Pajeon — Korea's Scallion Pancake and Why It's Better in the Rain

Pajeon (파전) — pa (파 = scallion) + jeon (전 = pan-fried savory pancake) — is one of Korea's most universally eaten dishes. It appears as a snack, as a drinking food with makgeolli, as a banchan, as restaurant street food. It is simple in conception (batter, scallions, pan-fried) and requires attention in execution (batter ratio, oil amount, heat level).

Why Pajeon and Rain

The association between pajeon and rainy days is strong enough to be a Korean cultural cliché — on a rainy day, someone will say jeonbuchimae meokoyo? ("Should we eat jeon?"). The reasons are both scientific and nostalgic:

Scientific: The sound of rain pattering against a surface sounds similar to the sizzling of jeon in a pan (jijijijji). The auditory similarity creates a sensory connection.

Nostalgic: Before modern kitchen ventilation, cooking jeon filled small homes with savory oil-fried smell that competed with the damp smell of rain. Generations grew up associating that combination of smells. Now it's a cultural memory.

Practical: Rain days historically meant markets were slow, people stayed home, and simple pantry-available ingredients (flour, eggs, scallion) produced the most accessible satisfying meal.

The Batter

Standard pajeon batter (makes 2 medium pancakes):

• 120g all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp rice flour (adds chewiness and crispiness — optional but recommended)
• 1 egg
• 170ml cold water (very cold — cold water keeps gluten development minimal)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar

Mix until just combined. A few lumps are fine — overmixing develops gluten and makes the pancake tough. The batter should be thinner than American pancake batter.

The rice flour addition: Replacing 10-20% of the flour with rice flour produces a crispier exterior. This is a Korean restaurant technique not always used at home.

The Scallions

Use whole scallion stalks, not chopped. The stalks should be roughly the diameter of a chopstick.

For a medium pancake: 8-12 scallion stalks, washed and dried, trimmed to the width of your pan. Lay them parallel in the pan before adding batter over them, or mix them into the batter first.

Haemul Pajeon (해물파전) — Seafood Version

The premium version. Add mixed seafood — small squid (rings and tentacles), shrimp, clams, oysters (when in season) — to the batter or pressed into the surface before cooking. The seafood caramelizes into the top of the pancake.

Squid note: Squid in pajeon releases water as it cooks. Pat squid very dry before adding, or the batter will be diluted and the pancake won't crisp.

The Dipping Sauce (초간장, Cho Ganjang)

• 2 tbsp soy sauce (ganjang)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp gochugaru (optional)

Stir to combine. The vinegar-soy combination cuts the richness of the fried batter.

Cooking Technique

1. Heat a pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add generous oil — more than you think (3-4 tbsp for a medium pancake). The oil should shimmer.
2. Pour batter into pan in a circle, 6-8mm thick.
3. Reduce to medium heat. Cook undisturbed 3-4 minutes until the bottom is golden and set.
4. Flip. Pressing down gently with a spatula.
5. Cook the second side 2-3 minutes, adding a small amount of oil around the edges.
6. Flip one final time for 30 seconds — the first side always looks better, so end with it face up.

The pressing: Many Korean cooks press the pancake firmly with a spatula during cooking to ensure even contact with the pan and even crispiness. This is standard technique.

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Pajeon's place in Korean culture is earned by accessibility and reliability: flour, eggs, scallion, oil — the ingredients are always available, the result always satisfying. Every other Korean savory pancake (nokdu jeon, haemul jeon, gamja jeon) is a variation on the same fundamental approach that pajeon represents.