Hearty Korean pancakes

Didi Emmons – Vegetarian Planet

A substantial dinner, these pancakes are filled with brown rice, grated carrots, scallions, and tofu. Their crisp, crunchy outsides balance a soft, chewy inside. This is a great meal for novice tofu eaters.
Don’t hesitate to substitute other vegetables – such as grated zucchini, daikon radish, or sweet potatoes, or chopped spinach – for the ones I’ve chosen here.

Pancakes:
1 egg
1 1/3 cup water
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup glutinous rice flour (available in Asian markets and many supermarkets), or an additional 1 cup white flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked short-grain brown rice, or 1 cup glutinous (sweet) rice (available in Asian markets)
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 large carrots, grated
6 scallions, both green and white parts, chopped fine
3 tablespoons canola or corn oil

Dipping Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 pinch chile flakes, or 1 dash hot chile sauce
1 pinch sugar (optional)

1. Make the pancake batter: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. In a large bowl, stir together the flours and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add the egg-water mixture. Stirring slowly with a whisk, gradually incorporate the flour into the liquid. Stir until the batter is smooth. Add the cooked rice, tofu, carrots, and scallions to the batter, and stir well. Set the bowl aside.

2. Make the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together all the of the sauce ingredients except the sugar. Taste the sauce, and add a pinch of sugar, if you like.

3. In a well-seasoned skillet at least 10 inches in diameter (do not use a nonstick pan; the texture of the cakes would be quite different), heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Pour 1 generous cup of the batter into the middle of the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low, and spread the pancake with a spoon. Cook the pancake for about 5 minutes, or until it is lightly browned on the bottom. Turn the pancake with a spatula, and lightly brown the other side for 5 minutes. Slide the pancake onto a plate. Keep the pancake warm in a slow oven while you make the two more in the same way, using 1 tablespoon oil for each.

4. Pour the dipping sauce into small individual bowls, and serve the sauce with the hot pancakes.

Variation: For a wonderful texture and flavor, add 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds to the batter.

Note – I haven’t yet found glutinous rice flour, so I use 1 cup of rice flour and 1 tsp gluten (you can buy in the flour section). I don’t know if the gluten makes a difference or not. Make sure to drain the tofu well. I usually make a double batch so I can use a whole pound of tofu.