powder then whisk to combine. Pour in the tofu mixture and whisk until you form a very thick batter. If the batter isn’t coming together, whisk in 1-2 tbsp of water at a time until all the flour is mixed in.
- Add the cabbage, zucchini, scallions, pepper, garlic, and sesame oil, then use a spatula to fold the vegetables into the batter until evenly distributed.
- Add about 1 tbsp of oil to coat the bottom of a small or medium skillet over medium-low heat. Dollop a generous portion of the batter and spread it out evenly to form a thick circle in the pan. Allow to cook undisturbed for 5-7 minutes, or until the bottom is golden. Flip and cook for about 5-6 minutes. Clear the pan out, add additional oil and cook the remaining batter. You should end up with about 3 large pancakes.
- To make the dipping sauce, add the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds to a small bowl, and whisk together.
- Cut the pancakes into squares and serve with the dipping sauce.
Notes
Pay attention to the water content of your veggies. Some veggies like zucchini or summer squash contain a lot of moisture that if left alone can make the pancakes soggy in texture. To fix this, add your shredded veggies to a bowl with a pinch of salt and allow for some of the moisture to be released for 5 minutes. Gather the veggies in your hands and squeeze out as much of their liquid as possible before adding them to the batter.
Adjust ingredients as needed. This recipe is pretty forgiving! Just make sure that you make appropriate swaps if you decide to deviate from the recipe as written. Please refer to the Key Ingredients and Substitutions section of this post for ideas!
Spoon and level your flours. This will ensure that you don’t end up with too much flour in your batter. I have included gram measurements if you’d like to just measure the flours straight into your bowl.
Adjust the sizes of your pancakes. You can make a bunch of smaller pancakes instead of the bigger ones. Smaller sized pancakes will take 3-4 minutes on each side to cook, so pay attention when cooking them so you don’t end up burning them.
