Of all pancakes, sweet & savory, bindaetteok 빈대떡 are my favorite! They have a slight nuttiness to them from the ground mung beans that adds an extra flavor that goes amazingly well with pork (think: acorn-fed iberico ham). I watched my mom make this over the years, but my version has more kimchi & more pork belly – the combination of mung bean, kimchi & pork belly is magical in my book ✨

My mom used to bring me freshly fried, crisp bindaetteok when she would pick me up from field hockey practice after school. Back then, no one talked about limiting proteins, carbs & gluten, but my mom must have known that protein-packed bindaetteok were the perfect snack after an intense practice! And they’re GLUTEN-FREE!

While my mom hasn’t made homemade bindaetteok for me in quite some time, when I visit my family in San Francisco, my mom will sometimes still bring me bindaetteok from the Korean market when she picks me up at the airport 💗

Makes ~8 Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

Bindaetteok Batter

1 cup dried peeled and split mung beans
6 oz skin-off pork belly
4 oz mung bean sprouts
7 oz kimchi, drained
2 red long peppers
4 scallions
½ cup kimchi juice (optional)
2 tsp soy sauce (use gluten-free tamari if you have a gluten allergy)
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp sesame oil
Salt
Vegetable or canola oil

Dipper

1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
½ scallion, chopped
½ tsp toasted sesame seeds
¼ tsp gochugaru 고춧가루 (Korean red pepper flakes) - more if you like it spicy (optional)

Rinse and soak the mung beans in water for 3 hours. Drain. You should have 2-2 ½ cups of mung beans.

Slice pork belly into small thin strips. Marinate in 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp minced garlic, sesame oil & a pinch of salt for at least 30 minutes, up to 1 hour.

Blanch the mung bean sprouts in boiling water for about 1 minute then move blanched bean sprouts with a spider into an ice bath to stop cooking. Drain bean sprouts and gently squeeze out water in batches. Slice red long pepper into thin rounds. Slice kimchi into thin strips. Slice scallions thinly on the bias (diagonally). Combine red pepper, kimchi, bean sprouts & scallions in a large bowl.

In a blender, grind the soaked beans with ½ cup kimchi juice (if using, otherwise, water) + 2 Tbsp of water. If you want them slightly gritty, stop blending when they reach the texture of sand. If you want a smoother pancake, blend until fine.

Add ground mung beans to the vegetable bowl. Then add the marinated pork belly with its marinade. Gently mix the mung bean batter until the ingredients are evenly distributed. If the batter is too thick, add water, one teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a thick pancake consistency.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until hot. Spoon the mixture into the pan and spread it into an even circle shape to the size you desire. Cook approximately 2-3 minutes until the bottom is golden brown then flip to the other side. Flatten with the spatula, if necessary, then cook for another 2- 3 minutes. Quickly drain each pancake on paper towels. Repeat the process with the rest of the mixture, adding more oil as necessary.

For the dipping sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. If the sauce is too thick, add a ½ teaspoon of water. Serve bindaetteok, hot, with the dipper!

CY’S BINDAETTEOK 빈대떡