[Home Cooking] Crispy guljeon (Korean-style oyster fritters)

Traditionally, guljeon is egg battered and individually pan fried. The golden brown, crispy guljeon in this recipe is made with the typical Korean savory pancake batter, loaded with oysters, and fried to perfection!

For the batter, I used buchim garu (Korean ready-made pancake mix) along with a little bit of potato starch to add extra crispiness to the pancakes.

This recipe requires minimal vegetables. I used carrot, scallion, and mushrooms. Zucchini, chili pepper, garlic chives, red or orange bell pepper, and onion are all great options as well.

The guljeon is deep-fried in a generous amount of oil for an extra crispy and crunchy exterior while keeping the interior delicately soft. Of course you can use less oil if you’d rather cut back on calories. Simply pan fry as you would do for other Korean savory pancakes such as pajeon. The result will be delicious either way!



Ingredients:

200 grams oysters (gul)

1/2 small carrot

1 scallion

2 mushroom caps (any fresh mushrooms)

1 cup buchim garu (ready made Korean pancake mix)

1 tablespoon corn or potato starch

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sesame oil



Clean the oysters by gently swishing them around in salted water. Drain. Rinse again in clean water and keep them in a strainer over a bowl to drain well.

Finely chop the carrot, scallion, and mushrooms.

In a large bowl, mix the pancake mix and starch with 3/4 cup icy cold water. Add a tablespoon or two if needed. The batter should be slightly thick but still runny.

Mix the oyster with the sesame oil, and then add to the batter along with the vegetables.

Heat 3/4-centimeter oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add about 2 heaping tablespoons of the batter, and spread it evenly into a small round shape. Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook 5 to 6 pancakes at once. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve hot with a dipping sauce.



For more recipes, visit www.koreanbapsang.com. 

By Ro Hyo-sun