๐ฅข Crispy Mini Kimchi Pancakes - Easy Bite-Size Kimchijeon for Makgeolli or Light Red Wine
Kimchi pancakes are delicious, but making one large pancake can sometimes be a little troublesome.
The center can turn thick and soft, and flipping a large pancake without tearing it is not always easy.
So instead of making one big kimchijeon, try spooning the batter into small, bite-size pancakes.
You get more crispy edges, the inside stays pleasantly moist with kimchi, and the little pancakes are much easier to flip.
They are also easy to pick up one by one, which makes them great as a snack, with makgeolli, or even with a light red wine.
Why Make Several Small Pancakes Instead of One Big One?
My favorite part of kimchi pancakes is always the golden, crispy edge.
With one large pancake, the center can easily become thicker, and moisture has a harder time escaping.
A large pancake can also tear when you flip it.
Making several small pancakes solves a lot of those problems.
- You get more crispy edges.
- It is easier to keep the pancakes thin.
- They are easier to flip.
- They are easy to share and eat by hand.
- They work well as a snack or a simple drinking snack.
You do not need any special cooking technique to get a good contrast between crispy edges and a moist kimchi center.
Makgeolli Is Classic, but Light Red Wine Works Too
Makgeolli and kimchi pancakes are a familiar Korean pairing.
The tangy, spicy flavor of ripe kimchi and the savory flavor of a freshly fried pancake are easy to enjoy with chilled makgeolli.
If you want to try something a little different, you can also pair these mini pancakes with a light red wine that is not too tannic or heavy.
A lighter style such as Pinot Noir or Gamay can be enjoyable slightly chilled.
For this dish, I prefer an easy-drinking red rather than something very heavy or strongly tannic.
⏱ At a Glance
- Cooking time: About 15 minutes
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Servings: 2-3
- Yield: About 10-12 mini pancakes
- Flavor: Tangy, spicy, savory, and crispy
- Core ratio: 150g kimchi + 180ml total dry mix by volume + 130-150ml cold water
- Key technique: Small and thin + cold batter + enough oil
๐ Ingredients
For 2-3 servings
- Well-fermented kimchi: About 150g
- Kimchi juice: Start with 30ml
- About 2 standard tablespoons
- Add up to another 15ml if needed
- Korean pancake mix (buchimgaru): 90ml by volume
- Korean frying mix (twigimgaru): 90ml by volume
- Very cold water: Start with 130ml, up to about 150ml
- Cooking oil: About 60-90ml total, used in batches
Optional Ingredients
- Cheongyang chili pepper: 1
- Canned tuna: About 1/2 can, well drained
- Can sizes vary, so adjust this optional ingredient to taste.
- Sugar: 1/4 teaspoon, only if the kimchi is extremely sour
The original Korean recipe uses 90ml by volume of buchimgaru and 90ml by volume of twigimgaru.
In Korea, this corresponds to half of a 180ml Korean-style paper cup for each mix.
I am keeping the actual volume instead of automatically converting it to an English “1/2 cup,” because those measurements are not the same.
Flour mixes can also vary in weight depending on the product and how they are measured, so I do not give an unverified gram conversion here.
The moisture in your kimchi and the exact flour mix you use can change the batter consistency.
Start with 130ml of very cold water.
If the batter is too thick, add cold water about 5ml at a time, up to around 150ml.
If you add extra kimchi juice, check the batter before adding more water.
The finished batter should not pour like water.
It should drop slowly from a large spoon.
Why Mix Buchimgaru and Twigimgaru 1:1?
You can make kimchi pancakes with Korean pancake mix alone.
For these mini pancakes, I like combining:
90ml Korean pancake mix + 90ml Korean frying mix
to help create a lighter, crispier surface.
Different brands can have slightly different formulas, so the exact result may vary.
The important thing is to watch the batter consistency instead of forcing every product to behave exactly the same way.
Use very cold water if possible, and mix the batter only until you no longer see much dry flour.
There is no need to beat it for a long time.
๐ฉ๐ณ How to Make It
1. Chop the kimchi into small pieces
Chop about 150g of well-fermented kimchi into small pieces with a knife or kitchen scissors.
Because these pancakes are small, long pieces of kimchi can make them harder to shape and flip.
Shorter pieces make mini pancakes much easier to handle.
2. Make the batter
Add the following to a bowl:
- 150g chopped kimchi
- 30ml kimchi juice
- 90ml Korean pancake mix
- 90ml Korean frying mix
- 130ml very cold water
Mix gently with chopsticks or a spoon just until most of the dry flour disappears.
