I tried these a long time ago, and they recently resurfaced at my house, courtesy of TJ's-loving friends. Why make something yourself when you can pay someone else to do it for you? This is what people make of us millennials. :P
To be fair, I have fond college memories of getting together with friends to make pajeon, or Korean savory pancakes, usually with kimchi and even sometimes with seafood, like squid or shrimp if we're feeling indulgent (usually not though. College students = broke). Scallions were often used too, although I tend to associate the term "Scallion pancake" with the Chinese version with all the flaky layers.
Made in South Korea apparently.
At the time of this posting, I am mad tired and can't think of anything else insightful to say. Whatever, pajeon isn't exactly a health food but it ain't bad either. It's a quintessential food for sharing with friends and family.
Except if you share this, everyone ends up with a minuscule piece. These pancakes are a lot smaller than what you would get at a Korean restaurant (they usually take up the whole dinner plate). We ignored the package directions and pan-fried them (with more oil) to get the signature crispy exterior. Otherwise you end up with a doughy pancake with nothing particularly spectacular about it, which is what it was anyway despite the pan-frying. A good Korean pancake is usually on the thinner side with plenty of filling (Veg, seafood, whatever) and crispy edges. To date, I have yet to produce anything like that in my kitchen. Usually I end up with something flat but doughy and chewy. Edible yes but not amazing. That's exactly what we have here. The scallion flavor comes through very nicely. It definitely benefits from a dipping sauce. Other than that, it's a run-of-the-mill frozen pancake that I personally would be okay skipping in favor of some other food. It's carb-y, vegetably, but lacking the right texture. Therefore, although it doesn't taste bad per se, I'm not really recommending you run out and get this by any means. Dare I say doing it yourself with the pancake mix and following along with a little Maangchi might yield better results.
TL;DR: Trader Joe's Scallion Pancake. Ho hum scallion flat bread. Except a wee bit thicker. 5 out of 10.
it gets plenty crispy for me... I throw it in the pan over medium heat, frozen, not necessarily even preheating, no oil, and let it sit. for a while. flip it over when it looks half done on one side. it secretes oil. when that side looks half done, flip it over again to cook until crisp. flip one last time. it gets nicely browned and pleasantly crispy.
ReplyDeleteI prepare them in nonstick pan with no oil also. Medium heat, as mentioned. They get super crispy. I love having an egg on top. Totally addictive!
ReplyDeleteOne reason your pancakes may not turn out right is your batter. The best Korean pancakes imo are bindaetteok, which are made with mung beans, not flour. They taste more like potato pancakes.
ReplyDeleteYummy! I heat them in the oven with cooking spray..flip half way through..top with trader Joe's green dragon and sweet chili sauce. Fabulous!!
ReplyDeleteI just toss them in the toaster oven and let them go until they are crisp. They are yummy with a variety of sauces including a yogurt sauce with minced cucs and little garlic.
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