BINDAETTEOK Mung Bean Pancakes

Bindaetteok is something we grew up eating all the time, and as a result, I sort of took it for granted. It wasn’t until college (when Omma’s cooking was scarce) that I became excited about seeing it on the menu of a restaurant on campus or even in the prepared foods section of a local Korean grocery store. What sets bindaetteok apart from other Korean pancakes is the texture—it’s made out of mung beans instead of flour, and therefore, neither the batter nor the finished product is smooth. Rather, it has the mouthfeel of a potato pancake. You can purchase mung beans already dried and peeled, so that all you have to do is soak them to make them soft enough to blend into a thick batter.

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Step 1

Soak the dried mung beans in cold water until softened, about 4 hours. Drain and set aside.

Step 2

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, blanch the mung bean sprouts for 1 to 2 minutes, then run them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Transfer the mung beans to a large bowl, add the kimchi (without the liquid), scallions, garlic, mushrooms, soy sauce, and sesame oil and marinate for at least 30 minutes (but no more than 4 hours).

Step 3

In a blender, combine the soaked mung beans, the salt, black pepper, egg replacer, kimchi liquid, and up to 1 cup water. Blend until a slightly orange batter forms (it should be like oatmeal). If your blender is not large enough to accommodate all the mung beans at once, work in batches.

Step 4

Pour the batter into a large bowl and mix half of the marinated vegetables into the batter.

Step 5

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Spread a piece of the marinated kimchi, 4 to 5 pieces of scallion, and a couple slivers of garlic and mushrooms in the pan. Then spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the batter over the vegetables in the pan. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook until both sides are evenly cooked, an additional 2 minutes. Continue to make more pancakes, adding extra oil as necessary.

Step 6

Serve with the spicy soy dressing.