Korean Zucchini Pancakes Hobak Jeon Recipe
Thin, delicate pancakes made from zucchini slices coated in an egg-and-flour batter are a popular homemade snack in Korea. They often appear on holiday tables alongside other fried bites, but they also work perfectly as a quick side dish for dinner. Their flavor is mild, slightly salty, and they soak up dipping sauce beautifully.
These hobak jeon are a classic of Korean home cooking: simple, quick, and made from just a few ingredients, yet elegant enough for a holiday table. The thinly sliced zucchini stays tender inside while the egg-flour coating turns lightly crisp and perfectly soaks up the savory dipping sauce.
Chef's tips
Slice the zucchini as evenly as possible so all the pancakes cook at the same rate and brown evenly. Don’t overheat the oil – medium heat is enough to cook the zucchini through without burning the coating. If the batter starts to slide off, pat the zucchini slices a bit drier before dredging them in flour.
How to serve
Serve as part of a Korean-style spread with kimchi, rice, and a simple soup, or as a snack with drinks. They’re also great tucked into a bowl with steamed rice, some kimchi, and a drizzle of the dipping sauce for a quick, comforting meal.
Ingredients
- zucchini medium-sized - 2 pieces
- salt for sprinkling the zucchini and for the sauce - 0.75 teaspoons
- wheat flour about 4 tablespoons - 60 g
- egg - 2 pieces
- vegetable oil for frying - 4 tablespoons
- soy sauce for the sauce - 2 tablespoons
- rice vinegar for the sauce - 1 tablespoon
- water for the sauce - 1 tablespoon
- white sesame seeds for the sauce - 1 teaspoon
- garlic finely grated, for the sauce, optional - 0.5 clove
Preparation
- Wash the zucchinis and cut them into slices about 0.5 cm thick.
- Lay the slices out on a board or plate, sprinkle both sides with 0.5 teaspoon of salt and set aside for 10 minutes until they release some liquid.
- In the meantime, prepare the sauce: in a small bowl mix the soy sauce, vinegar, water, sesame seeds, and garlic.
- Gently pat the zucchini slices dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Put the flour on a shallow plate and coat each zucchini slice in it on both sides, shaking off any excess.
- In a second bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining 0.25 teaspoon of salt.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Dip each zucchini slice in the egg and immediately place it in the pan.
- Fry for 2–3 minutes on one side, until the bottom is golden, then flip and fry for another 1–2 minutes, until the other side is browned as well.
- Transfer the fried slices to a plate lined with paper towel. Add the remaining oil to the pan if needed and fry the next batches.
- Serve the pancakes warm or at room temperature, with a small bowl of dipping sauce in the center of the plate.
Storage
Przechowuj placki w lodówce, oddzielając warstwy papierem do pieczenia. Podgrzewaj na suchej patelni na średnim ogniu, żeby znów lekko się zrumieniły.
