Serves8 (as a small plate)
- Active time:40 min
- Start to finish:40 min
RECIPE BY ANDREA REUSING
October 2008
In Korean kitchens, spicy kimchi (pickled cabbage) is used in all sorts of things, including savory pancakes. Reusing tempers its garlicky heat with mellow sweet potatoes—a culinary icon in many parts of Asia, as well as in the American South—in this beautiful balancing act. Straightforward to make yet mysterious and complex in flavor, this dish has become a real Gourmet favorite.
-
1
lb
sweet potatoes
-
1
cup
packed kimchi (7 oz), very thinly sliced
-
1 1/2
teaspoons
finely chopped garlic
-
1
to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh serrano chiles (including seeds; amount depends on heat of kimchi)
-
1
cup
thinly sliced scallions (from about 2 bunches)
-
1
large egg, lightly beaten
-
1
teaspoon
kosher salt
-
3/4
cup
all-purpose flour
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About 1/2 cup corn oil or lard
-
Peel sweet potatoes and julienne using slicer (about 6 cups).
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Stir potato together with remaining ingredients except oil. Let mixture stand at room temperature until wilted and moist, about 5 minutes, then stir again.
-
Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Filling a 1/3-cup measure halfway full with potato mixture for each pancake and working in batches of 5 or 6, tap out into oil, gently flattening pancakes with a spatula to about 1/4 inch thick. Cook until golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Flip, adding a little more oil if necessary, and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Add oil to skillet between batches as needed. Serve warm, with dipping sauce.
Cooks’ note: Pancakes can be fried 2 weeks ahead, then cooled and frozen. Reheat unthawed pancakes in a 375°F oven.
