kimchi MOM ™

Recipes and stories from a Korean American kitchen

Bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes) #SundaySupper

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This week’s #SundaySupper theme is Home for the Holidays hosted by Beate Weiss-Krull at GalactoPDX. We’re sharing holiday food traditions or our family favorite recipes.

Bindaetteok | www.kimchimom.com

Growing up, the “American” portion of Christmas dinner was always a repeat of Thanksgiving dinner – the big Butterball turkey, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce. The “Korean” portion of the dinner included a little more variation. Some dishes made a regular appearance, like jap chae, deep-fried mandoo, and of course kimchi, but new dishes emerged every couple of years. Like haepari naeng chae (cold jellyfish salad with a spicy mustard dressing), steamed squid with a side of red pepper sauce, or jok bal (braised pig’s feet) to name a few. And guests never came over empty-handed. Needless to say, Christmas dinners were always a huge spread and there was always an overflow table to accommodate the overabundance of platters. Guests came over ready to eat and my parents always invited those who had no plans for Christmas. These folks were always families who managed to find there way to this little remote town, thousands of miles away from their home country of Korea or graduate students who were studying at the nearby college town. Even back when they were living in New York City in the late 60’s, my parents always welcomed friends over to their small apartment and always with a generous spread of home cooking.

This year, my side of the family had plans to gather together at my parent’s house this season, but it all fell through (they have been enduring a drawn-out renovation/repair to their house). This year it’s just the four of us so there will be no big, loud, noisy feast. But if there were, I would bring these bindaetteok or mung bean pancakes to the table.

A few notes on the recipe

Typically, hulled mung beans are used for this dish giving the pancakes a more golden color. You can find hulled beans at your local Asian market. I used unhulled mung beans (from Whole Foods Market) since I couldn’t find the golden hulled beans. I also didn’t bother to peel them after they’ve been soaked overnight. It’s a real pain to unhull these babies. The hulls are completely edible, but the pancakes will take on a browner shade. It will not affect the flavors of this dish.

Older or more matured (read: more stinky) kimchi works best here. The tang of the aged kimchi works perfectly with the nutty flavors of the mung bean. Also, feel free to substitute the pork with beef or omit it altogether if you want to make this vegetarian.

You can eat the pancakes as is or serve it with a simple dipping sauce of 2 parts soy sauce to 1 part white vinegar.

Bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes)

Makes about 15 pancakes, 4 inches in diameter

2 cups dried mung beans
1/4 cup rice flour
2 cups kimchi, chopped
8 ounces pork tenderloin, chopped
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 red pepper, cored and sliced thinly lengthwise (totally optional)
cooking oil

1 – Soak the beans in 4 cups of water for about 6 hours or overnight.

2 – Drain and rinse the beans, but save the reserved water.

02_bind

Left: before soak, right: after soak.

3 – Put the beans in the food processor and purée.

4 – In a large bowl, add the bean purée and rice flour. Add enough of the reserved water to reach the consistency of a thick pancake batter. If you’re planning to use this later, keep the purée refrigerated until ready to use.

5 – Add the kimchi, pork, salt, and sesame oil. Mix thoroughly.

6 – Heat a couple of tablespoons of cooking oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat.

7 – If you’re using the red pepper to make the pancakes extra fancy, place 3-4 strips of the pepper into the pan. Immediately scoop or ladle about a half cup of the bean puree over the pepper. Cook until light brown and the edges dry up a bit, about 2 minutes. Repeat.

8 – Flip the pancakes and let cook for another 2 minutes or until done.

9 – Repeat until you have used up all the bean puree mixture.

Bindaetteok | www.kimchimom.com

Here is what the rest of the #SundaySupper gang is bringing to the table!  Happy holidays!

Breakfast

Appetizers & Snacks

Sides

Main Dishes

Desserts

Drinks

What does it mean for you to be Home for the Holidays?  Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check our our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.
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Comments

  2. Kim Watkinson says

    Your Mung Bean Pancakes remind me of Japanese-style okonomiyaki pancakes so I’m looking forward to making your recipe. (My health conscious husband will also appreciate the use of beans.) Many thanks too, Amy, for sharing memories of your abundant gathering of family, friends and food.

    • kimchi_mom says

      Thanks for visiting Kim! I’ve never had okonomiyaki, but have read and heard so much about them. I want to try them soon!

  3. Lizzy Do says

    Though I’ve never had mung bean pancakes, they look terrific. I don’t think there’s a pancake or fritter that I haven’t loved 🙂 Happy Sunday Supper, my friend!!!

  4. Isabel Foodie says

    Amy… that is so funny… growing up, we always had a repeat Thanksgiving Dinner for Christmas too! Thank you so much for everything you have done to make #SundaySupper special! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

  6. Paula @ Vintage Kitchen says

    Such a nice story, I can imagine your parent´s house back then, with unexpected guests. These pancakes look so good, but I have no idea what mung beans are. Maybe I can use some other small bean. Happy holidays!

    • kimchi_mom says

      This bean is widely used in Indian cuisine and commonly used in dals. I think Bob’s Red Mill sells it and Whole Foods has it in their bulk foods section. It’s worth a try!

  10. Laura Hunter says

    I can’t wait until I have a home large enough to do like your parents like your parents did. My family did the same when I was little, we would often invite the single ladies that worked with my dad and didn’t have any family close by. Something about having a house full makes the holidays extra special. I love that your family included such ethnic and traditional American dishes.

    • kimchi_mom says

      My parent’s modest home was always a full house`. Dinner was buffet-style so people sat at the kitchen table, dining table, living room floor, and the “kids” always ate in the basement family room in front of the television!

  11. Alice Choi says

    Amy, this is one of my FAVEs and my mom and I are making this today!!! Love it! Christmas with your parents and having them open their home to guests with great food sounds so wonderful and generous! Sorry you can’t spend Christmas with them this year but I’m sure you will have a wonderful Christmas on your own! Merry Christmas friend! 🙂 Hope you guys have a great time!

  14. Roxanne says

    A few years ago while living in Japan, I had the pleasure of visiting Seoul, Korea. It was such a wonderful experience, and we truly ENJOYED the food. This is something that I will definitely make. Thanks for sharing.

  16. Conni says

    This is what I love about #SundaySupper – being introduced to new and interesting dishes. I had never heard of bindaetteok, but it looks delicious!!

  19. Nancy says

    Amy, these look so incredibly tasty! I love how your folks would do an orphans’ Christmas dinner every year and invite everyone over – to me, spending quality time with friends and family (and eating, of course!) is exactly what the holidays are all about. Have a very merry Christmas, Amy! Btw – I LOVE your comment on my blog post. There’s gotta get a 20 year age gap between Mariah and the Biebs. It’s so deliciously inappropriate, it brings a smile to my face every time 😉

  20. Renee Dobbs says

    I have got to get some mung beans. I recently had some at an Indian restaurant and loved them. Now I see these wonderful pancakes. I hope I can find them in my area.

  23. Sarah says

    I had no idea how to make bindaetteok until I read your post. It was so nice of your parents to invite people who had no where to go for the Holidays. Our Christmas dinner was a combination of Korean and American food like your family dinner. This year we had sushi for Christmas ! So Korean right?! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you and your family a very happy New Year!

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