Buchimgae is the name given to a family of crispy and delicious pan-fried savoury pancakes from Korea.
Our favourite Buchimgae recipe, Buchu-Jeon, is also known as Chive Pancakes or Korean Chive Pancake.
This quick and easy Buchimgae recipe is prepared with affordable ingredients that are common in any Asian-food lovers pantry.
Enjoy homemade Korean Chive Pancake for breakfast with kimchi fried eggs, at lunch with banchan, mid afternoon snack all on its own, or as an appetizer at a Korean-themed dinner party.
Our homemade Buchimgae Buchu-Jeon features ingredients like all purpose flour, fish sauce, Chinese chives, onion, canola oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.
Save this story to Pinterest!
What Is Buchimgae?
Buchimgae, or Korean pancake, refers broadly to any type of pan-fried ingredients soaked in egg or a batter mixed with other ingredients. More specifically, it is a dish made by pan-frying a thick batter mixed with egg and other ingredients until a thin flat pancake-shaped fritter is formed.
There are many popular varieties ofBuchimgae:
- Buchu-Jeon: Korean Chive Pancakes
- Memil-Buchimgae: Korean Buckwheat Pancakes
- Kimchi-Buchimgae: Korean Kimchi Pancakes
- Hobak-Buchimgae: Korean Zucchini Pancakes
- Pajeon: Korean Scallion Pancakes
Travel to Korea by Cooking Buchimgae at Home
I love traveling through Asia.
As a professional food and travel writer I’ve eaten my way through India, Maldives, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
My first visit to Asia had me living in South Korea for a year as an English teacher. That’s when I was first introduced to yummy fermented vegetables like kimchi.
In Korea, I’ve crunched through many plates piled high with crispyBuchimgae at restaurants in Seoul, Suwon, Busan, Samcheok, Jeju and even the North Korean DMZ.
My first time eating Korean Chive Pancake was almost immediately after getting off the plane in Seoul. I spent my first week in Korea attending intensive teacher training classes. Whenever we’d break for lunch they’d serve Chive Pancakes with a few noodle dishes and banchan.
Our authentic Buchu-Jeon recipe is a simple Korean snack or appetizer that is quick and easy to make. The recipe features a thick savoury pancake batter as well as a yummy dipping sauce. Ingredients you’ll need to prepare this recipe at home in your kitchen include allpurpose flour, fish sauce, Chinese chives, onion, canola oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.
It is possible to make this buchimgae recipe vegetarian or vegan, simply omit the fish sauce, or replace it with vegan fish sauce.
After enjoying your first few bites, you’ll realize why a steaming plate topped with crispy Korean Chive Pancake is a must-try when visiting South Korea!
Where To Eat Buchimgae Korean Chive Pancake
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Korean restaurant that serves traditional Buchu-Jeon.
Haven’t traveled to Korea before? It may be helpful to first sample authentic Chive Pancakes at a local restaurant to better understand how it is served. You’ll get an idea for the ideal thickness of the pancake, perfect chive to batter ratio and dipping sauce options.
You’ll also find inspiration on what to pair withBuchimgae including Korean inspired dishes like Gochujang Chicken Wings, Ssamjang Chicken, Spicy Gukbap Korean Rice & Beef Soup and Spicy Pork Bibimbap.
In Toronto, popular Korean restaurants that may serve buchimgae include Doma, Korean Village Restaurant, Arisu, Charcoal and Salt, Koko Share Bar, The Owl of Minerva, Seoul Shakers, Té Restaurant, Barrio Coreano, Momofuku Noodle Bar, Tofu Village and Korea House.
My Family Loves Chive Pancakes
My parents flew to Asia to visit me on holiday during my 12 months in Seoul. Before landing at Incheon they visited Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan.
They had never been to a Korean restaurant at home in Toronto or Oakville before so every dish was a delight and surprise to their taste buds.
It’s no secret that my dad is a picky eater so I was a little nervous about him finding commonplace menu items like raw fish, spicy soup and fatty samgyeopsal to be unappealing.
Thankfully my parents both fell in love with buchimgae! They ordered the dish many times during visits to Insadong and Dongdaemun. They love all sorts of pancakes and are fans of any carbs that are fried and crispy. It reminded them of Green Onion Cake Cong You Bing.
I often make Chive Pancakes in the summer as my mom grows the herb in the backyard garden so we’ve got an endless supply to use up. It’s my favourite last minute meal or snack to throw together in just a few minutes. It helps that it always has hungry visitors smiling from ear to ear!
Buchu-Jeon Cooking Tips
Our buchimgae recipe is quick and easy to make at home. We’ve included a few tips for first time Korean Chive Pancake cooks!
