Colorful Skewer Jeon: The Crown Jewel of Holiday Feasts, Beautifully Crafted with Care
[Holiday Food] How to Make Beautiful and Vibrant Skewer Jeon (Osaek Kkoji Jeon)
While often overshadowed by main dishes on the holiday table, Kkoji Jeon (skewer jeon) truly shines when enjoyed on its own. Its vibrant colors and the fun of picking ingredients off the skewers make it a popular and beloved dish. Children often get excited to make their own skewer jeons! This recipe presents a slightly different approach: we’ll be pan-frying them long and then slicing them, which means less work for the little ones this time. They can focus on enjoying these delicious treats!
Main Ingredients
- 10 pieces imitation crab sticks (Kamaboko)
- 1 block sliced ham
- 200g king oyster mushrooms
- 2 bundles green onions (about 15-20 stalks)
- 1 pack pickled radish (danmuji) (about 200g)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients that will add richness and flavor to your skewer jeon. Cut the imitation crab sticks and ham into long strips, matching the desired length of your skewers. If the ham slices are too thick, they might be difficult to skewer, so aim for a moderate thickness.
Step 2
Trim the caps off the king oyster mushrooms and cut them into long pieces, about 5-7 cm in length, suitable for skewering. If the mushrooms are particularly thick, you can slice them in half lengthwise.
Step 3
Trim the green onions to match the length of the ham. For added color variation, you can substitute or include blanched garlic scapes or thinly sliced chili peppers.
Step 4
Arrange the prepared ingredients – ham, imitation crab sticks, king oyster mushrooms, green onions, and pickled radish – neatly. Everything is now ready for skewering.
Step 5
Begin skewering the ingredients in an attractive order. A good sequence is ham – king oyster mushroom – imitation crab stick – green onion – pickled radish. This arrangement provides stability and visual appeal. Since some ingredients are soft, starting with the ham and placing firmer vegetables towards the end helps prevent the skewer from bending. Maintaining a consistent order is key to creating sturdy and beautiful skewer jeons.
Step 6
To ensure the long jeon can be easily divided later, insert additional skewers at the points where you intend to cut it into three sections. Planning these division points now will make for neater slices later.
Step 7
Prepare the egg wash to coat the skewers. Crack 6 eggs into a bowl and whisk them thoroughly. For a smoother batter, strain the whisked eggs through a fine-mesh sieve. Since we’re using pancake mix, no additional seasoning is needed for the egg wash.
Step 8
Lightly coat each skewer with pancake mix, shaking off any excess. Then, dip them into the prepared egg wash, ensuring they are fully coated. While making long jeons initially felt a bit challenging, I found it became quite manageable after a few tries. Coating both sides evenly with pancake mix helps the egg wash adhere better.
Step 9
Heat a generous amount of cooking oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Pan-fry the skewer jeons, flipping them occasionally, until they are golden brown and cooked through. Controlling the heat is crucial to prevent burning. If any gaps appear during cooking, you can carefully spoon a little extra egg wash to fill them for a cleaner finish. Frying them long might seem a bit intricate, but the final presentation is truly impressive and delicious.
Step 10
Your carefully crafted Osaek Kkoji Jeon are finally ready! They look incredibly appetizing, reminiscent of ingredients neatly arranged for kimbap. Each skewer is a testament to the care and effort put into its creation.
Step 11
Once cooked, slice the long jeons into three equal sections following the guide skewers you inserted earlier. Trimming off the very ends can create uniform pieces for an even more elegant presentation. Both small and long versions of kkoji jeon have their own unique charm.
Step 12
Although the finished jeon look abundant, the enticing aroma suggests they’ll disappear quickly once people start eating! The smell of cooking oil already evokes a festive holiday atmosphere. Complete your holiday spread with these beautifully prepared and delicious skewer jeons.
