Five-Color Jeon (Korean Pancake)
#FiveColorJeon #Obangsaek Wishing for good health and longevity with a traditional dish representing the five cardinal colors
Create beautiful five-color jeon, a dish symbolizing the warding off of evil spirits and wishing for good health and longevity. The stuffed spicy peppers are hearty, and the variety of ingredients makes this a visually appealing and delicious holiday treat.
Pancake Ingredients- 5 Korean spicy peppers (Asak-gochu)
- 5 Perilla leaves (Kkaennip)
- 3 Shiitake mushrooms
- A small bunch of Oyster mushrooms
- 5 Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 300g Ground pork
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 5 Eggs
Ground Pork Seasoning- 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
- Pinch of black pepper
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Today, we’re making Five-Color Jeon, a dish imbued with the wish to ward off bad luck and promote good health. We’ll use a variety of colorful ingredients, much like the five cardinal colors (Obangsaek: blue, red, yellow, white, black), to create a refined and delicious pancake.
Step 2
First, pour 1 cup of all-purpose flour into a wide bowl. This will be the base for coating our ingredients before frying.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, crack 5 eggs and add a pinch of salt. Whisk the eggs until smooth to create the egg wash. The salt helps to neutralize any eggy smell and adds seasoning.
Step 4
To the ground pork, add 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 Tbsp salt, 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil, and a pinch of black pepper. Gently mix and knead the ingredients together with your hands until well combined. This seasoning forms the flavorful filling.
Step 5
Cut the Korean spicy peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Then, generously stuff each pepper half with the seasoned ground pork. It’s good to have some of the filling protruding slightly, as it makes the jeon look more appealing after frying.
Step 6
Coat the stuffed peppers first with a thin layer of flour, ensuring it adheres well. Then, dip them into the whisked egg wash, making sure they are fully covered. The flour helps the egg wash stick, and the egg wash gives the jeon its beautiful golden color.
Step 7
Peel and devein the shrimp. Make a shallow cut along the back of each shrimp and gently flatten them. This makes it easy to remove the dark intestinal tract. Once prepared, coat the shrimp with flour and then dip them into the egg wash.
Step 8
For the shiitake mushrooms, remove the tough stems. Spoon the seasoned ground pork into the hollowed-out underside of the mushroom caps. For the perilla leaves, place the seasoned ground pork on one leaf, cover with another leaf, and then coat them with flour and egg wash. (Note: As we didn’t have a blue ingredient for the five colors, we’ve used the peppers. The shrimp will provide a lovely red hue when fried. The yellow will come from the egg coating, white from the mushrooms, and black/green from the perilla leaves.)
Step 9
Heat a generous amount of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When frying the shiitake mushrooms and peppers, place them meat-side down first. This ensures the filling cooks thoroughly and the shape of the jeon remains beautiful and intact.
