Our Beloved Summer Kimchi Pancake (김치전)
Why this food?
The one-pan kimchi pancake from Our Beloved Summer — crispy, tangy, and incredibly simple. The rainy-day companion to a cold beer. Made with sauerkraut as the perfect Walmart substitute.
🇰🇷 K-Culture Tip
김치전 is sometimes called 'kimchi pizza' by foreigners — crispy base, layered toppings, cut into squares and shared. The older and more sour the kimchi, the better the pancake. Our Beloved Summer's apartment cooking scenes use 김치전 as shorthand for 'we're comfortable with each other now' — it's the food you make when you stop pretending.
Related Videos & Articles
Substitute Ingredients
All available at Walmart
| Original | Substitute |
|---|---|
Kimchi 김치 | Sauerkraut (well-drained) Claussen The sourer the better — sauerkraut is the best kimchi substitute Shop at Walmart |
All-purpose flour 밀가루 | All-purpose flour King Arthur Use cold water — warm batter = less crispy result Shop at Walmart |
Neutral cooking oil 식용유 | Vegetable oil Generous oil = crispy edges. Do not skimp. Shop at Walmart |
🛒 Can't find it at Walmart? Try a Korean grocery store
Your Shopping List
Walmart edition
- 1 cup Sauerkraut (well-drained)
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons Vegetable oil
Instructions
- 1
Chop 1 cup kimchi (or sauerkraut) into small pieces, reserve 2 tbsp of the liquid
- 2
Mix batter: 1 cup flour + 1/2 cup cold water + reserved kimchi juice + pinch salt + 1 tsp sugar
- 3
Fold chopped kimchi into the batter
- 4
Heat 3 tbsp oil in pan over medium-high until very hot — the oil level matters for crispiness
- 5
Pour in batter, spread flat — cook 4 minutes without touching until golden and crispy on bottom
- 6
Flip once, press down firmly, cook 3 more minutes
- 7
Cut into squares and serve with soy-vinegar dipping sauce immediately
