Here’s a pancake that packs more punch than your standard buttermilk round. Filled with seafood and veggies, haemool pajeon is a hearty snack that just might be a little more Atkins-friendly than those other fried circles. But perhaps the best reason to eat these conglomerates is their many different ingredients that make each bite always flavorful and robust — no maple syrup needed.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup squid cleaned and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup any shellfish, well-drained and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup cooked tiny shrimp, well-drained
• 2 imitation crab sticks, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lean ground beef
• 1/2 green pepper, cut into strips
• 1/2 cup spring onion, halved and cut lengthwise
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
• 1/3 cup cooking oil for frying

Seasoning mixture
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Brown the beef and let cool. Mix the seasoning mixture together. Combine the squid, shellfish, shrimp, crab and beef, then mix in the seasonings.

Combine the chicken broth, flour and egg to make a batter. Heat oil in a skillet, dip a few pieces of spring onion and green pepper in the batter and place in the skillet over high heat. Flatten each piece slightly and, while cooking, place a little of the beef and seafood combination on top and cover with about a teaspoon of batter. Fry until the bottom of each patty is almost cooked and crispy. Turn each one over and fry the other side very quickly until crispy. Repeat the whole process with the remaining pieces of onion and green pepper.

NOTE: Pan-frying sliced fish or vegetable patties is usually done over low heat, but for this recipe, fry quickly on high heat to make patties crispy and to avoid sogginess.

Reprinted from Vignette of Korean Cooking II by Jae-Ok Chang, published by Maeilwonsaek Press. The cookbook, with recipes in both English and Korean, is available for purchase through KoreAm for $23.95, including shipping and handling. Send a check to KoreAm, 17000 S. Vermont Ave., Ste. a, gardena, ca 90247. Or to pay by credit card, call (310) 769-4913.