[Taste of Hansik] Korean fritters take minced meat and mushrooms up a notch

Donggeurangttaeng and pyogo jeon Jeon, often deceivingly described as Korean-style pancakes, is a pan-fried or battered fritter-type local food easily made at home. Depending on how you make it, jeon can be both a fancy and humble home dish..

Donggeurangttaeng and pyogo jeon

Jeon, often deceivingly described as Korean-style pancakes, is a pan-fried or battered fritter-type local food easily made at home. Depending on how you make it, jeon can be both a fancy and humble home dish.

The simple version usually mixes a few main ingredients, like scallions or kimchi, into a mix of flour and water, and the batter is pan-fried.

For those wanting something a bit more decorative, a special type of jeon called donggeurangttaeng, made with minced pork, may be a good option. Some donggeurangttaeng will even have a slice of red or green pepper placed in the center to add some color.

Lastly, for anyone wanting to go the extra mile, keeping some pyogo beoseot (shiitake mushrooms) aside, ready to stuff, will also add some pizazz.

Donggeurangttaeng ingredients: 150 grams of dubu (tofu) 200 grams of ground pork 3 spoons of diced buchu (chives)

1 spoon of minced garlic 2 spoons of sesame oil 2 spoons of jinganjang (soy sauce) 1/2 spoon of salt 1 spoon of flour A pinch of pepper 2 eggs

Pyogo jeon ingredients: 6 pyogo beoseot (shiitake mushrooms) 1 spoon of sesame oil

1 spoon of jinganjang (soy sauce)

1 spoon of water

Instructions:

Press the tofu to remove excess water and set aside.

Dice the chives and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the tofu, ground pork, chives, garlic, flour, salt, pepper, 2 spoons of sesame oil and 2 spoons of soy sauce.

Form a ball with the batter and throw it into the bowl around five times to get rid of any air pockets.

Make two cuts on the shiitake mushrooms for decoration.

Mix 1 spoon of sesame oil, 1 spoon of soy sauce and 1 spoon of water. Use the mixture to coat the inside of the mushroom.

Stuff the mushrooms with the batter.

Take pieces of the batter and form small circles around the same size as the stuffed mushrooms.

Coat the dough balls with flour and eggs.

Pan-fry for about 10 minutes on low heat before moving everything to a plate.

BY LEE SUN-MIN [lee.sunmin@joongang.co.kr]