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Korean Chive Pancake (Buchujeon)

Let’s make Korean chive pancake, buchujeon! Buchujeon is a delicious Korean pancake made from seasoned flour and chives. It is savory and crispy and makes a great appetizer, satisfying your taste buds!

Chive pancake served on a basket plate

WHAT IS KOREAN CHIVE PANCAKE

Buchujeon (부추전) is a Korean pancake made from chives, more specifically garlic chives. (The word “buchu” means “garlic chives” and “jeon” means pancake”. ) This pancake can be served as an appetizer or side dish and is usually eaten with soy sauce based Korean pancake dipping sauce.

Chive pancake cut into bite size pieces

WHAT ARE GARLIC CHIVES

Garlic chives on wooden board

Garlic chives are a member of the onion family and have a delicate, garlicky flavor. They are dark green in color with long, flat leaves. They look a little like grass.

Garlic chives are used in many dishes particularly in Chinese, Korean and Japanese cuisine. They are sometimes used as an alternative to onions or green onions / scallions.

Fresh chives only last for a short while, so make sure to remove any wilted leaves before preparing them! 

For this recipe, if you can’t find garlic chives, you can use chives instead.

Chives and garlic chives are very similar (they are from the same onion family), but they are slightly different from one another. Chives have hollow, tubular leaves and are much narrower.

Holding a chive pancake piece with chopsticks

OTHER KOREAN PANCAKE RECIPES

If you love Korean pancakes, you should definitely check these recipes. 

Chive pancake served on wooden plate with dipping sauce

INGREDIENTS FOR KOREAN CHIVE PANCAKE, SERVES 2

Chive pancake ingredients arranged on wooden board

  • 1 cup all purpose plain flour, sifted
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 & 1/8 tsp fine salt
  • 1 & 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 & 1/8 tsp onion powder
  • 1 cup icy cold water
  • 90g / 3.2 ounces garlic chives, cleaned and cut in half
  • 150g / 5.3 ounces prawns, cleaned and cut into smaller pieces
  • A few sprinkles ground black pepper, to season prawns
  • (optional) 1 red chili, thinly sliced diagonally
  • 3 Tbsp cooking oil, I used rice bran oil

* 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 cup = 250 ml

 
HOW TO MAKE KOREAN CHIVE PANCAKE

1. Prepare a medium size bowl and add flour, cornstarch, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder and the icy cold water. Whisk it well. Add Korean chives and prawns in the pancake batter and mix them well.

Making chive pancake batter in a mixing bowl

2. Preheat the frying pan on high heat until the bottom of the pan is well heated. Add cooking oil and ensure the oil is spread all the way around the pan. (Watch out for oil splash.) Wait until the temperature of the oil is ready to cook. To check, drop a bit of pancake batter into the pan. If it sizzles, it is ready.

Pouring cooking oil in skillet

3. Reduce the heat to medium high heat. Scoop out the pancake mixture with a ladle and spread it evenly and thinly around the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Move the pancake in circular motion from time to time so the pancake doesn’t get stuck to the pan.

Chive pancake batter on a cast iron skillet

4. Turn the pancake over when you see the top of the pancake partially cooked. (This makes it easy to turn the pancake. Took around 4 minutes). Add some cooking oil around the edges of the pancake circle if necessary. Press the pancake with the spatula a couple of times to sizzle and make it crispy. Cook further for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat off and transfer it onto a plate or a cutting board.

Collage image of flipping chive pancake

5. Repeat step 3 to 4 for the remaining batter to use up the ingredients.

6. Slice the pancakes into easy to bite size. Serve with Korean pancake dipping sauce.

Dipping chive pancake in sauce

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Chive pancake served on a basket plate

Korean Chive Pancake (Buchujeon)

This delicious Korean chive pancake (buchujeon) is savory and crispy. It makes a great appetizer, satisfying your taste buds!
4.75 from 4 votes
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Course: Appetizer, Side dishes
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: buchujeon, chive pancake, garlic chive pancake
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 230kcal
Author: Sue

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup all purpose plain flour , sifted
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/8 tsp fine salt
  • 1 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/8 tsp onion powder
  • 1 Cup water , icy cold
  • 90 g garlic chives (3.2 ounces), cleaned and cut in half
  • 150 g prawns (5.3 ounces), cleaned and cut into smaller pieces
  • A few sprinkles ground black pepper , to season prawns
  • 1 red chili , thinly sliced diagonally
  • 3 Tbsp cooking oil , I used rice bran oil

Instructions

  • Prepare a medium size bowl and add flour, cornstarch, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder and the icy cold water. Whisk it well. Add Korean chives and prawns in the pancake batter and mix them well.
  • Preheat the frying pan on high heat until the bottom of the pan is well heated. Add cooking oil and ensure the oil is spread all the way around the pan. (Watch out for oil splash.) Wait until the temperature of oil is ready to cook. To check, drop a bit of pancake batter into the pan. If it sizzles, it is ready.
  • Reduce the heat to medium high heat. Scoop out the pancake mixture with a ladle and spread it evenly and thinly around the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Move the pancake in circular motion from time to time so the pancake doesn’t get stuck to the pan.
  • Turn the pancake over when you see the top of the pancake partially cooked. (This makes it easy to turn the pancake. Took around 4 minutes). Add some cooking oil around the edges of the pancake circle if necessary. Press the pancake with the spatula a couple of times to sizzle and make it crispy. Cook further for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat off and transfer it onto a plate or a cutting board.
  • Repeat step 3 to 5 for the remaining batter to use up the ingredients.
  • Slice the pancakes into easy to bite size. Serve with Korean pancake dipping sauce.

Notes

* 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 cup = 250 ml

Nutrition Info (per serving)

Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 660mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1087IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Tried this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Rate this recipe with a comment below and tag me on Instagram @MyKoreanKitchen.
Filed under: Appetizers, My Recipes

Written by: Sue

Last Updated:

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Welcome to my Korean kitchen! I’m so happy that you're here. I am Sue, the creator behind My Korean Kitchen (since 2006). I love good food and simplifying recipes. Here you will find my best and family approved recipes. Thanks for stopping by!

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