Frying up some Bindaetteok (a.k.a. Korean Mung Bean Pancakes)

You know what's great after a night of listening to celebrated soprano, Renee Fleming, sing at the BSO? Coming home to a plate of hot and crispy bindaetteok, a savory Korean pancake made of dried groung mung beans, kimchi, mung bean sprouts, and other fillings.

These little pancakes are very filling and would make a great finger food for a party, provided that you have a lot of napkins nearby. 

Traditionally, you mix in kosari, mung bean sprouts, kimchi, and ground pork with the batter, but really, you could put just about anything in there and it would be good. This time, I browned up a little ground beef with garlic, mirin, salt and pepper and threw that in. Feel free to experiment!

One word of advice... when I say use a generous amount of oil, I mean generous. We're not making american pancakes and these guys stick like the devil.

Bindaetteok

2 cups dried split mung beans, rinsed
1/3 lb ground pork or beef
tbsp soy sauce
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbsp mirin
1 1/2 cups really fermented kimchi, chopped finely
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1 cup bracken fern, chopped
kimchi juice from the jar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Soak mung beans in water for at least six hours and up to 24. Drain, rinse, and blend in a blender with 1/2 cup of water. Add in some kimchi juice and blend until its a thick coarse paste, sort of like hummus. It won't be runny like cake batter. Refrigerate batter until you are ready to use.

Sautee meat in a pan with garlic, mirin, salt and pepper to brown. Set aside.

Mix soy sauce, kimchi, bean sprouts, bracken fern, and ground meat into the batter.

Add a generous amount of oil to a pre-heated cast iron skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add about 2-3 tablespoons of batter to the pan. Depending on how large your skillet is, you can make about 3 at a time. Cook on one side for about 3-4 minutes until you can see the sides getting dry and golden. Flip and cook 3-4 more minutes.

Eat hot, with dipping sauce (recipe follows) if you want.


Bindaetteok dipping sauce:

Combine 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds in a small bowl.