Yesterday, we harvested all our remaining spring onions to make way for tomato plants. To be honest, I wouldn’t have minded letting them grow a bit longer and picking them over a longer period of time. Spring onions are so versatile I could easily sneak them into something or other on a daily basis. On the other hand, I could say much the same about tomatoes, so, as result, I now have a big pungent bouquet of  spring onions in a jug on my kitchen counter. Luckily, this pancake, inspired by Korean pajeon, is the perfect way to enjoy their sweet oniony flavour. Wholewheat flour gives it a bit more depth , sesame seeds add crunchy nuttiness and cornstarch ensures the outsides become wonderfully crisp. 

The only tricky bit about making this pancake is flipping it without breaking it. Don’t despair if it does fall apart, though, it will look messy, but it won’t affect the taste. However, to make things easier on yourself you could also slice the spring onions in rings. Serve while still hot, cut into pieces with a very sharp knife and dunk into a soy and vinegar dipping sauce.

Ingredients for 1 ø 20 cm pancake:

Batter

1/3 cup or 50 g whole wheat flour

scant 3 tbsp or 18/20 g cornstarch

1/2 tsp cane sugar

sesame seeds

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 or 125 ml cup ice cold water

the rest

3 tbsp sunflower oil

8-10 thin spring onions

dipping sauce:

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar (or other vinegar of choice, I used mature Shanxi vinegar)

1/2 clove garlic

korean chilli flakes (gochugaru)

few drops of sesame oil

• Make the dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl.
• Cut the spring onions into 10 cm long pieces. Halve them lengthwise if they’re a bit thicker.
• First mix the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, sugar, sesame seeds) for the batter, then add the soy sauce and water and stir well to get a smooth thin batter.

• Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 3 tbsp of oil and when the oil is hot, lay down the spring onions in a row.
• Pour the batter over the onions, tilt the pan to spread it evenly, and press the onions down with a spatula. Keep doing this regularly for a couple of minutes until the bottom of the pancake has browned and crisped up and the pancake does not stick to the pan anymore.
• Now flip it carefully by sliding it onto a plate, placing the pan on top and flipping it over.
• Cook for another couple of minutes on the other side and flip again and fry for a final minute.
• Slide onto a chopping board. Cut into smaller pieces and serve straight away.