- We suggest using a large nonstick skillet or griddle to prepare Buchu-Jeon. The additional space makes it easier to flip the pancakes so they don’t fall apart.
- Cook one pancake at a time and keep them warm in a 200 F oven until ready to slice and serve.
- We like to use canola oil to fry chive pancakes but you could use other vegetable oils like rapeseed, avocado or sunflower.
- We’ve used Chinese chives in this recipe but you could also substitute for French chives or scallions/green onions.
- Make this buchimgae recipe vegetarian or vegan by simply omitting the fish sauce, or replace with vegan fish sauce.
- Our recipe includes directions on how to make a homemade dipping sauce, but you could also simply use soy sauce, sweet chili sauce or hoisin.
What To Serve withBuchimgae
There’s nothing more comforting than cozying up to a platter of steaming Chive Pancakes.
If you’re hosting a large dinner party you might want to pass around Buchu-Jeon slices as an appetizer before serving heartier mains.
We love eatingBuchimgae with Chinese Cucumber Salad, Osaka Okonomayaki, Ginger Beef, Vietnamese Crepe Bánh Xèo, Gochujang Chicken Wings and Ssamjang Chicken. Serve our recipe with your favourite craft beer, fine wine or cocktails.
After dinner why not dazzle your guests with one of our popular desserts such as Oat Flour Cookies with Chocolate Chips, Dark Chocolate Lindt Lindor Cookies, Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes Recipe, Cinnamon Babka, Blueberry Cream Cheese Earl Grey Ice Cream, Baileys Banoffee Cake, Swedish Rhubarb Cherry Pie or Skittles Sugar Cookies.
Storing Chive Pancakes
If you have leftover Chive Pancakes you can store them in the fridge in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for 2-3 days. To reheat simply pop in your oven or toaster to crisp them up. We do not suggest freezing cooked Buchu-Jeon as they tend to fall apart when defrosting.
You May Also Enjoy Reading…
- Roasted Beetroot Salad with Grapefruit, Pistachio and Herbed Cream
- Mizeria Creamy Polish Cucumber Salad Recipe
- Goi Xoai Vietnamese Mango Salad Recipe
- Quick & Easy Indian Onion Salad Recipe
- Guasacaca Sauce: Venezuelan Guacamole Recipe
- Easy Creamy Warm Orzo Lemon Salad
- Easy Healthy Homemade Goi Ga Vietnamese Salad
- Easy Healthy Roasted Vegetable Couscous Recipe
- How To Make Healthy Sweet Potato Rice
- How To Make The Best Canadian Salad Recipe
- Healthy Garlic Lemon Chickpea Avocado Salad
- Grabong Northern Thai Pumpkin Fritter Recipe
- Gai Pad Med Mamuang Thai Cashew Chicken Recipe
- Gaeng Masaman: Authentic Massaman Curry Recipe with Beef
- Nam Tok Authentic Thai “Waterfall Beef” Salad Recipe
- Gaeng Keow Wan: Thai Green Curry Chicken Recipe
- Bun Cha Recipe: Healthy Vietnamese Noodle Bowl
- Thai Pork & Beef Mince Curry Khua Kling Recipe
- Authentic Chiang Mai Noodles “Khao Soi” Recipe
- Easy Pad Kra Pao Thai Basil Stir-Fry Recipe
- Best Laos Papaya Salad Tum Mak Hoong Recipe
Best Buchimgae Korean Chive Pancake Recipe
Buchimgae Korean Chive Pancakes
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- French knife
- Non-stick skillet
- Rubber Flipper
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Fish Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups Chinese Chives chopped
- 1/4 cup Onion chopped
- 2 tbsp Canola Oil
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl whisk together sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, 3/4 cup water and fish sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir in the chives and onion until fully incorporated.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat.
- Scrape the chive batter into a mound in the centre of the pan and spread evenly so it forms a thin round, approximately 10 inches in diameter. Cook until lightly browned on the bottom, around 4-5 minutes.
- Shake the skillet to check it is crispy then turn the pancake over with a spatula. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil so it runs under the pancake. Use the spatula to lift the edges of the pancake so the oil evenly coats underneath. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the other side is crispy. Turn the pancake again and cook for 2 more minutes, until both sides have browned and are crispy.
- Turn one more time and slice the pancake onto a plate. Slice into wedges and serve immediately with reserved dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Some of the links in this story use affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through our site, Dobbernationloves will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps us to produce comprehensive content.
Save this story to Pinterest!
What do you do with the rice vinegar, soy, sesame oil mixture that is set aside?
It’s a dip for the pancakes 🙂