Do not overmix.
Lift some batter with a large spoon.
If it runs off like water, it is too thin.
You want the batter to drop slowly from the spoon.
If it feels too thick, add cold water about 5ml at a time, up to about 150ml total.
If you want a little more kimchi flavor or color, you can add up to another 15ml of kimchi juice.
If you do, check the consistency before adding more water.
3. Heat the pan and add oil
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add about 30-45ml of cooking oil, roughly 2-3 standard tablespoons, for the first batch.
The oil should spread in a thin layer across the pan.
If there is too little oil, the pancakes can feel more dry-fried than crisp.
Before cooking the next batch, add another 15-30ml if the pan needs it.
Expect to use around 60-90ml of oil in total, depending on your pan size and how many batches you cook.
4. Spoon in small portions
Scoop up a level, generous spoonful of batter and place it in the pan.
Use the back of the spoon to gently spread it into a thin pancake about 6-7cm wide.
Do not overcrowd the pan.
Leaving a little space between the pancakes helps keep the pan hot and gives the edges room to crisp.
5. Flip when the edges are crisp
When the bottom is golden and you can see the oil bubbling around the edges, flip the pancake.
After flipping, press it once, gently, with a spatula so the other side makes good contact with the pan.
There is no need to keep pressing it down.
When both sides are golden and the edges are crisp, it is ready.
6. Do not stack the hot pancakes
Fresh pancakes release steam.
If you stack them immediately, the pancakes underneath can soften quickly.
Place them on a plate or rack with as little overlap as possible.
And of course, they are best right out of the pan.
๐ก Ajumma's Tips
Keep the batter cold.
Use very cold water, and once the batter is mixed, start cooking rather than letting it sit for a long time.
Do not overmix.
Mix only until most of the dry flour disappears.
Do not be too stingy with the oil.
These small pancakes need enough oil for all those little edges to turn golden and crisp.
Keep them thin.
Even a small pancake can become soft in the middle if it is too thick.
For even more crispness, you can replace a little of the frying mix with starch.
Use 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch or potato starch instead of the same amount of frying mix.
Do not simply add extra starch on top of the existing dry mix.
Drain tuna very well if you add it.
Extra oil or water can thin the batter and make it harder to keep the pancakes crisp.
If the kimchi is extremely sour, use only a tiny amount of sugar.
About 1/4 teaspoon is enough.
The goal is not to make the pancake sweet, only to soften an unusually sharp sourness.
Finding Buchimgaru and Twigimgaru Outside Korea
For this recipe, I recommend using the original Korean ingredients when you can find them.
Look for:
- Korean pancake mix (buchimgaru)
- Korean frying mix (twigimgaru) or Korean tempura-style frying mix
You may find them at a Korean or Asian grocery store or online, depending on where you live.
One important thing:
Do not substitute sweet American breakfast pancake mix for buchimgaru.
They may both be called “pancake mix” in English, but they are made for very different foods.
If Korean frying mix is unavailable, an unsweetened, unseasoned tempura batter mix may be a closer commercial alternative.
Products vary in starch, seasoning, leavening, and water absorption, so the result may not be identical.
If you use a substitute, keep the same basic method:
Start with 130ml of water and adjust gradually according to the batter consistency.
The batter should slowly fall from a spoon rather than pour like a thin liquid.
Plain all-purpose flour can be used as a fallback base in some pancake recipes, but it is not the same as buchimgaru. The seasoning and texture will be different, so I would not treat it as an automatic 1:1 replacement for this recipe.
Serve Makgeolli Cold, or Try a Light Red
Fresh mini kimchi pancakes are wonderful with chilled makgeolli.
If you feel like trying something different, a lighter red wine can be fun too.
A Pinot Noir or Gamay that is not too heavy or tannic can work nicely served slightly chilled.
There is no need to buy an expensive bottle.
For these crispy, tangy pancakes, I would choose something easy-drinking rather than a very rich, powerful red.
Eat Them While the Edges Are Still Crisp
Kimchi pancakes are at their best straight from the pan.
Pick one up while the edges are still crisp and the inside still has that moist, savory kimchi texture.
Mini pancakes are easier to flip, easier to share, and easy to serve as either a snack or a simple Korean drinking food.
If you have some well-fermented kimchi in the fridge, skip the giant pancake and make bite-size mini kimchijeon instead.
They are great with makgeolli, and a light red wine can make a fun change too.
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