Korean Seafood Pancakes (Haemul Pajeon)

Korean Seafood Pancakes (Haemul Pajeon) 

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

Dipping Sauce:

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sweet sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chillie flakes) or regular red chillie flakes

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 spring onion or scallion, finely diced

For the batter:

1 1/3 cups (300 millilitres) cold water

2/3 cup (100 grams) rice flour (makes pancakes crispy)

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1 packet fresh or frozen prawns, cleaned, deveined and halved

1 packet crab sticks, sliced into pieces

3 spring onions or scallions, chopped finely

1 tsp black pepper powder

Salt to taste

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

For the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the sauces, vinegar, chillie flakes, sesame oil, sesame seeds and spring onions and set aside.

For the batter: In a large bowl, gently whisk together the eggs, rice flour, all-purpose flour, black pepper and salt until smooth, adding the water gradually. Add the prawns, spring onions, crab sticks, and mix to coat well and evenly. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, spoon in one-third of the batter and spread out evenly to make a small circular pancake measuring about 3-4 inches. Fry until golden brown and crispy on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip over carefully and cook until the other side is golden, another 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Working in batches, make 3 more pancakes, drizzling in more oil as necessary, about 2 to 3 tablespoons per pancake, and adjusting the heat down as needed. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.